- At first you won’t know where the car wash will be or what PCC you will be supporting; just fill out your contact information so that we know you are interested and can help you with the rest of it.
2. Get your group together
- Tell your group about the Wash for Life and find people to help you organize. If you are a youth group leader, handle this the way you normally would.
- Get a signed liability release form from each of the participants or their guardians.
3. Find a place to hold it
- This is important: Go to your local government office and find out what the regulations are for charitable car washes. Some cities have a certain area designated for car washes; many require that the water be diverted so that it drains into landscaping. There are companies that provide materials to do this; see if they would be willing to give them as a donation!
- A good car wash location will be a parking lot with an easy entrance and exit, next to a busy road. There should be places nearby where some of your crew can hold signs. And of course, there has to be working water spigots for hoses.
- You can probably get permission to hold the car wash at your church or school. If that won’t work, many gas stations or other businesses will let you use their parking lots. Think about where you’ve seen car washes held in your town.
4. Find your local PCC
- If you don’t already know of a pregnancy care center in your area, check with your church; or talk to us and we’ll help you. Verify that the center is 100% pro-life; we can help with that too.
- One way of finding a good PCC is through OptionLine, 1-800-395-HELP or www.pregnancycenters.org, which helps women find a center in their area.
- Once you find a center you want to support, tell them about the project. Have them look at our website to find out more.
- A great idea for the event is to have PCC personnel at the wash in order to answer questions. They will probably be delighted to help.
5. Advertise
- The more effort you put into advertising, the more money you’ll raise for your PCC!
- Put up posters around the area a couple days beforehand; then on the day itself, have people with big signs standing at key intersections.
- Ask if you can make an announcement at your church or school the weekend before the wash. See if you can include something in the bulletin or newsletter.
- Everyone on the car washing crew should get their family and friends to come.
- If you know any pro-life dignitaries, politicians, celebrities, or millionaires, explain the project to them personally and let them know how helpful it would be if they came to have their car washed.
6. On the day of the wash
- The more organized you are, the more cars you’ll wash and the more money you’ll raise!
- Have your supplies ready beforehand. You will need enough buckets, sponges, soap, and towels for everyone who participates. Make sure you have enough hoses, too.
- Have plenty of towels - they get wet quickly.
- Ask for a donation rather than charging a set price. If you ask for $5, people will give you just that much, but if you tell them what you are raising money for and ask for a donation, most people will give you more. If someone just gives you loose change, don’t let it bother you. The next person might make up for it!
- Make sure to have drinks for the washer crews. You might even want to sell baked goods or lemonade to the people as they wait for their cars to get washed.
- Be happy, and have fun! Remember that you are part of an event that’s happening all across the country, and that you are spreading the Culture of Life.
7. Tell us what happened
- This is the key to making the Wash for Life a national event.
- We want to know how many youth were involved, how many cars you washed, and how much money you raised. You can also send us stories and pictures of your experiences.
- Continue to pray for us as we put out the story!
Tips
Here are tips that were sent in by people who have experience with car washes and want to share ideas with other Wash for Life participants. Be sure to tell us if you have something to share!
- If it’s a good spot, hold your car wash in the parking lot of the pregnancy care center you are supporting, with them holding an open house at the same time.
- Don’t use newspaper! It might work well for drying windows, but the ink marks you’ll leave on white cars are hard to wash off.
- Six to a car is the best number. Break your group up into teams of six, with one extra person manning the hose. Have an extra team so that they can rotate and take a rest.
- If it’s a hot day, it might be hard to dry the cars without streaks. If you have an awning set up, you can have the car pull under it so that you can dry it in the shade. This will also move the car away from the hoses.
- Make sure to dress modestly. People will be looking to us as an example of what it means to be part of the Culture of Life. Actions speak louder than words, so what they see should reflect our values.
- 9 - 1 is the best time of day.
- Sell tickets in advance - you still have their donation even if they don't come!