Brotherly Love: Repair Angel
By Ukee Washington
PHILADELPHIA (CBS)--An unexpected car repair can do more than derail your day. It can derail someone's financial security.
Scott Carter of Downingtown owns Scott Carter Enterprise, an auto repair shop. He knows how important a working car is.
"Being out in the suburbs as we are, there's not mass transit, so people really, really need their cars," Scott said.
For someone living paycheck to paycheck, any unexpected car repair can be a crisis. "It could be as minor as a battery, if their car doesn't start," said Scott.
In between paid jobs, Scott and fellow auto technicians are doing small repairs for free. They call it Repair Angel, donating their time and covering the costs of parts.
Cortina Faust is a single mom and a busy nursing student whose Buick wouldn't start. "It just died on me," she said.
She turned to Repair Angel for help.
"On the fuel line it has a plastic clip, and the plastic clip had broke, so her fuel line came apart," Scott explained.
The repair would have been $125, but the cost to her was nothing. "He definitely was a repair angel!" she said.
As word spread, generous customers have paid for several thousand dollars worth of parts so Repair Angel can fix even more cars. Director Toni Langdon says the more donations they get, the more they can help.
"We have people writing to us these letters that are so heart wrenching about their families and they have little ones, and I have two little ones at home," Langdon said.
Those they have already helped are grateful.
"They're almost overwhelmed," said auto technician Bill Nangle. "They cannot believe someone is kind of like coming to their rescue as far as repairing their car."
Scott estimates the free repairs are worth an average of 300 dollars.
You can contact Repair Angel through Scott Carter Enterprise at 610-873-1077 or at RepairAngel@yahoo.com
Their Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Repair-Angel/115971241936080
