Donating My Car To C89.5 Was The Best Thing I’ve Ever Done For Charity (Opinion)

For anyone in Western Washington (or anyone wanting to tune in from around the globe online), C89.5 (KNHC) has always been a great source for electronic music on the radio. I have personally been a listener since I was about 12 years old, and it’s been a mainstay on my dial ever since then.

The best part about C89.5 is that we never had to listen to commercials, they never placated to the music industries influence, and it was run by high school students rather than a large company. After reflecting on ALL the music that I have listened to in my life, all the opportunities that I have had in the music industry, and most of all, meeting my future wife, I had to do something more than just donate a few dollars every pledge drive. So I went on the website and decided it was time to donate my car.

I have owned my 2001 Honda Civic since I was 16 years old. I bought it with my own money, did almost all of the vehicle maintenance myself, and have had more exhilarating and terrifying experiences than I care to quantify. Betty, as I came to call her, has been there for more than half of my life. Letting her go is one of the most difficult decisions I could have made, but the fact that I get to donate it to such an amazing organization like c89.5 helps me bear that burden so much easier.

Not my actual ’01 Honda Civic, but an exact match to what she looks like.

The truth is, my poor Betty is an old lady. She has had some problems, from a blown transmission, stressed struts, corroded shocks, and a few accidents through her life, to the average wear and tear of every vehicle. The simple fact was that it was more costly to make the necessary repairs to make her safe for the road and my impending family, than to do one last good thing with her.

So I decided to go forward and pay C89.5 back for all that they have given to me in my life. I picked up the phone and called the hotline. It was a simple phone call, but that’s only because I had my title ready to go and knew my license plate number and mileage by heart. After about five minutes on the phone, I had all my information registered with the service to have a tow company come and pick up Betty to take her to the farm downstate.

A short while later, a bot from Peddle sent me a message letting me know that they have my car in their system and that they had coordinated with a local tow company to come and pick up Betty. The text was reminiscent of an 1990’s high school drug counselor trying to use what they thought was the correct colloquialisms that would make them seem more relatable. The text went “Yo! I am a bot from Peddle that will help you get your ’01 Honda Civic in Seatown picked up for donation through Center For Car Donation.” …. Cool.  Hilarious pandering aside, they were actually really helpful with everything and before I knew it, Betty was ready to be picked up just a couple days later.

On the day Betty was set to be sent to the farm, all I had to do was sign my title and leave it and the keys in the car. The tow truck came and picked her up and that was it. She was gone. A lifetime of memories seemed so hard to let go of at first, but now that she is in a better place and she supported a great radio station — I couldn’t have been happier.

So what happens to your vehicle once it is gone? There are a couple of options that can happen. Initially, Center for Car Donation will try to auction your vehicle off. That can be for spare parts, as a new vehicle for another family or a myriad of other things someone would buy a vehicle from auction for. Another option is that it could be sold for scrap metal, so you get to help recycle as well.

The money generated will benefit many different organizations that you can choose. I chose to help C89.5. You can choose LGBTQ causes, support women and families, the environment, senior citizens, and so many more causes. What you choose is up to you, but I promise you that the experience is easy and worth it. All in all, I spent maybe a half hour of my life dealing with the process. I think I may have spent more time on this article, and it was worth every second along the way.