Changing oil and lives since 2005.
Executive Summary
Auto Angels began in 2005 with a simple idea — that no neighbor should be stranded by a car they can’t afford to fix.
What started as a handful of car-loving volunteers at Bellevue Presbyterian Church has grown into a thriving, all-volunteer ministry serving the Eastside of Washington State. For more than 20 years, our team has repaired vehicles and placed donated cars with families facing hardship — partnering with nine local nonprofit agencies to reach the people who need help most.
We don’t charge for our labor. We don’t turn cars away half-fixed. And we couldn’t do any of it without the donors and volunteers who give their time, talent, and treasure to keep the garage running. This is the story of how we got here — and an invitation to be part of what comes next.
Mom’s Car Has No Brakes
In the mid-2000s, a volunteer named Bill Ward was asked to help a single mother in Bellevue Presbyterian Church’s KidREACH tutoring program. To stop her car, she had to shift into neutral, coast, and pull the emergency brake — all with her two young children in the back seat. A local tire shop manager, moved by the mission, donated the brake repair outright. That moment captured everything Auto Angels would become: neighbors helping neighbors get safely back on the road.
A Common Problem Nobody Was Solving
In 2004, leaders of the KidREACH program noticed a recurring obstacle: families wanted to get their children to tutoring, parents wanted to get to work — but unreliable, unaffordable cars kept getting in the way. A small group of car-loving church members gathered to ask a simple question: what can we do about it, right now?
That founding group — Sheryle Nelson, Jack Skidmore, Tim Kimbrel, Bruce Whittaker, Jim Waltz, and Steve Roberts — agreed the need was real and started solving problems one at a time. Insurance, a place to work, funding, tools: each hurdle was met with the same response. “Yes, that’s an issue to resolve — but what can we do today?”
The answers came quickly. A church member offered his shop in Kent for weekend use. Wholesale agreements were arranged with auto-parts suppliers. A foundation grant covered the first set of tools. A donated ’74 Dodge van became one of the earliest vehicles placed with someone in need. And in May 2005, two stalls in the church garage were permanently set aside for the work. Auto Angels was officially on its way.
The First Clinic
On Saturday, March 19, 2005, Auto Angels held its first official work day. A crew of twelve weekend mechanics — ranging in age from fourteen to their early sixties — arrived at 8 a.m. armed with tools, supplies, and a passion for service. The parking lot filled with everything from an ’85 Subaru to vintage minivans.
The volunteers split into three teams and rotated car to car like slow-motion pit crews,
performing maintenance and triaging each vehicle by level of need. The KidREACH families thanked them the best way they knew how — with a potluck lunch in the garage. The model worked, and it has barely changed since.
Milestones Along the Way
Two decades of steady, hands-on service:
The Car Show That Fuels the Mission
The inspiration for the annual car show came from the Auto Angels’ spouses, who rhetorically
asked the car enthusiasts in their lives, “Why don’t you guys have a car show?” Many of the
volunteers owned collectible cars, and a show seemed like a natural way to bring the
community together while spreading the word about the mission.
Father’s Day 2007 marked the first Auto Angels Car Show, and it has grown into the ministry’s
signature fundraising event — a free, family-friendly day of “rolling art,” food, and fellowship.
The proceeds keep Auto Angels fully self-supporting, funded by the generosity of donors rather
than the congregation’s general budget.
What We’ve Built Together
Auto Angels has always been powered by volunteers and sustained by donors who give their time, talent, and treasure. The numbers tell the story of what that generosity makes possible.
Every donated vehicle is carefully inspected, repaired, and brought up to safe, reliable standards before it’s transferred to a client — a reflection of the care and craftsmanship our volunteers pour into each one.
Who We Serve
Auto Angels works hand-in-hand with a network of partner nonprofit agencies that refer clients to us — people facing economic hardship, survivors of domestic violence, individuals
transitioning out of homelessness, and hardworking families who simply can’t afford the repairs they need. Our current partner agencies include:
The Mission Today
Auto Angels is an all-volunteer ministry of Bellevue Presbyterian Church, committed to meeting the transportation needs of victims of domestic violence, people experiencing homelessness, and low-income individuals who need car repairs and reliable vehicles.
Several dozen volunteers — from teenagers learning under seasoned mentors to retirees with decades of experience — gather each week to keep the work going. We never charge for our labor, our lead mechanics teach the next generation, and every vehicle that leaves the garage carries the same promise it did in 2005: a fresh start, and a safe way forward.
Be Part of the Next Chapter
Auto Angels exists because people give their time, talent, and treasure. You don’t have to be a mechanic to make a difference — we need administrators, fundraisers, organizers, and willing hands of every kind.
Questions? Reach our team at info@autoangels.org.
