Adam Ely, founder of Hard Luck Auto Services, discussed the charity's work in central Oklahoma and their future plans.The November 18, 2022 meeting of the Rotary Club of Chickasha was called to order by President Lewis Knisley. The club sang "God Bless America".
Attending the meeting were November's Students of the Month from Chickasha Middle School—Jaden Wheeler, Raylee Ramsey, and Jaxon Bowman—along with counselor Dawnshaye Davis.
Pres. Knisley presented a check to Angie Lewis of Friends of the Chickasha Public Library for $250. This donation will go towards the 11th annual Chocolate Celebration held next February.
Rotarian of the Day Zach Grayson introduced the day's speaker, Adam Ely. Ely is the founder of Hard Luck Auto Services, currently based in Moore. Founded in 2017, Hard Luck provides basic auto repairs without charge. Customers are only expected to pay the cost for parts. Hard Luck's slogan is "changing the world, one car at a time."
Since moving to their current location May 1, Hard Luck has served approximately 650 families. Ely estimates that they have saved families over $200,000 in labor costs over the same period. Thanks to a partnership with NAPA Auto Parts, they are able to save customers a considerable amount on parts as well.
Part of Hard Luck's mission statement is to provide "basic automotive repairs in a non-profit way to the community unconditionally". While their focus is to serve low-income families, they do not screen customers at all. Ely stated that for the most part, while there are certainly people who can afford regular repair costs who will "take advantage" of their services, they will seldom do it more than once.
Hard Luck only performs basic maintenance—"stuff that wears down," Ely said—that can be done within a couple hours of labor. For more severe repairs, they refer people to other repair shops. They have six volunteers, including mechanics and office staff. As a maximum of 12 to 15 cars are worked on every day, they are able to get people in and out as quickly as possible. No cars stay overnight.
Going forward, Ely identified two major matters for the shop: first, recruitment of board members in order to cement their status as a charity organization; secondly, capital for their planned "forever home". The City of Midwest City has donated a plot of land, and plans have been drawn up for a $1.2 million permanent facility (below). The fundraising campaign for the facility will launch in full on January 1.
Pres. Knisley adjourned the meeting.
Catering was provided by Cotton Patch Cafe.