On Tuesday, December 13, students in Minuteman High School’s Automotive Technology program unveiled a donated car they refurbished for a person in need thanks to a collaboration with Second Chance Cars, a non-profit organization based in Concord.

It marked the eleventh vehicle that the Minuteman students repaired for Second Chance Cars over the past four years. The organization accepts donated vehicles and works with area career technical education high schools with automotive programs to repair them. The automobiles are then provided to veterans and people in need through zero-interest, low-cost loans.

The Minuteman students are currently making repairs to three additional vehicles for Second Chance Cars.
 

“At Minuteman High School, we teach our students critical academic and career technical skills, but more importantly we teach them how to be good citizens,” said Dr. Kathleen A. Dawson, Superintendent of the Minuteman Regional Technical School District. “We are proud of the work of our students and overjoyed to see the positive impact their work is having on a person’s life.”

The recipient of the vehicle on Tuesday was Kiara Higgs, a single mother who lives in Springfield. Higgs works providing residential care to elderly people with medical issues. Higgs said she was having difficulty getting to and from work prior to receiving the vehicle and is excited about opportunities to do more activities with her 3-year-old child.

“Paying for rides [via Uber or taxi] back and forth to work is so expensive,” Higgs said. “Having this car, it’s really about the livelihood of me and my baby. We love to go hiking and spend time outside; now it’s easier to do that.”

The students changed the brake pads, performed an oil change, and detailed the inside of the vehicle, among other work that was conducted.

“We’re trying to help people who want to get to work, get to work,” said Dan Holin, Executive Director of Second Chance Cars. “The students are critical in helping us do that.”