Virginia High School Students Repair Used Cars to Donate to Single Moms

A community program is empowering teens to help local mothers in need.

Apr. 3, 2026 at 3:24pm

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A bold, colorful silkscreen print featuring a repeated image of a car key in a grid pattern, conceptually representing the gift of transportation to single mothers.A community program is putting high school students to work repairing used cars to donate to local single mothers in need.Richmond Today

A group of students from Louisa County High School near Richmond, Virginia, are repairing used cars to gift to local single moms through a partnership with the non-profit organization Giving Words. The charity was founded in 2018 by Eddie and Ginny Brown to provide transportation to single mothers, and now the high school trade program is helping fix up donated vehicles for this cause.

Why it matters

Access to reliable transportation is a major barrier for many single mothers, limiting their ability to get to work, school, and medical appointments. This community program is addressing this need in a hands-on way that also provides valuable vocational training for high school students.

The details

The students in the high school trade program are working to repair used cars donated to Giving Words, a non-profit that gifts the refurbished vehicles to single mothers at no cost. The program partners with local car dealership Carter Myers Automotive to coordinate the donated cars. Students Owen Yarrington and Stephen Smith are two of the teens helping to ensure the vehicles are in proper working order before they are given to the recipients.

  • The Giving Words charity was founded in 2018 by Eddie and Ginny Brown.
  • The high school trade program partnership began in 2026.

The players

Giving Words

A non-profit organization that fixes used cars and donates them to single mothers in need.

Eddie Brown

The co-founder of Giving Words, who started the charity in his driveway in 2018.

Ginny Brown

The co-founder of Giving Words, who started the charity with her husband Eddie in 2018.

Owen Yarrington

A student at Louisa County High School who is helping repair used cars for the Giving Words program.

Stephen Smith

A student at Louisa County High School who is helping repair used cars for the Giving Words program.

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What they’re saying

“What we learned was transportation was the first thing. Without transportation you don't have access to a job, you don't have access to education, you don't have access to medical needs.”

— Eddie Brown, Co-founder, Giving Words

“So it is a lot of pressure because you had to do it right and you have to make sure everything's torqued to spec so nothing falls apart.”

— Stephen Smith, Student, Louisa County High School

“When they tear up and cry it makes you want to tear up and cry.”

— Owen Yarrington, Student, Louisa County High School

“It's not just a car. It's not just nuts and bolts. It's literally the difference between someone making it and someone not.”

— Shane Robertson, Auto Teacher, Louisa County High School

“I can further my education now. I can go to college, I can get a better job. Just all of it, more time with my family.”

— Jessica Williams, Single Mother

What’s next

The high school trade program plans to continue partnering with Giving Words to repair and donate used cars to single mothers in the local community.

The takeaway

This community-driven program is empowering high school students to make a tangible difference in the lives of local single mothers by providing them with reliable transportation, opening up new opportunities for education, employment, and quality time with their families.