Jesus is about lifting people up—on the last day and every day. Jesus’ resurrection is that promise of new life. Both the bible and Catholic social teaching obligate us to lift up people who are poor, to include our brothers and sisters in our economic and social life.
Social worker and auto mechanic Cathy Heying has created one concrete way to do that—a nonprofit she started called The Lift Garage. The Lift aims to help low-income people keep their jobs by keeping their cars running. “A car allows a person or a family to meet the basic needs of their lives with dignity,” says Cathy.
The Lift Garage opened in April 2013 with one bay and hours on Saturday only; today it has four bays, four full-time techs, a mobile van, office staff, and hours five days a week. Social workers refer clients to the garage. Eligible families have incomes at the federal poverty level. The Lift charges $15 per hour for labor and the cost of parts.
For 15 years Cathy put her degrees in social work and pastoral ministry to work at St. Stephen’s Catholic Church, an inner city parish with the rectory basement turned into a homeless shelter. Many people came to the shelter with the same story. Car broke down. No money to fix it. Couldn’t get to work. Lost job and couldn’t pay rent. Back to the shelter.
“Car trouble can break your budget,” Cathy says. She wondered, “Why isn’t anybody doing something about this? Then I decided I’m that person.” Cathy enrolled in a two-year program on auto technology, learning humbly beside 18-year-old men. She kept a job as a social justice advocate and put together plans for the garage. Law-school students helped her apply for nonprofit status.
Cathy is not only about repairing people’s cars but also welcoming them while they wait, frequently with their children. She often teaches classes on the basics of car care. More than one news source has featured Cathy’s creative ministry, which helps raise the money it requires to operate each month.
- What is one way you have lifted someone up?