This car will help others go far
Tiffany and Paul Kugler are seen Aug. 30 at the Kootenai Technical Education Campus with the 1995 Acura Integra they donated to Charity Reimagined's Rides for a Reason program. Through the program, KTEC auto students will gain work experience and the car will be purchased by someone in the community in need of a lower cost vehicle.
Courtesy photo
The much-loved 1995 Acura Integra that carried Paul and Tiffany Kugler's firstborn home from the hospital will roll on to serve another local family.
"We clearly remember him in his car seat in the back," Tiffany said. "The years flew by and soon he was driving us in the black car."
The Kuglers donated their trusty Integra to Charity Reimagined's Rides for a Reason program. The Coeur d'Alene couple bought the car in 1996.
"This has been the only car I have purchased new and I have loved this car," Tiffany said. "It was serviced regularly at the Acura dealership for the first 15 years, then locally. It has very low mileage for its age at 143,000. It has always been kept in a garage."
Dependable and fun to drive, the Integra is starting to show some age, Tiffany said, especially the paint. It also needs a little work on brakes/rotors, air conditioning system and other minor repairs.
It's nothing the automotive technology students at the Kootenai Technical Education Campus can't handle. Through Rides for a Reason, the students will gain work experience to spruce up the Integra, which will then be sold for the price of parts to a family or individual who qualifies for the program.
"This is a beautiful car — with or without new paint on the hood and trunk — and it will become an invaluable asset for the family that buys it," Charity Reimagined founder Maggie Lyons said. "Finding reliable, used cars at an affordable price is impossible in the current used-car market for our low-income neighbors."
Tiffany said she hopes their donation inspires others to support Rides for a Reason.
"We love that high schoolers at KTEC are learning so much more than mechanics due to this program," she said. "It is a wonderful feeling to give a hand up to a family in need of reliable transportation and amazing for these students to have this experience firsthand. We are thankful that we could donate this car to a family in need and hope that others will consider doing the same."
Charity Reimagined is a nonprofit that works with other local churches and nonprofits to maximize efficiency when deploying resources to help people move from poverty to prosperity.
Info: charityreimagined.org