(NECN: Anya Huneke, Burlington, VT) - A do-gooder in Vermont is doing his part to lend a helping hand. He's fixing up junky old cars and giving them to low-income families.
Hal Colston got his first taste of advocacy work in the eighth grade, growing up in York, Pennsylvania. He tried to right a wrong after his teacher, who was mad at his father for trying to desegregage an area swimming pool, mistreated him.
That was more than 40 years ago, but Colston is still on a mission. These days, he's based in Vermont and his cause is poverty.
He founded the Good News Garage in Burlington in 1996 to provide affordable transportation options to people in need. The organization repairs donated cars and matches them with low-income families.
The Good News Garage, which now has programs in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Rhode Island, has served thousands of people since then, including Dilli Dulal, who moved to Vermont from Bhutan in September.
For him, getting a new job was a challenge, not to mention getting to and from a job.
After eight years here, Colston decided his help was needed elsewhere. So, he founded another social service organization called NeighborKeepers, which helps people overcome poverty through community support.
His work caught the eye of talk show host Oprah Winfrey, who taped a show featuring Colston, which will air Tuesday. In his modest fashion, he sees this not as a reason to brag, but as a reason to keep going.
Source:
Necn.com
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