Attention Dunwoody Institute alumni! Cathy Heying, one of your fellow alums and founder of The Lift Garage, has received a Eureka! Award from the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. The awards recognize “26 Minnesota for-profit enterprises and nonprofit organizations that are bringing new ideas to the table to better serve their clients, employees, and communities.”
The Lift Garage is a non-profit car repair shop that accepts customers based on referrals from caseworkers or social workers. Customers pay about one-third the market rate since the garage only charges $15 per hour, plus parts at cost. Since opening in 2013, Cathy and her two employees have completed 573 repairs, representing $200,000 in savings for customers.
What’s even more impressive is that Cathy, a former social justice coordinator at St. Stephen’s Catholic Church, decided to pursue a degree in auto technology from Dunwoody College of Technology (on top of the bachelor’s degree in social work and master’s degree in pastoral ministry that she had already earned!).
Cathy’s logic?
Cars that work allow people to go to work! She saw firsthand how expensive car repairs could make it difficult, if not impossible, for people who were struggling financially to stay afloat. That’s when she decided she should start an affordable car-repair shop. As soon as she earned her Dunwoody degree, The Lift Garage sprang into operation.
If you are as impressed with Cathy and her commitment to helping others as we are, please consider helping us to help The Lift Garage. It’s easy to do. Simply take five minutes to write a valid review about your experience with Standard Heating on one of our qualifying websites: Facebook, Yelp, or Angie’s List.
Then complete the “drive” form at “5for25drive.org” to contribute $25 to The Lift Garage (or any of the other nonprofits you will find listed). Standard Heating will donate $25 on your behalf and you will receive confirmation of the gift. Direct any questions about Standard Heating’s “5 for $25” program, which lets you turn five minutes into $25 for a valued nonprofit organization, to marketing@standardheating.com.