Kars4Kids

Kars4Kids is a multinational non-profit national car donation organization based in Lakewood, New Jersey and Toronto, Ontario which donates its proceeds to Oorah, an incorporated Orthodox Jewish kiruv (outreach) organization dedicated to "awakening Jewish children and their families to their heritage."^[1] Kars4Kids is a United States based 501(C)3 non-profit organization.^[2] It is a gold level participant in GuideStar's information exchange,^[3] receives Charity Navigator's "poor" rating of one out of a possible four stars,^[4] and has been criticized for inadequately disclosing its religious mission.^[5] It was founded in 1995 by Rabbi Chaim Mintz.^[6][7]

Background

Kars4Kids is a registered 501(c)3 operating in the United States and Canada, and takes donations of vehicles, accepting over 40,000 cars annually.^[8]

In 2010 Kars4Kids reported revenue of $29.1 million and expenses of $31.1 million.^[9]

Donations to Kars4Kids benefit the Oorah (Joy for Our Youth, or J.O.Y.), a national organization with a stated goal of addressing the "educational, material, emotional and spiritual needs of Jewish children and their families",^[10] and whose mission, according to CharityWatch, appears to be "to persuade secular Jewish families to take on a more Orthodox Jewish lifestyle."^[5]

Work

The organization hosts regular coat and clothing giveaways for the needy nationwide, including in Harlem, Washington, DC, and in Newark, New Jersey where they held a give-away together with Newark Mayor Cory Booker. ^[11][12]

Prior to the start of the 2012 school year, the Chairman of the NYC Housing Authority in partnership with Kars4Kids distributed school supplies and backpacks to more than 3,000 children in Queens Housing projects.^[13] Around that same time period with New York City Councilman James Vacca they distributed free backpacks in the Bronx as part of a "back-to-school initiative aimed at helping struggling families with the rising expenses of school supplies." ^[14] In Brooklyn, Congressman Ed Towns and Kars 4 Kids distributed winter jackets to underprivileged children, including at the legendary Marcy Avenue Houses. ^[15]

The organization saw a boom in donated cars following Hurricane Sandy, with owners donating cars totaled by hurricane damage.^{[16] [17]}

After being contacted by the NYPD per the Moore family, the charity auctioned off a 2003 Ford Explorer in which two children drowned after being swept from their mother's arms during Hurricane Sandy. The auction proceeds went to raise money for coats for the needy.^[18] Kars 4 Kids worked with United States Representative Michael Grimm to distribute over 1,000 children’s coats and other assorted clothing items to Staten Island residents affected by the hurricane.^[19]

Jingle

Kars4Kids is well known for its jingle;^[20] the group's director of public relations stated that the song was written in the late-1990's by a volunteer, with music adapted from Country Yossi's song "Little Kinderlach".^[21] The jingle was first used in radio commercials broadcast in the New York City area, by 2004 the ads began to play in other markets such as Chicago, and later nationally as part of radio network ad time.^[22] In 2014, Kars4Kids introduced a television commercial featuring the jingle.^[22]

The jingle has become the subject of public ridicule, as some listeners have found it to be an annoyance; it was described by San Francisco Chronicle journalist Peter Hartlaub as an "assault on [the] senses".^[23] On November 4, 2010, Don Imus was caught on a hot mic mocking a Kars4Kids ad during a commercial break of his radio show Imus in the Morning, telling the group to "go to hell" and jokingly blurting that he would "give you my Bentley, you moron."^[22][24] Imus later apologized.^[22][24] Vulture jokingly declared that the television version of would bring end times.^[22] In 2014, it was referenced in a Saturday Night Live sketch parodying the talk show Charlie Rose, wherein the co-developers of the Central Intelligence Agency's "enhanced interrogation techniques" program claimed that the agency's other methods included Time Warner Cable customer service, TSA screenings, and the Kars4Kids jingle.^[25][22][24] In September 2016, the jingle was also referenced during an episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, in which Oliver declared that the Clinton Foundation had become "the only charity that inspires more visceral anger" than Kars4Kids.^[26]

Disclosure concerns

The organization has been criticized for inadequately disclosing its Jewish educational work.^[27][28] In 2009, Joy for Our Youth paid $65,000 in fines in Pennsylvania;^[29] while Kars4Kids paid $65,000 in fines in Oregon^[30] in settlements reached with the respective state attorneys general as a result of their contention that the organization had to more clearly state that the beneficiaries were of a "certain religious affiliation." In Oregon, the attorney general added that Kars4Kids failed to disclose that its offer of a "free vacation" for vehicle donors was designed to recruit people to attend timeshare presentations.^[30]

References

External links

• Kars4Kids website
• Oorah Organizational website
• Kars4Kids programs
• Kars4Kids official blog
• Kars4Kids pictures