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Free Car Makeover Winner Announced

posted on 12/7/2017 7:39:46 AM

Van's Tires and Auto Service has announced the winner of their Free Car Makeover Contest.  

The following was written and printed in the Wadsworth Post by Editor Emily Canning-Dean on June 2, 2014.

Free Car Makeover Winner - Before Makeover - Van's Tires & Auto Service in Wadsworth, OH

When Hannah Keller read in The Post that Van’s Tires and Auto Service was giving away a free car makeover she knew that her grandmother, Jan Ling would be the perfect candidate. Ling’s 2003 Ford Focus badly needed some TLC.
 
“Our car makes a lot of noise lately and I’m not sure why,” Hannah wrote in the letter she sent to Van’s. “We need this car to last for a long time.”
 
Hannah, 13, explained that Ling took in Hannah and her sisters, Sarah, 15 and Rebekah, 17, after their mom passed away. Ling spends a large part of her day transporting the girls to sporting events, 4H club meetings and school programs. With Social Security as her only income, it was difficult to find the funds to make repairs on the car.
 
“I thought it would be a neat Mother’s Day gift for her,” Hannah said.
 
At first, Hannah didn’t tell her grandmother what she had done, but when the April 30 deadline came and went, she assumed she hadn’t won the contest and spilled the beans.
 
Little did she know that Van’s Tires and Auto Service owner Joshua Baughman had selected Keller and Ling to be the winners, but had no idea how to reach them.
 
“She didn’t leave us with any way to get a hold of her,” he said. “We tried looking for Hannah Keller on Facebook to see if we could find her.”
 
Then, Baughman found Hannah’s name on the list of Wadsworth Middle School honor roll students in The Post, so he contacted the schools to find out how to reach the family.
 
“We ended up getting a call from Roger Wright from the schools who explained that they were trying to find us,” Ling said.
 
Baughman said that Van’s replaced the cracked windshield, a front hub bearing, the front brakes, a backseat seatbelt, a fog light and a door handle. He also sent the car out for a professional detailing.
Free Car Makeover Winner - After Makeover - Van's Tires & Auto Service in Wadsworth, OH
Baughman even loaned Ling his own personal vehicle for a few days so she had transportation while her car was being worked on.
 
When Ling and Hannah stopped to see the car May 30, they received one more surprise – they learned that Van’s will provide them with free oil changes for the life of the vehicle.
 
“This is just really impressive,” Ling said. “I am grateful to both Hannah and to Van’s.”
 
“It’s really shiny,” Hannah said of the car. “I like the new windshield.”
 
Baughman became the new owner of Van’s back in September and held the contest as a way to show appreciation to the community.
 
“The community has been so good to us,” he said. “We wanted to find a way to give back.”
 
Baughman said he received about 50 entries and added that many applicants were deserving, but Hannah’s letter was the one that really stood out.
 
“It was her story and also the fact that she wanted to do this for someone else,” he said. “These car repairs weren’t for her, but for her grandmother.”
Baughman said he plans to show appreciation for the other applicants by awarding them with $50 gift certificates to the shop.
Categories: Company News, Auto Repair 101, Van's Tire News, Wadsworth Location | View Count: (115) | Return

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