Rides for a Reason

The name says it all: Rides for a Reason.

This is the official name of a new program, formed in conjunction with Charity Reimagined, that provides Kootenai Technical Education Campus students with hands-on experience while helping people in the community who need a little help securing reliable transportation so they can get on with their lives.

The name was revealed Monday morning during a ceremony at KTEC. With a countdown from three and a burst of applause, juniors Trevin Murillo, who designed the logo, and Wally Rohr, who came up with the name, conducted the unveiling for their fellow students and guests. Their submissions were selected for the program name and logo after contests were held among the students.

“I think it’s super cool,” said Wally, an automotive technology student whose home school is Coeur d'Alene High.

“I like this program,” he said. "The fact that one of my ideas is coming to life in this program is pretty cool.”

Wally’s auto instructor, Jack Neal, said about 30 names were submitted for the contest. Two top submissions were “Fueled Possibilities” and “Vehicles for Change.”

“We let the kids pick it,” Neal said. “We wanted to keep it car related.”

He said he is extremely proud of his students and how they want to give back to the community.

“It’s part of what we try and instill in the kids,” Neal said. “Obviously, we teach them about cars, but just the aspect of teaching them about the community and to be a part of it and giving back whenever they can to the less fortunate. It’s almost 50% of what we do — just the actual work ethic, showing up to work and being a good person, then work on cars a little bit.”

Graphic design student Trevin, whose home school is Lake City High, said the logo took him about four days to create in Adobe Illustrator. It incorporates Charity Reimagined’s heart lightbulb logo with KTEC's gear logo as tires on a red car.

“It’s definitely cool knowing this is going to a good cause, and it’s nice knowing I made that,” he said. "It will help with my portfolio.”

Founded by Maggie Lyons, Charity Reimagined is a nonprofit that works with other nonprofits to effectively deploy resources to help people get back on their feet. It partnered with KTEC to create a car exchange program to alleviate transportation challenges for those in the ALICE (asset-limited, income-constrained, employed) population. The program was announced in an April 13 Press article.

How it works: Donated vehicles that need repairs are fixed by KTEC students. Eligible individuals who are clients of Charity Reimagined’s referring partners arrange to pay KTEC for the cost of parts. The kids receive hands-on experience, and the client drives away with a reliable car.

Community partners include Knudtsen Chevrolet President Eve Knudtsen and Mike White Ford President Mike White, who both attended the unveiling and shared a few words with students.

“When Maggie presented the idea to me, it was an easy ‘yes’ because it connects you and what you’re learning to what you’re going to do in your field, but the bonus is you get to serve a need in our community,” Knudtsen said. "For me, it hits all of that. It’s an automatic ‘yes.’”

White said the community has a great need for a program such as Rides for a Reason, as well as a great need for trained technicians at their dealerships and beyond.

“But what a cool opportunity to be able to learn your trade and to be able to do something to give back to your community,” White said. “It’s just awesome.”

Venture High School students also helped with the graphic design work. Communication graphics instructor Lena Cooley said it was really exciting for Venture to partner with KTEC on this project.

“The fact that they’re learning and contributing to society and the community in general, that’s kind of one of the keys of the program I really enjoy,” she said. “State money is going to give back to the community, not just staying in the classroom.”

Lyons thanked the KTEC students and instructors for launching and naming Rides for a Reason.

“We don’t know exactly where this is going, but we think it’s going to go big in our community,” Lyons said. “The most important thing is that this is really the ground floor for laying an example in our community, what we really can do to make impact, to help change lives, and you guys are doing that.”