Why donate your Kidney Car in December 2021

November 12, 2021/0 Comments/in News /by kidneyadmin

Why donate your Kidney Car in December?

Aside from the obvious (snow-towing & parking violation situations) it’s also the end of the tax year. Charitable car donations made in Utah and Idaho before December 31st will provide you with a 2020 tax write off. So if you’ve got a car on the street or in the driveway you’re not using, put it into gear for the National Kidney Foundation of Utah & Idaho kidney patient programs by donating to www.towKars.org or call locally 9-5/M-F at (801) 226-5111 Donating in December assures more help to Utah and Idaho kidney patients during the critical holiday and winter months. When it’s hard for patients to afford both heat and medications, your car donation provides us with the funding to help them.

What about the free towing?

it’s FREE
takes as little as 24-48 hours (or more if you need time to get it ready!)
you do NOT have to be there when the car’s towed

What about the tax deduction?

The IRS allows donors to claim one of two values as the deduction. Obviously newer model vehicles with lower miles will give you the best tax deduction. But we also accept any vehicle with a clear title, 4 inflated tires and a complete engine/transmission (doesn’t need to work, it just needs to be IN THE CAR).

Up to $499 (generalized tax receipt)
The Car’s actual selling price

So you can claim either the $499 or the car’s actual selling price, whichever is highest. The National Kidney Foundation of Utah & Idaho is required to notify you of the car’s selling price over $500 so you can make the choice how much to claim.

Who benefits from my towKars.org Kidney Kars donation?

If you use the local Utah & Idaho kidney kars website towKars.org to donate, 38% goes directly to serve over 3,000 Utah and Idaho kidney dialysis patients through Medical Financial Aid. The National Kidney Foundation of Utah & Idaho provides aid to help patients with: medical bills, medications, rent, utilities, transportation, medical kidney nutrition supplements, and dental bills. Most of the financial aid is provided to patients trying to become eligable for the kidney transplant waiting list. This requires patients to pay off medical bills, have 100% updated dental work (any cavity or infection can cause a donated kidney to reject), and keep the patient in stable housing. The medical kidney nutrition is vital, since it allows the patients blood work to show healthy ranges of nutrients important to sustain a donated kidney (iron, oxygen, calcium, etc).

Make sure to donate locally to ensure maximum use of your donation.

Most car donation programs are not local to Utah and Idaho, and do not benefit Utah or Idaho patients. So donating to towKars.org assures you maximum accountability that your donation is going where we say it’s going. Donations made locally help local friends and family.

Make your car a Kidney Car, a car that saves lives.

M-F/ 9-5 (801) 226-5111 or www.towKars.org

Both my son and I are on dialysis

June 22, 2011/0 Comments/in News /by kidneyadmin

We cannot thank you enough for helping us make our car payment so me and my son Beau can get to dialysis. We both dialyze at the same clinic and live together to cut living and transportation costs. This April, I filed my income taxes, claiming Beau as a dependent. The E-file was kicked back saying my son’s Social Security number was tied to another tax return which claimed working income, a spouse, and a dependent! Someone had stolen his social security! They froze his Medicare and other disability benefits. We are still fighting to clarify his identity–in the meantime, we still have to pay our same bills–including the car payment for the car that gets us both to dialysis. Bless you for your help in our great time of need. It is so frustrating to be at the mercy of the ‘powers that be’. If we were healthy, could work, and not have to rely on anyone for our care it would be different. But the kindness and mercy you have shown us will not soon be forgotten by us. God Bless you. Sincerely, Pat M., Sandy, UT

I live every day with the guilt…

June 22, 2011/0 Comments/in Thank You /by kidneyadmin

Thank you for the gas card! Gasoline to get to and from dialysis is a huge financial burden. Since I went into Kidney Failure, I’ve been told by my doctors to stop working (I had a very physically demanding job). Since then, my family finances have suffered greatly. Every penny we have now goes to my medical treatments, medications, and transportation. Just before I went into renal failure I had gotten a second job in order to support my youngest son who is serving an LDS religious mission. My inability to work has crippled our whole family. Everyday, I live with guilt for the stress my wife feels in having to take care of me while also working to support us. The assistance to help pay for gas was a true relief. Thank you Kidney Foundation for all that you do. I hope when I have my transplant and can work again, to make a donation to you to help other patients in need.

5 Reasons You Should Donate Your Car To Charity

September 28, 2010/0 Comments/in News /by kidneyadmin

http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/5-reasons-you-should-donate-your-car.html

‘Cash-for-clunkers’ program hurting some Utah charities

August 12, 2009/0 Comments/in News /by kidneyadmin

Automobiles » Lung and kidney groups losing donations.

By Steven Oberbeck

The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated: 08/11/2009 09:28:13 PM MDT

Click photo to enlarge

Luz Lewis-Perez of the National Kidney Foundation… (Steven Oberbeck / The Salt Lake Tribune)

The federal “cash-for-clunkers” program may be wildly popular with auto buyers, but some Utah charities that rely on vehicle donations for funding say the initiative is cutting into the number of cars and trucks they’re receiving.

The National Kidney Foundation of Utah, which gets more automobile donations than any other charity in the state, estimates the number of vehicles donated to its Kidney Kars program is down 10 percent to 15 percent since the clunkers program began.

Things are much worse at the American Lung Association in Utah. Donations are down 50 percent to 60 percent as many owners of used vehicles opt to take advantage of rebates of up to $4,500 for trading in their gas guzzlers for new fuel-efficient cars instead of making a charitable contribution.

“We’re going to need a few more weeks to really gauge the impact, but already we’re feeling the effects,” said Luz Lewis-Perez, who oversees the Kidney Kars donation program in Utah.

Standing beside an auctioneer at Brashers Auto Auction in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Lewis-Perez watched as 44 cars and trucks donated to the Kidney Foundation were sold. Although some went for a lot more and others a lot less, the average selling price was $680 — enough money for the Kidney Foundation to help several thousand Utahns receiving dialysis pay their bills while they wait for a transplant.

“Fortunately, the ‘cash-for-clunkers’ program is only temporary, while we’re in this

for the long haul," Lewis-Perez said.Craig Cutright of the American Lung Association in Utah said that only a few years ago, its vehicle donation program was the organization's largest funding source.

Then the federal government changed the rules on how much of a tax deduction those who donate could take. Donations dropped off sharply.

"Now we're having to deal with this 'cash-for-clunkers.' It seems as if the federal government just wants to come up with programs that will harm charities," Cutright said.

Daniel Boroschoff, president of the American Institute of Philanthropy, takes another view. His watchdog group monitors charities, and he thinks that although some may suffer short term, overall the clunkers program may prove beneficial.

"Some charities may very well see fewer cars donated, but that isn't the only consideration. If this program helps stimulate the economy, then it should help those people that charities exist to serve."

Lewis-Perez said its is easy to understand why the clunkers program is so popular.

"The government is giving out money. But we'd like to remind people who have an automobile they want to get rid of and aren't using for the clunkers program that donating their car [to charity] is truly the best way to get rid of it."

steve@sltrib.com

Cash For Clunkers cause Charity Problems

August 11, 2009/0 Comments/in News /by kidneyadmin

http://connect2utah.com/content/fulltext/?cid=45141

Cash For Clunkers Charity Problems

Reported by: Dan Rascon

Monday, Aug 10, 2009 @06:50pm

Another big blow for charity organizations who count on old car donations for funding.

First it was a new tax code in 2004, then last year the economy went belly up, and now it’s the federal governments Cash for Clunkers program.

“It’s not a good program for charities,” said Luz Lewis Perez with the National Kidney Foundation of Utah. “We use these vehicles to recycle them or sell them, so we can use the money for our programs.”

According to Craig Cutright with the American Lung Association of Utah they’ve taken about a 50% hit in car donations since the program started a few weeks ago.

“It has not been good…it doesn’t seem like the federal government wants to support non profit organizations,” said Cutright.

The Cash for Clunkers program offers car owners a 4500 dollar credit towards a brand new car for their gas guzzling beat up car as long as it fits into certain requirements.

The engine is then fried and the car is sent to the salvage yard to be recycled.

Many of these clunkers would be donated to charity organizations and the owner would then get a tax credit of 500 dollars or more depending on how much it would sell for.

“It’s taking car sales away from used car dealers it’s taking car donations away from charities, and it’s taking perfectly good vehicles off the road and forcing them to be recycled,” said Perez.

But both organizations say Utahns are generally very giving and believe they will be able to pull through.

“We are hoping to just weather the storm,” said Perez.

If you would like to donate to either organization you can go to: www.kidneykars.org or www.lungutah.org

Monday, Aug 10, 2009 @06:50pm CST

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