Can a car change a life? Julie Heckethorn and the staff at Restoration Automotive believe so. Julie is the Office Manager for Restoration Automotive which is a nonprofit auto repair shop. The shop opened in 2008 and Julie has been volunteering over 50 hours a week since 2009. “I truly enjoy meeting the folks that we serve, working with them through the process of their car repair. Interacting with different vendors & ordering parts is a behind the scenes challenge to my day. To the dismay of some of our mechanics I have even been known to pick up a wrench or two!”
When Restoration Automotive opened, they serviced their clients out of a 1200 square foot facility. In their first year, they had 20 volunteers and they provided over $108,000 in repair relief. A year later they moved to a facility that had 3400 square feet and had over 80 volunteers. To date, Restoration Automotive is approaching a million dollar’s worth of relief. They have logged over 15,000 volunteer hours as well as provided 25 vehicles to people in need.
With the countless hours that Julie puts in, she says that not only do her family and friends provide balance; they are a vital part of her life. “Being married for over 20 years, raising two children in today’s society, having a faith that I believe in so much that I choose to live it and being a part of a wonderful ministry that is so needed in our community are all proud moments in my life. We have many people and families that support Restoration Automotive. From cooking meals to feed our volunteers, to donating supplies and donating financially, or volunteering their time in the shop to work on cars. Restoration could not have the impact in the community that we have had without the support of our wonderful volunteers.”
Julie says that the best advice that was ever given to her was “to find what I believed in and then give 110% to that belief. If you believe in what you do, it will always be fulfilling and worthwhile. No one promised an easy road in life, if we didn’t’ have our struggles to learn from our ‘ah-ha’ moments would not be so cherished.”
Moving forward, Julie says that Restoration Automotive would like to expand their ministry to meet the growing needs of Central Ohio. They would also like to grow their volunteer base and financial stability. “The people that Restoration Automotive, Inc. serves come from all walks of life, as part of our mission we meet them on their road in life and help them move ahead. The true impact of our ministry is in their heartfelt tears and thank you.”
For more details about Restoration Automotive, please visit www.restorationauto.org.