By Michelle Colesanti
“Discover the nice difference at Christian Brothers.” Christian Brothers Automotive in Riverview recently lived up to its motto when it hosted a Free Oil Change event for widows and single moms. With the help of over 50 volunteers from Jesus Church, Celebration Church and its own staff and family members, the event was a huge success. This was part of the Christian Brothers Automotive National Day of Service, which takes place annually and was Saturday, October 10 this year.
Volunteer Barbara Kemp with Jesus Church helped with the organization of the event. Throughout the day, 46 widows, single moms and other individuals had their oil changed and safety checks done on their vehicles.
According to Christian Brothers owner Jud Cook, Christian Brothers service members also fixed about four cars found to have additional safety issues.
According to Kemp, “Volunteers worked together to show God’s love to these widows and single moms in real and practical ways. We had volunteers working under the supervision of Christian Brother’s Automotive Technicians to change the oil and perform safety checks on all the vehicles. A clean team worked together to vacuum the interiors and Windex to make the cars noticeably cleaner and more enjoyable to drive.”
Celebration Church provided hot dogs, and snow cones to make the event fun and festive even for the kids who came.
“There were volunteers available to speak with and provide prayers with the ladies as they waited in the comfortable lobby; giving them a chance to relax and feel appreciated,” said Kemp.
Cook was appreciative of sponsors SSI Petrol, which donated oil, Advanced Auto Parts for donating Chick-fil-A, and O’Reilly’s Auto Parts for donating filters.
According to Kemp, some of the touching moments throughout the day included “the warm and consistent smile on Toby, Tim, and all the technician’s faces when they checked a widow or single mom in and made them feel welcome, even when it was late in the day and everyone was tired, or the countless women saying this oil change outreach came at exactly the right time.”
Christian Brothers Automotive is located at 10010 McMullen Rd. in Riverview (corner of Boyette Rd.) and is open Monday to Friday from 7 a.m.-6 p.m. It is closed on Saturday and Sunday. To make an appointment, call 685-0683. For more information, visit www.cbac.com/store/brandon-fl or find it on Facebook at CBA Riverview.
