Well, a crane actually…..but it could happen.  If you want to watch them do it, come to HeeHaw Farms in Pleasant Grove this Saturday, October 23rd at 1:00 p.m. (exit 275 for North Bound I-15 Traffic/ exit 278 for South Bound I-15 traffic).  The 1996 Pontiac 6000 being smashed by pumkins (hey, isn’t that the name of a rock band?) will be donated to the Kidney Kars program!  Come have some Halloween fun ! See you there.

Thank you so much to C. Gunderson of South Jordan for the gorgeous black 2000 Porsche Boxter.  It had a pricey blown transmission, but was in overall good shape.  With a little help from our friends at IAA (Insurance Auto Auctions) the Kidney Foundation of Utah was still able to sell it for more than $6,000 bucks at a Las Vegas Auto Auction.  That money will go straight into Utah medical research, and into the hands of kidney patients who are in desperate financial times because of the cost of their medical treatments, medications, and transportation to and from dialysis.  That was one gorgeous car– and a most generous Kidney Kars donation!  We are so grateful Ms. Gunderson for your humanitarian!

Enormous Pumpkins, falling from the sky! It could happen….The award winning 1196 lb. pumpkin, grown by Matt McConkie of the
Utah Giant Pumpkin Grower’s association will by hoisting his prize pumpkin by crane above a 1996 Pontiac 6000 at the HeeHaw Farms in Pleasant Grove on Saturday, October 23rd, at 1:00 p.m.  The car getting smashed by pumpkins (hey! isn’t that the name of a rock band?) will be later donated to the Kidney Kars program.  So come, get smashed with us at HeeHaw Farms located West
of I-15 at the Pleasant Grove exit (275 for north bound I-15 traffic and 278 for south bound I-15 traffic).  Be there, or be
square. For more information vist KSL.com about the event : http://www.ksl.com/?nid=359&sid=12662126

 Dear Kidney Kars: Thanks so much for helping us! Ihelped my mother-in-law, Sammie, donate her car to the Kidney Foundation.  You have so well refined the process, it made it very easy. Kidney Kars of Utah was especially meaningful because Sammie’s niece, recently died of kidney failure, and her brother now endures dialysis.  Helping Sammie give her car to Kidney Kars made Sammie feel that she was continuing her lifelong pursuit of helping others, even though she now needs the care of a nursing home.  She knows her car will go to help people like her niece and her brother.  Bless you for helping us to help Sammie, and for making her (and us) feel like we really made a difference for kidney patients here in Utah.    In appreciation, K.E.  Wood (Sammie’s Daughter-in-law)

Hey! Here’s an idea for Mother’s Day. Give Mom’s old minivan to the National Kidney Foundation Kidney Kars donation program and get that woman some new wheels. That’s right…maybe Mama needs a Porsche 911 Turbo Carrera or a BMW Z4 instead of some lame card and some flowers. Just a thought…You know, because what some Moms really want for Mother’s Day is to drive away in a really, really fast car without room for the whole family. 

And remember, for that old minivan—when you donate it to Kidney Kars, towing is free and donations make a great tax deduction!  For more information, or to donate your car, van, truck or boat, call 1-800-TOW-KARS (869-5277) or donate online at www.towKars.org

#   #   #

Dear Ms. Vetterli:  In the letter, you stated to ‘help lighten the burden and improve the quality of life for Utah & Idaho dialysis and tranpslant patients.’  No truer words about the Kidney Foundation have ever been spoken.  Unless you have experienced kidney failure, and dialysis, you have no idea how much the Kidney Foundation helps in every way.    For every Kidney Kar donation, for every company that donates money, for every generous donor– I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart.  I wish I could personally thank each donor and tell them how much they have helped relieve the huge burden of living with k idney failiure is on me and my family.  I probably would have died 3 years ago without your help with my medications and housing.  I was giving up the struggle to stress and financial burdens I was unable to bear while I was so sick.  I stil have bad days, but I feel like I have you, and the Kidney Foundation donors helping ‘lighten my burden’ and that makes me want to keep fighting to be around for my children and for those who have been so generous.  Thank you so much.  Sincerely, Hazel G.

Dear Kidney Kars, I am writing to give thanks for all you have done for me to help me stay current on my insurance premiums.  Living with kidney failure has so many aspects that need to be addressed– always when you least expect it.  Last week, I had surgery to try and place a Peritoneal Dialysis catheter so I can dialyze at home.  This has been a long process to get that to work, and when I got to dialysis on Friday, my fistula clotted, and I needed to have a fistula-gram to open it up again.  This was much unexpected– but so like kidney failure.  Thank you again for the help and burden it relieves me of.  Merry Christmas to your donors who help improve our lives with their Kidney Kars and other donations.  R. Hammon

Dear Kidney Foundation, I would like to thank the National Kidney Foundation of Utah & Idaho for your willingness to help me lighten the burden on my sholders.  My health and financial stress does not allow me to sleep well at night.  I cannot explain how grateful I am for your help, but from the bottom of my heart I appreciate your support in this time of need.  Your kindness to me will never be forgotten.  Yours truly, T. Katoa

An essay about Kidney Kars donation in Utah by Mindy Lind. Mindy is the daughter of Roger Stratford, a past Kidney Foundation Board President and Kidney Donor.  Thanks to both Roger and Mindy for sharing this perfect essay about Kidney Kars! 

http://marzipansmind.blogspot.com/2008/12/national-kidney-foundation-loves-me.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32490342/ns/business-autos

Car shoppers have a few more days to take advantage of popular program

msnbc.com news services

updated 2:41 p.m. MT, Thurs., Aug 20, 2009

The Obama administration plans to end the popular $3 billion Cash for Clunkers program on Monday, giving car shoppers a few more days to take advantage of big government incentives.

The Transportation Department said Thursday the government will wind down the program on Monday at 8 p.m. EDT. Car buyers can receive rebates of $3,500 or $4,500 for trading in older vehicles for new, more fuel-efficient models.

“It’s been a thrill to be part of the best economic news story in America,” Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement. “Now we are working toward an orderly wind down of this very popular program.”

Through Thursday, auto dealers have made deals worth $1.9 billion and are on pace to exhaust the program’s $3 billion in early September. The incentives have generated more than 457,000 vehicle sales. Administration officials said they have reviewed nearly 40 percent of the transactions and have already paid out $145 million to dealers.

Administration officials said applications for rebates will not be accepted after 8 p.m. EDT Monday and dealers should not make additional sales without receiving all the necessary paperwork from their customers. Dealers will be able to resubmit rejected applications after the deadline.

President Barack Obama said in an interview Thursday that the program has been “successful beyond anybody’s imagination” but dealers were overwhelmed by the response of consumers. He pledged that dealers “will get their money.”

Dealers have complained of delays in getting reimbursed and backlogs of vehicle paperwork getting processed in the program. Dealers have said they face a risk of not being reimbursed but LaHood has pledged that dealers will get paid for the incentives.

The administration has said it has tripled the number of staffers sorting through the dealer paperwork.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32490342/ns/business-autos/