Choosing a Charity Carwash
Thread Starter
Out of Warranty
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 14,925
Likes: 13
From: Houston, Republic of Texas
Choosing a Charity Carwash
This time of year there are plenty of school, church, and sports teams holding charity carwashes. If my car's not too dirty I like to patronize these events to help support the kids. HOWEVER there a few things to watch for.
At a local McDonald's last Sunday I stopped in after church to get coffee for the drive home and noticed a bunch of high-school kids holding a wash event on the parking lot. Before committing, I went in and got a cup, then sat down to watch.
The kids were neatly dressed in their school t-shirts, with no belt buckles or jewelry to scratch the paint, they used clean buckets, changed the water after every wash, and they used a good automotive soap, clean towels, and soft brushes. They had been working together for about four hours and really had a well organized team effort going. Just as important, they were having a ball.
After getting a second cup, I pulled up and 15 kids descended on our old beater. Two tall guys washed the top, four smaller girls got the wheels and tires, while the rest surrounded the van with brushes and buckets and went to work. Honestly, these kids were better than the people at the local upscale carwash. After rinsing, they carefully dried the car with microfiber cloths, doing the windows with separate cloths to avoid streaking. They were done in about ten minutes, and except for a couple of spots they missed with the tire shine, the job was perfect. I couldn't have done better myself.
They did not go inside the car (for liability reasons, I was told), but I can understand that limitation. I wouldn't want to be responsible for the contents of the vehicle either. You had to drive the car into their work area yourself - no valet - for the same reason.
For $5 it's a great way to help contribute to kids that are really making an effort to support their organization. If there's a group in your neighborhood that holds a car wash, check them out before turning your car over to them. Remember to leave them a nice tip for excellent service.
I'll be back next week if the kids are still there. I hope they are - and I hope other drivers will bring in their business too. If a bunch of kids make this kind of effort to work for their community, I want to support them. I just want to do a little "shopping" first.
At a local McDonald's last Sunday I stopped in after church to get coffee for the drive home and noticed a bunch of high-school kids holding a wash event on the parking lot. Before committing, I went in and got a cup, then sat down to watch.
The kids were neatly dressed in their school t-shirts, with no belt buckles or jewelry to scratch the paint, they used clean buckets, changed the water after every wash, and they used a good automotive soap, clean towels, and soft brushes. They had been working together for about four hours and really had a well organized team effort going. Just as important, they were having a ball.
After getting a second cup, I pulled up and 15 kids descended on our old beater. Two tall guys washed the top, four smaller girls got the wheels and tires, while the rest surrounded the van with brushes and buckets and went to work. Honestly, these kids were better than the people at the local upscale carwash. After rinsing, they carefully dried the car with microfiber cloths, doing the windows with separate cloths to avoid streaking. They were done in about ten minutes, and except for a couple of spots they missed with the tire shine, the job was perfect. I couldn't have done better myself.
They did not go inside the car (for liability reasons, I was told), but I can understand that limitation. I wouldn't want to be responsible for the contents of the vehicle either. You had to drive the car into their work area yourself - no valet - for the same reason.
For $5 it's a great way to help contribute to kids that are really making an effort to support their organization. If there's a group in your neighborhood that holds a car wash, check them out before turning your car over to them. Remember to leave them a nice tip for excellent service.
I'll be back next week if the kids are still there. I hope they are - and I hope other drivers will bring in their business too. If a bunch of kids make this kind of effort to work for their community, I want to support them. I just want to do a little "shopping" first.
Guest
Posts: n/a
This time of year there are plenty of school, church, and sports teams holding charity carwashes. If my car's not too dirty I like to patronize these events to help support the kids. HOWEVER there a few things to watch for.
At a local McDonald's last Sunday I stopped in after church to get coffee for the drive home and noticed a bunch of high-school kids holding a wash event on the parking lot. Before committing, I went in and got a cup, then sat down to watch.
The kids were neatly dressed in their school t-shirts, with no belt buckles or jewelry to scratch the paint, they used clean buckets, changed the water after every wash, and they used a good automotive soap, clean towels, and soft brushes. They had been working together for about four hours and really had a well organized team effort going. Just as important, they were having a ball.
After getting a second cup, I pulled up and 15 kids descended on our old beater. Two tall guys washed the top, four smaller girls got the wheels and tires, while the rest surrounded the van with brushes and buckets and went to work. Honestly, these kids were better than the people at the local upscale carwash. After rinsing, they carefully dried the car with microfiber cloths, doing the windows with separate cloths to avoid streaking. They were done in about ten minutes, and except for a couple of spots they missed with the tire shine, the job was perfect. I couldn't have done better myself.
They did not go inside the car (for liability reasons, I was told), but I can understand that limitation. I wouldn't want to be responsible for the contents of the vehicle either. You had to drive the car into their work area yourself - no valet - for the same reason.
For $5 it's a great way to help contribute to kids that are really making an effort to support their organization. If there's a group in your neighborhood that holds a car wash, check them out before turning your car over to them. Remember to leave them a nice tip for excellent service.
I'll be back next week if the kids are still there. I hope they are - and I hope other drivers will bring in their business too. If a bunch of kids make this kind of effort to work for their community, I want to support them. I just want to do a little "shopping" first.
At a local McDonald's last Sunday I stopped in after church to get coffee for the drive home and noticed a bunch of high-school kids holding a wash event on the parking lot. Before committing, I went in and got a cup, then sat down to watch.
The kids were neatly dressed in their school t-shirts, with no belt buckles or jewelry to scratch the paint, they used clean buckets, changed the water after every wash, and they used a good automotive soap, clean towels, and soft brushes. They had been working together for about four hours and really had a well organized team effort going. Just as important, they were having a ball.
After getting a second cup, I pulled up and 15 kids descended on our old beater. Two tall guys washed the top, four smaller girls got the wheels and tires, while the rest surrounded the van with brushes and buckets and went to work. Honestly, these kids were better than the people at the local upscale carwash. After rinsing, they carefully dried the car with microfiber cloths, doing the windows with separate cloths to avoid streaking. They were done in about ten minutes, and except for a couple of spots they missed with the tire shine, the job was perfect. I couldn't have done better myself.
They did not go inside the car (for liability reasons, I was told), but I can understand that limitation. I wouldn't want to be responsible for the contents of the vehicle either. You had to drive the car into their work area yourself - no valet - for the same reason.
For $5 it's a great way to help contribute to kids that are really making an effort to support their organization. If there's a group in your neighborhood that holds a car wash, check them out before turning your car over to them. Remember to leave them a nice tip for excellent service.
I'll be back next week if the kids are still there. I hope they are - and I hope other drivers will bring in their business too. If a bunch of kids make this kind of effort to work for their community, I want to support them. I just want to do a little "shopping" first.
but thats it.....I few years ago I helped some of my girlfriends raise money for their college modeling squad. They had a deal with a gas station and were raising money for props and to cover costs for their modeling show. It was epic.
Thread Starter
Out of Warranty
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 14,925
Likes: 13
From: Houston, Republic of Texas
I can understand cheerleading, but competitive . . . modeling? I can think of about two dozen remarks here, but I will defer while carefully mopping up my keyboard . . .
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
atilla
RX - 2nd Gen (2004-2009)
12
Jan 20, 2007 09:00 AM