Programs

Car Care Classes

Learn the basics of car care with a "hands-on" class and spot problems before they arise.

FREE Car Car Classes the 3rd Saturday of every month
10:00am - 12:00pm

4130 E. Hillsborough Ave.
Tampa, FL
Wheels of Success car lot location

Programs

Offering a key to success

Wheels of Success programs help people get behind the wheel so they can stay on the road to success. Our general program helps the working poor – typically single moms or low income working families down on their luck -- get back of their feet. They may have lost their financial stability through a major illness, loss of their job for an extended period of time, a car accident in which they did not have full coverage, or losing a spouse’s income while still retaining the same or more bills.

In addition to our general program, Wheels of Success serves the following four special client groups:

Wheels to the Future:

With initial funding provided by the Eckerd Family Foundation and expanded through a grant from Elizabeth Fowler and the Triad Foundation, Wheels of Success partnered with Connected by 25, Hillsborough Kids, Inc., Camelot Community Care and Ready for Life to implement Wheels to the Future, a transportation assistance program for youth aging out of foster care and for unaccompanied youth

Vehicles for Vets

Wheels of Success has partnered with State Farm since 2009 when they helped initiate our Vehicles for Veterans program. We are honored to assist our deserving military personnel with personal transportation as our way of saying “thank you” and to help them continue working, going to school and taking care of their families. Wheels of Success collaborates with our local Veterans Administration offices and other veterans’ organizations to select future recipients.

Cars for Caregivers

Getting to work without a vehicle is challenging for anyone, but especially for people who work in the evenings and on weekends when public transportation may not be available. Inaugurated in 1910 through a contribution from Tampa General Hospital, this program allows us to provide transportation assistance to patient caregivers, as well as work with assisted living facilities to request car donations from current and prospective residents. These vehicles can be reconditioned and presented to their employees in need.

Road to Independence

When Wheels of Success began in 2003, a majority of requests for our assistance came from agencies that were referring people who had experienced domestic abuse. Working with The Spring of Tampa Bay, CASA in Pinellas County and Sunrise in Pasco County, Wheels of Success can help make it possible for these survivors and their children to leave their abuser and find independence. We believe this program can truly help end the cycle of domestic violence.

Other special programs include:

Employers

Working with valued partners such as Caspers Company/McDonald’s and Tampa General Hospital, Wheels of Success offers a Corporate Sponsor Partnership Program. Partner organizations that sponsor a car donation and repairs can receive a vehicle for qualified employees, depending on availability.

Partner agencies

Nonprofit agencies such as Metropolitan Ministries and The Spring of Tampa Bay can partner with Wheels of Success to make a restored vehicle available to eligible clients, depending on availability.

ABC buying service

Available for those who work part time and have limited funds, ABC assists people in purchasing reliable vehicles with limited warranties. ABC targets nonprofits, women’s groups and senior citizens – those who may know little about automobiles and are uncomfortable with the car buying experience.

GTE Financial Financing Program

Recognizing that our social enterprise, ABC, needed to sell more cars to allow us to repair more cars for clients, GTE sought and received a federal grant that allows them to offer 0% loans for up to three years and $7,500. Loan approval is not based on credit history and GTE reports on-time payments to help loan holders rebuild their credit. GTE has now expanded this to a program with no limits on the number of cars sold, allowing us to open the program to more employees of nonprofits.

Car Care Classes

Because providing dependable transportation is the heart of what we do, Wheels of Success offers free Car Care classes, at which certified auto mechanics teach the basics of car maintenance. Attendees at these hands-on classes learn how to care for their car to keep it performing reliably.

“Pay it Forward”

While not a program in the same sense, our “Pay it Forward” program ensures client commitment and helps Wheels of Success serve future clients. Clients who receive a vehicle “buy” it from Wheels of Success by making monthly payments based on their ability to pay, which averages $75-$125 per month. They also donate three service hours per month to Wheels of Success to help keep our administrative costs down.

Programs

Core Program

Wheels to the Future

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Vehicles for Vets

Cars for Caregivers

Road to Independence

Employer Programs

Casper's Company

Tampa General Hospital

One Touch

Agency Programs

Metropolitan Ministries Transitional Housing

The Spring of Tampa Bay Transitional Housing

Program Summary

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