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Domestic abuse victims catch brake with free auto service
By Lee Roberts
TIAA Executive Director
AUSTIN, Texas -- Domestic abuse victims residing at SafePlace shelter here received free brakes and a lot more Oct. 13 when the Texas Independent Automotive Association provided 11 recipients with free auto repairs, parts and service at Austin Community College.
TIAA’s Austin Chapter enlisted the support of membership mechanics to work side by side with vocational students from ACC, Georgetown and Pflugerville high schools. Together, they tackled an assortment of much-needed repairs.
Joe Werner, TIAA Austin Chapter president, said donors including O’Reilly Auto Parts, Allied Sales, Four Season Radiator, Carquest Auto Parts, Walton Distributing, Snap-on Tools Interstate Battery, Arnold Oil and A-Line Auto Parts provided money and parts, and then the volunteers rolled up their sleeves to service the cars. They changed oil, replaced worn brakes, shocks, timing belts, gaskets, spark plugs, tires, batteries, belts, windshield wipers, turn signals, and even radiators to make the cars safe, he said.
Paige Swift, in-kind coordinator for SafePlace, attended the event, spent time with the volunteers working on behalf of the beneficiaries, and commented about what a great service TIAA, donors and volunteers were providing.
“This event is about helping our clients get their cars repaired so they are safe on the road and they are able to get back in the working world… to make their lives better,” she said. “They often leave (abusive relationships) with nothing but their vehicle. Having something like this to get their vehicle up and running so they can find work and a place to live, to make it to therapy, to get their lives in order, is what this is about.”
Swift continued that it’s incredible to see the mechanics in action. “Being here I get to see the first-hand action… it’s tangible… I can see it,” she said.
For more than 20 vocational students from Pflugerville and Georgetown high schools, the event gave them a chance to work alongside TIAA member garage mechanics and to gain insight and hands-on experience on maintenance they may not otherwise experience.
For Faylynn Campbell, a junior at Georgetown High School, she jumped at the chance to fix cars for free because of the good cause and because she aspires to become a mechanical engineer. “I like volunteering. I just like helping out,” she said. “Next year I plan to be here again.”
Mark Rivera, a junior from Pflugerville High School, worked with a team of volunteers on a car that took all day to fix numerous and extensive repairs.
“The experience I get from not knowing to knowing new things… it’s enjoyable,” Rivera explained. “The master technicians guided us through it. We did brakes. We did heating and cooling. We replaced rotors and we focused on safety issues. It was a long process, but I feel really good about what I did.”
Werner said every volunteer involved, no matter their experience level, just wanted to ensure that the victims of abuse received the service not out of pity, but because it’s vital that society sends a message that these abusive behaviors are not acceptable.
“There’s nobody that needs our assistance more than these women that are coming out of these abusive relationships,” Werner added. “Some of them have children that have been domestically, sexually violated, and they’re in really bad shape. I think we all wish we could do more for them, but fixing cars is something that we can do and we can do a good job at it. If nothing else, we can make them safe on the road.”
(Editor’s note: If interested in organizing donation drives or contributing to SafePlace, call 512-356-1567 or visit http://www.austinsafeplace.org)
Photo cutline: Mark Rivera, a junior at Pflugerville High School, replaces a radiator at Austin Community College Oct. 13, 2007, during a community service project to repair cars belonging to victims of domestic abuse residing at SafePlace. (Photo by Lee Roberts)
(This article published from Topics Fall 2007 issue)
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