Dear Colin:

This letter is to reiterate our support of 10,000 Trees for the Rouge.

As you know, we here at Standard Auto Wreckers are very proud of our environmentally sound processes – they are fundamental to our philosophy of being responsible business operators within the Rouge Park. After we had a chance to meet with you and the 10,000 Trees executive we got a sense that our stewardship goals are aligned with yours. I personally have volunteered, with my children, at some of the group’s plantings, and find them to be well-organized events.

For these reasons Standard Auto Wreckers felt quite confident in directing the donation of $10,000 made by OARA to your group. We believe 10,000 Trees for the Rouge is doing important habit restoration work in our community, and we feel our donation will make a real difference to the group. Of course, 10,000 Trees for the Rouge remains as one of the selected charities listed in our “Charity Car Program.”

Wishing you success in the upcoming year,

David Gold – Co-Owner, Standard Auto Wreckers

What do you call a Yugo with a flat tire? Totaled. What’s included in every Yugo owner’s manual? A bus schedule. What do you call a Yugo that breaks down after 100 miles? An overachiever. How do you double the value of your Yugo?  Fill the tank full of gas.  How do you make a Yugo go faster?  Hook it up to a fast tow truck.

Americans love to hate the Yugo. It has been included on — and topped — many worst-car lists, including TIME’s 50 worst cars of all time. In The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History, Jason Vuic details why — despite the book’s clever title — the Yugo isn’t the worst car ever. Vuic explores how this little East European car that couldn’t quickly fell from “Yugomania” glory to being one of the most loathed cars of all time.

The Yugo has been called a hopelessly degenerate hunk of trash and a vile little car. Critics have said it’s hard to view on a full stomach. It’s easy to start feeling bad for the little guy.
Oh, sure. I had these memories as a kid in the 1980s of the car being panned by everyone, but I didn’t approach this book just to make fun of the car. I like little cars. I really didn’t pan the car. I’ve read a couple reviews that say, “Vuic doesn’t lay off the Yugo.” But I’m not really calling it anything. I’m trying to examine why Americans have made it such an icon for failure. I wanted to understand why we hate this car so much, even though most Americans have never seen a Yugo, let alone driven one.

But you deem it the “worst car in history” in the title of your book.
Absolutely. That is what it is known as to anyone over 35 who has heard of the Yugo. But I actually believe it is not the worst car in history. If a car is marketed in the United States and sold in the United States, that means it passed certain presale standards. [The Yugo] had to pass a safety test, a crash test. It had to pass an emissions test.

So it is one of the worst cars in American history, but not necessarily in the world’s history?
Americans tend to see America as the world. The Yugo was a bad car in America in the 1980s, but we don’t realize that there are many, many cars that never dreamed of coming to America. The Russian Ladas and the Czech Skodas of the world. Just the fact that the Yugo came here meant it was far and away better than many other cars in many other countries.

Toronto, ON (CharityCar) March 5, 2010 — CharityCar (www.CharityCar.us and www.CharityCar.ca), green vehicle disposal (www.greenvehicledisposal.com) and charity car donation company, today announced that its total donations processed for 2009 exceeds $91,000 USD.  Over the course of the year, 50% of customers traded their vehicles in for cash while the other 50% donated the money to charity. This trend is expected to continue in 2010.

CharityCar would like to thank its many generous donors across North America who, despite the economic downturn, contributed to its success; more importantly, the success of its supported charities and the betterment of the environment.

David Gold from Standard Auto Wreckers (www.standardautowreckers.com) and the founder of the program said: “We originally started this program to give back to our local community in Toronto, Ontario and when friends in the business heard about what we were doing they all wanted to join in. Now, three years later, we have over 150 partner charities and more than 70 member recyclers in both Canada and the USA participating! It really is heartwarming to see.”

About CharityCar
CharityCar (CharityCar.us and CharityCar.ca) accepts the donation of old vehicles on behalf of charities and non-profit organizations across North America. CharityCar utilizes its partner Green Vehicle Disposal’s eco-friendly recycling technology, offers ‘free pickup’, does not take any fees for processing or handling charity vehicles and donates 100% of the recyclers value to the customers’ chosen charity in the United States or Canada. CharityCar’s purpose is to provide its customers with an eco-friendly solution for the disposal of old vehicles. All vehicles donated through CharityCar are disposed of in an eco-friendly manner which meets and exceed all recycling rules. For more information, visit: www.CharityCar.us or www.CharityCar.ca.

They are proud to practice environmentally sound processes when dismantling and recycling our vehicles. This is achieved by properly draining all hazardous fluids from the vehicle thereby not having them drain into the ground. They remove Mercury switches and other dangerous substances from the vehicles and dispose of them in a safe way in accordance with local laws.

The Good Samaritan laws protect from liability those who donate and distribute food in good faith.  In Ontario it reads as follows:

Liability of donor

1. (1) A person who donates food or who distributes donated food to another person is not liable for damages resulting from injuries or death caused by the consumption of the food unless,

(a) the food was adulterated, rotten or otherwise unfit for human consumption; and

(b) in donating or distributing the food, the person intended to injure or to cause the death of the recipient of the food or acted with reckless disregard for the safety of others.

Non-application

2. This Act does not apply to a person who distributes donated food for profit.

Good Samaritan Doctrine: is a legal principle that prevents a rescuer who has voluntarily helped a victim in distress from being successfully sued for ‘wrongdoing.’ Its purpose is to keep people from being so reluctant to help a stranger in need for fear of legal repercussions that they do not offer aid.