February 2011      On The Road with

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More Than Wheels   2001-2011

Celebrating our 10th Anniversary

 

 Greetings! 


 

All of us at More Than Wheels are so proud to be celebrating 10 years as an award-winning non-profit organization! In those 10-years, we have helped almost 1,500 hard-working families and individuals get the affordable, fuel-efficient cars they need, at a price and interest rate they can afford.  If all of our graduates during this past decade were assembled in one place they would occupy almost every seat at the Schubert Theater in Boston, and fill the Palace Theater in Manchester more than one-and-a-half times! 

 

From our humble beginnings in the Upper Valley of New Hampshire, we have expanded our reach to help clients throughout the entire state. From our new office in Boston we are creating valuable community partnerships, allowing us to reach out to a growing number of people in Greater Boston  who need reliable cars and help with their credit.  

 

Throughout this 10th anniversary year we will be spotlighting the successes of our clients, alumni, business partners, car donors and client consultants with stories, feature articles and special updates that highlight how each has embodied our theme "You Can Make a Difference." 
 

We hope you enjoy reading about the exciting work we are doing--how people are changing their own lives in extraordinary ways, and how that change makes a real difference in the lives of others and the strength of our collective communities.


 

Warm regards,
 

Terri Steingrebe, CEO 

Mary Burnett, Director, Centralized Services 

Debby Miller, N.H. Executive Director  

Kathy Power, Mass. Executive Director


 

  

 

 
 

More Than Wheels Featured on
"The Car Doctor" Radio Show in Boston

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More Than Wheels was a guest

of radio show sponsor City of Boston Credit Union for "The Car Doctor" show on WROL-AM 950.  Kathy Power and Mary Burnett talked about our program and answered car questions from listeners calling in. The City of Boston Credit Union has taken the More Than Wheels mission to heart, by including flyers about our program in its newsletter, monthly statements, and at teller windows in its branches.  We look forward to being able to help many of their 19,000 members get the reliable cars they need.

 

for Car Downpayment

 

We are very excited to be able to expand our outreach in New Hampshire to help more people purchase cars within the More Than Wheels program.  With support from TD Bank and the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA), clients who meet income guidelines can have their car down payment savings matched 4:1 or 6:1, depending on family size, thereby decreasing the loan amount being financed.  The resulting lower monthly payment allows those who could only afford $175-$200 for a car payment to participate in our program. 

 

You can learn more about the Matching Savings Program by visiting www.MoreThanWheels.org or by calling the toll-free number 1-866-455-2522 and asking to be considered for the program. 

 

 

 

You Can Make a Difference By Donating Your Car to More Than Wheels.  Help to change a life, and help yourself to a tax deduction.  Easy pick-up and easy to do.  Call toll-free today 866-455-2522.

Tammy's Story

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Tammy Trahan

 

Tammy's credit had gone downhill after a long and messy divorce, but she desperately needed transportation.  The only place she could buy a car was from a "Buy here, Pay here" place that sold her a 1997 Jeep Cherokee that always seemed to need work.  She fell even farther behind on her bills paying for unexpected repairs so she could keep the Jeep on the road. Tammy was finding herself stranded on the side of the road more and more often and started to miss work. A woman at work suggested the More Than Wheels program.

"Right away everyone at More Than Wheels made me feel good about taking this step-not only to get a reliable, fuel-efficient car I could afford, but to begin to repair my credit.  I was able to get a "Bridge" car that was reliable as I went through the program.  It saved my job!  I felt like it saved my life."

Today Tammy is driving a new car that allows her to get to work, to drive her son to activities and to go about her life without the stress of poor credit and financial mistakes.

"I feel so empowered-I have the new start I so badly needed!"  Tammy eagerly refers people she knows to More Than Wheels, hoping her success can encourage others to change their lives, too.

 

 

Tax Season Tips:

You may be eligible for

free E-file through the IRS website. Click this link to learn more about it. 

E-File

 

Find sites for:

Free tax filing in Boston   Free tax filing in N.H.

 

More Than Wheels on TV

Be sure to tune in to WMUR-TV 9 to see the next two Champion in Action stories on Monday, February 7th and Monday March 7th during the 5:00-6:00 p.m. news hour.

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Inside This Issue

More Than Wheels on "The Car Doctor" radio show in Boston
Matching Savings Program
Tammy's Story
Tax Tips and More
Champion in Action
Will Gets His Bridge Car

More Than Wheels Named

Champion in Action

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Cathleen Schmidt, President Citizens Bank, N.H. and Jeff Bartlett, General Manager WMUR-TV present a check for $25,000 to More Than Wheels CEO Terri Steingrebe.

 

Citizens Bank New Hampshire and WMUR-TV named More Than Wheels as their 2011 first quarter Champion in Action® in the economic development category, at an award ceremony on Thursday, January 20, 2011. As part of the award, More Than Wheels will receive a $25,000 grant, media coverage in the form of three stories and many public service announcements (PSAs) on WMUR-TV9, and extensive promotional support at every Citizens Bank branch in the state.  The award was presented by Cathleen A. Schmidt, President, Citizens Bank, New Hampshire and Jeff Bartlett, General Manager,WMUR-TV.

 

Award Presentation News Clip· 

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More Than Wheels Staff and guests: (back row, l. to r.) Robert Champbers, Founder; Debby Miller, N.H. Executive Director; Tracy Swanson, Training & Development Manager; David Reeves, Board Chairman; Verdina Mekic, Client Consultant. (front row, l. to r.) Kathy Power, Mass. Executive Director; Terri Steingrebe, CEO; Lisa Vespa, Client Consultant; Susan Chadwick, Marketing Communication Manager; Cari Hunkins, Controller.

Will Gets His "Bridge" Car  

 

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Will Dunn with his "Bridge" car

 

Will heard about More Than Wheels from a presentation given at StreetSafe Boston where he is one of the Lead Street Workers. His job involves keeping the most violent neighborhoods safe by fostering relationships with gang members.  On the home front, Will is a family man with a wife and children who was in need of a reliable car while going through our program. We were able to help him with temporary transportation--a Bridge car--to bridge the gap between enrolling and graduating from More Than Wheels. 

BWC LogoBoston Women Communicators Features More Than Wheels at Nonprofit Forum

Kathy Power is one of four speakers headlining the February 16, 2011 "Have a Heart--Communications for Nonprofits" dinner meeting of Boston Women Communicators. Learn more about this event.
You Can Make a Difference:
Friend-2-Friend
You can help someone you know for whom a reliable car and better credit could make a positive difference in their lives.  Refer a friend, family member, co-worker or acquaintance to More Than Wheels and receive $25 for each person who enrolls in our program! 
Thank You to Some of our Many Community Sponsors

ABCD Action for Boston Community Development, Inc. sponsored the launch of the Massachusetts Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) program this year on January 28, 2011, where Kathy Power was asked to speak about More Than Wheels.  The statewide EITC campaign encourages low and moderate income earners to file for EITC.  They provide a comprehensive network of free tax-filing sites staffed by IRS-trained volunteers.  We are happy to announce that our first EITC referred client just graduated and got his new car! 

 

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Seacoast Women's Giving Circle

David Hills, President, Veris Wealth Partners; Debby Miller, N.H. Executive Director, More Than Wheels; Blair Demers, Chairperson, Seacoast Women's Giving Circle; Terri Steingrebe, CEO, More Than Wheels, gather at a November, 2010, fundraising event sponosred by the Seacoast Women's Giving Circle at Port City Nissan in Portsmouth , N.H.

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Foundation Funds Financial Fitness 

John F. Weeks, President, Bank of America New Hampshire presents a check for $10,000 on December 2, 2010, to More Than Wheels CEO Terri Steingrebe (r.) and N.H. Executive Director Debby Miller.