Community Corner

Virginia Tire & Auto Offers Free Repair to Those in Need

Virginia Tire & Auto – which has two locations in Ashburn, and – has created the Wheels for Work, a new charitable program that offers pro bono automotive repair services to low-income families in need of transportation to get to and from their jobs. The program strives to help working families in Northern Virginia maintain reliable transportation to bridge the barrier between home and work.

Lacking a dependable vehicle can be a major hurdle to steady employment job and supporting a family. In fact, maintaining reliable transportation has been cited as the second-biggest challenge, behind childcare, for many people entering the workforce.

“We are very pleased that we have found a way to use our expertise in auto repair to directly help those in our community who are struggling to keep and maintain their jobs,” said Mike Holmes, Vice President of Virginia Tire & Auto. “Even in an affluent area like Northern Virginia there are many people who risk losing their jobs and their source of income for their family because they do not have reliable transportation. Those are the people that we are trying to help.”

Find out what's happening in Ashburnwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Initially, Virginia Tire & Auto has teamed up with the Shelter House, an organization in Fairfax County that provides temporary housing and supportive services to homeless families, to help identify candidates for Wheels for Work.

"Our clients come to us with a myriad of barriers preventing them from living in safe stable housing," said Hanan Scrapper, Director of Artemis House, Shelter House's Domestic Violence Shelter. "Having a vehicle they can count on to get them to work, drop their kids off at childcare and stop at the grocery store to make sure they have food for their families, means a great deal to them.”

Find out what's happening in Ashburnwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In addition to this initial partnership with Shelter House, any resident of Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William Counties is eligible to apply for Wheels for Work. To be eligible, persons must have a minor child under the age of 18, work at least 20 hours per week for 3 consecutive months or be enrolled in a job-training program, have a gross family income that does not exceed 200% of the federal poverty guidelines and have a valid driver’s license. To apply, candidates should complete the form found at http://www.vatire.com/w4w/. Submissions will be promptly reviewed and potential candidates will be contacted and asked to complete an application. Persons are welcome to recommend candidates by completing the initial form on behalf of someone else.

Myron Boncarosky founded Virginia Tire & Auto in 1976 as a single Shell-branded service station in Fairfax. The company has grown to more 400 employees with 11 locations in Ashburn, Cascades, Centreville, Chantilly, Dulles, Fairfax, Falls Church, Gainesville, South Riding, Springfield and Vienna. Virginia Tire & Auto is family owned and operated.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here