Past Volunteer Projects

Good News Garage welcomes your organization or church volunteer group! If you're involved with a group looking for volunteer opportunities, please consider Good News Garage. We are always looking for groups of individuals to help us out. Check out our photos from some past volunteer projects. If these photos inspire you to gather a group and volunteer at GNG, please contact Lisa Farren, Marketing & Volunteer Manager at 860.218.2970 for more information or project ideas.

June 28, 2007
Sarah Porter Leadership Institute

A group of 28 youth volunteers from the Sarah Porter Leadership Institute in Farmington, CT spent a summer morning helping out at Good News Garage. The volunteers tackled four service projects - cleaning cars, assembling GNG activity packs, creating M&M filled pouches and preparing a mailed survey to past GNG clients. The girls formed teams and rotated among the projects so each girl had the opportunity to contribute to each project.

April 20, 2007
National & Global Youth Service Day

National & Global Youth Service Day is the largest community service event in the world and Good News Garage was proud to take part. Six youth volunteers from Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford assembled GNG activity packs. The activity packs will be distributed to area churches, organizations and at events to help educate the community about Good News Garage. The kids were enthusiastic, energetic and above all industrious - in under 3 hours nearly 350 activity packs were created. Many thanks to Darius, Crystal, Tangie, Ben, Luis, Gilberto and Stacy, their Program Director.

Youth volunteers proudly hold the hundreds of GNG "Kid Packs" created on National & Global Youth Service Day. 

April 1, 2007
Volunteer Youth Team from Congregation Beth Israel

Six youth volunteers from Congregation Beth Israel in West Hartford, together with Rabbi Michael Pincus assisted Good News Garage by cleaning the interior of six donated cars in preparation for delivery to clients. The entire team - Noah, Josh, Miles, Justin, Alisa, Alli and Rabbi Pincus - worked very hard and did a fantastic job of making the cars sparkle for their new owners. We thank them for all their hard work!

Youth volunteers proudly hold the hundreds of GNG "Kid Packs" created on National & Global Youth Service Day. 

September 9, 2005
United Way Day of Caring 2005

TD Bank North volunteers show off the GNG quilt they made at the 2005 United Way Day of Caring

Ten volunteers from TD Bank North spent the day at Good News Garage. At the end of the day this motivated group of women created a patchwork quilt and a 9 foot long mural. At the time of a vehicle delivery, each client is invited to sign a square, making the quilt an ever-changing work of art. Through photos, quotes and words of thanks, each square now tells the story a Good News Garage client. The mural depicts a very happy family driving along in their GNG car with skyscapes of both Hartford and New Haven - homes to GNG-CT's two major contracts.

Day of Caring volunteers paint a mural for GNG

September 28, 2005
Emanuel Lutheran's Confirmation Class

Emanuel Lutheran Church Confirmation Class paint car care buckets

Seventh and Eighth grade students from Emanuel Lutheran Church in Manchester painted and filled car care buckets. The students uniquely and colorfully painted each bucket then filled them with various car care items donated by the students themselves. The car care buckets were then donated to GNG clients at the time of their vehicle delivery to help get them as they take on the new responsibility of vehicle ownership.

November 19, 2005
St. Mark's Youth Group

St. Mark's Youth Group cleaning GNG vehicles

On chilly Saturday morning in November, 12 members of the Youth Group, as well as the Pastor and Youth Group Director from St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Glastonbury, CT volunteered to spend their morning helping Good News Garage. The teens detailed 7 cars in preparation for delivery to clients, painted car care buckets and assembled children activity packs.

Volunteers from St. Mark's Youth Group assemble a new file hanger