Church helps single women with car maintenance

Mike Logston, left, and Ray Kinnamon take a look under the hood of a car on Sunday at Concord Baptist Church’s event to give oil changes and checks on cars owned by single women in the community. Kwik Car Lube & Tune, 3636 W. Truman Blvd., donated use of the business and five employees who volunteered along with the church volunteers. Photo by Gerry Tritz.

By Gerry Tritz

Monday, November 7, 2011

Some 20 men from Concord Baptist Church again banded together on Sunday to help change oil and winterize cars for single women.

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Bill Reichard, a Concord member and organizer of the project, said someone in the church got the idea for the project in another city and started it here. He said it’s a way for single women to get a free oil change and basic maintenance on their car from people they can trust.

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linoge 1 year, 6 months ago

This is wonderful. I remember talking with my sister about what it was like for her to leave home and live on her own. She said that the most difficult thing of all was keeping her car maintained and "on the road" so to speak. I think that more of us guys who know how to diagnose and fix automotive problems should volunteer to do this. We could enjoy the satisfaction of helping another person and, enjoy the screams of the shyster repair shop owners who wouldn't dream of trying to "pull a fast one" on me but cannot wait for a single lady to pull her car in and ask for help. Good work Concord Baptist!

JCLifer 1 year, 6 months ago

This whole thing is very sexist.

Gabrielle 1 year, 6 months ago

JCLifer - I can see why you would identify this as 'sexist'. As I told 'hkchas', if an elderly gentleman brought his vehicle in for the same 'service', he would probably have received the same kindness as the other people did. Maybe next year, these kind individuals will extend the offer to elderly gentleman or elderly couples. Its just a kind thing to do. It is great to live in a community where these things are available.

Sometimes I think it is some women who need to get out of the 50's - thinking the male ego cannot handle being informed that the woman is knowledgeable on a given topic.

JCLifer 1 year, 6 months ago

Why would men know more about cars than women? The owner's manual is there for anyone to read it. The internet is there for anyone to read it. Classes are available for anyone to take them.

I would think most women would be very offended by the connotation that they are helpless for taking care of their car.

Jefferson City is truly stuck in the 1950s.

Gabrielle 1 year, 6 months ago

which is it hkchas - a great service or stuck in the 50's?

Grace is clearly expressing the challenge that some people face with doing car maintenance. There is nothing about her statement that says anything about inferiority... or anyththing else. I would bet that if an elderly gentleman stopped by with his car for the same 'service', he would have received the same kind assistance that all the other people did. Kind people doing things for another - why would you bring inferiority into this?

JMO 1 year, 6 months ago

I find myself in the odd position here of defending Graceful. I don't think she (forgive me if that's wrong, I always think of Graceful as a she) meant that at all.

I actually do know a tiny bit about cars. I certainly know how to check all the fluids etc and could probably change my oil in a pinch. But I don't think a woman who doesn't know how to do auto maintainence is any more inferior than a man who doesn't know how to sew on a button or bake brownies. Yes, there are many females at tech school and there are, I'm sure, many very good female auto mechanics. Just like there are very good tailors and chefs who are male (I watch Project Runway and Iron Chef - LOL). But that still puts them in the minority of the population as a whole. FWIW, I've had female friends who couldn't boil water or put gas in a car and didn't even own a needle and thread. They thought I was very talented. :)

Like it or not, there is a division of the sexes and it's caused to some extent by both nature and nurture.

Gabrielle 1 year, 6 months ago

JMO - i appreciate your comments. Not only do I agree with them, I also like the fact that we are talking about the ideas represented in the comments - AND I, too, enjoy some of the same tv programs!

JMO 1 year, 6 months ago

I only watch the high-class reality shows. LOL

Sequoia 1 year, 6 months ago

I think it is the other way around. A lot of men these days don't know any more about car repair than women. In fact, today's cars are not kind to the do-it-yourselfer. Cars are so much more complicated than they used to be, so it is harder for anyone to fix it for themselves. I find both genders to be pretty intimidated by the prospect of getting under the hood.

JMO 1 year, 6 months ago

Doesn't offend me a bit. I'm not feminist enough to believe men and women are exactly alike. Girls, in general, don't care to learn about auto mechanics, just like guys, in general, don't care to learn how to bake cookies. It may not be PC, but it's true. Of course, they can pay for an oil change at Jiffy Lube just like a guy, and should do so in my opinion, but sadly there are mechanics that will try to take advantage of the fact that a woman knows less about cars to gouge out unnecessary work.

I think the biggest advantage of this would be for elderly ladies.

And I wasn't even born in the 50's.

JCLifer 1 year, 6 months ago

Yeah, I've had cookie bakers try to take advantage of me. I need some chartitable group of ladies to bake cookies for me.

This whole thing hit me wrong. Why didn't the church advertise the services to all folks who don't know how to take care oif their cars? Better yet: teach them how to care for their cars so they can do it themselves or else go to a local mechanic without being fearful of being a victim.

Another point: I'll bet this free car maintenance was not well-recieved by all the local mechanics, especially the small independent shops struggling to stay in business to feed their families, pay their bills, and provide a Christmas to their children this time of year in this recession. Maybe the church should have negotiated coupons and provided subsidies for folks to get their cars serviced by local mechanics.

JMO 1 year, 6 months ago

I'd be happy to bake you some cookies Lifer, if it'll sweeten your mood a bit. I can also teach you how to check your oil if you like. :)

As a woman, I thank you for standing up against sexism. But, I'd still like to have you hold the door open for me if we walk in a building together. Sadly , people today don't know that being a gentleman is not the same as being sexist.

I've been a single girl off to college all alone and a single mom with little money and an old car that didn't like cold weather, I'd have jumped at this back in the day. These folks did something nice for a few local ladies. Likely they'd have helped men if they asked. Why didn't they advertise that way? Probably because the men and women who thought it up are of the generation that is indeed from the 50's and still believe in a little bit of chivalry. I somehow doubt they took care of enough cars to put any shop out of business. Honestly, people get all p r i ckly over nothing.

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