It was a cool but sunny autumn afternoon when Dan Patchin, Portland Adventist Academy (PAA) development director, and Brian Gosney, vice principal of finance, made their way to Darrell Myers Auto Sales in Boring, Ore.
Earlier that year, a donor came to Patchin with a 1994 Subaru Wagon as a donation for PAA. “Not having a dealer’s license prevents us from selling cars,” he answered, when asked about the project. “So I thought of Darrell.”
Darrell Myers has been selling cars since he was a teenager. For the past 30 years it has been his home business. But beyond providing an income for his family, it’s allowed him the freedom of time and finances to give where it counts—and for him that’s missions. Myers has participated in and led countless mission trips.
Given his passion for mission work, it wasn’t hard for him to accept the task of rebuilding the ’94 Subaru. “It took about three days to clean up the engine and have it ready to sell,” he reported. The result was a $2,000 check for Portland Adventist Academy and the birth of Cars for Kids.
As the vice principal of finance, Gosney knows just how much parents are sacrificing to keep their children at the school. “That’s why I appreciate Darrell’s generosity,” said Gosney. “There are about 60 kids in our school each year who depend on people like Darrell.”
Since that first Subaru, Myers has two additional Cars for Kids ready to sell for PAA. “You can’t give a blessing to someone without getting a blessing right back,” he chuckled. “And it changes the kids. That’s why it’s so important.”
To find out more about Cars for Kids, contact the Portland Adventist Academy development office at (503) 255-8372, ext. 230.
Dan Patchin, PAA development director, and Brian Gosney, PAA vice principal for finance, accept a check for $2,000 from Darrell Myers (center), who sold a donated car to benefit PAA. (Liesl Vistaunet)
