Automobile donations benefit neighborhood and local students

Santa Teresa & Blossom Valley residents wanting to donate their cars for charity now have one more option: The Tomodachi Endowment of West Valley College. Promoting foreign language studies at the college, the vehicle donation program accepts cars, motorcycles, recreational vehicles and boats.

"In addition to supporting students who want to learn, we also make it very easy and painless for donors to get rid of that unwanted vehicle during this tax year," says Jim Mallamace, Director of the Endowment. "We arrange all the towing, we handle all the paperwork. Many times it's easier for people to donate their vehicle and receive the tax deduction than to sell it privately." Donors receive the market value as a tax-deductible contribution.

"Our Talk With the World campaign is currently raising money for Japanese language studies-an important language to know in the Silicon Valley," Mallamace says. "In fact, Tomodachi is the Japanese word for friend. All funds are being administered by the West Valley/Mission Colleges Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization on campus."

For more information, go to www.tomodachiendowment.org. To schedule a vehicle pick up, call toll-free 1-877-227-7487, Ext. 1277.