Yours, Mine, and Cars

You think you know your family and friends pretty well. But did you know that your Dad had met a President?  Or that your Uncle once saved someone’s life? These little tidbits are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all the fascinating stories tucked away in the memories of your loved ones.

Imagine all the things you don’t know. Common, everyday things that may surprise you.  Big things that may shock you.  How did your parents meet?  What was your Grandfather like all those years ago?  What piece of advice forever changed your mother’s life?  Aside from being infinitely interesting, these could be the kinds of small revelations that finally fill in the missing pieces and explain so much that you never understood before.

Now imagine those memories and the stories behind them being forever lost without ever having been told. You’ll never know because you never thought to ask.  And now its too late because your loved one is gone or their memory is taken.

That’s exactly what Chris Manifold was afraid of when his mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.  And so the two of them set about the project of sharing and documenting  her memories, her stories, her likes and dislikes so that her family and future generations could know something of their past.

Out of this project came “Knowing You, Knowing Me”; a workbook of questions to pose to those you love and a place to document the answers.  Chris published the workbook himself.   I bought one just a few weeks ago and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed finding out the answers to so many questions I would have never even thought to ask.  With the upcoming holidays and family gatherings these questions will get some great conversations going!  And an added side benefit…some of these answers just might give you a great new gift idea for that special someone who is notoriously hard to buy for!

You can get your own copy at www.csmanifold.com. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each workbook go toward Alzheimer’s research.

To learn more about the author of this article and her family-owned company, ACI (Auto Collision Inc) visit www.acibodyshop.com

Parents, you hold the keys to your teen’s safety.  That’s the message the MVA is trying to get out.  Actually, the MVA has quite a bit of great information to help you help your teen stay safe.

You can download and print the “You Hold the Keys” brochure right here.  Along with what to expect of your new driver, this helpful brochure provides information about the MVA’s full Rookie Driver program.  Check it out!

And don’t forget to check our archives/recent posts for other useful tidbits to help your teen driver.

To learn more about the author and her family-owned company, ACI (Auto Collision Inc) visit www.acibodyshop.com

The Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) recently launched an Emergency Contact Information program that will help law enforcement officials notify emergency contacts in the event a person is injured in a vehicle accident and unable to communicate.

The Emergency Contact Information Registry is a database in which holders of a valid Maryland driver’s license or identification card can voluntarily list emergency contact information stored electronically on their driving record.  Valid Maryland driver’s license or state of Maryland identification card holders can provide the name and contact information for one, two, or three persons who they wish to be notified in the event of an emergency.

Individuals may submit their Emergency Contact information online at www.mva.maryland.gov, or via MVA Kiosks which are located in all MVA offices.  The information is very secure and can only be accessed by authorized law enforcement personnel.  Participants can add, modify, or delete their emergency contact information at any time by visiting www.mva.maryland.gov.   Any modifications or deletions will overwrite all previously entered information.  For Marylanders who voluntarily add emergency contact information to the database, law enforcement will be able to quickly get word to their loved ones in the event of a serious accident.

The above information was excerpted from the June 13, 2011 MVA Press Release.

I know its tempting to sneek a peek at your cell phone when you hear the incoming text alert sound.   I hope you’re strong enough to resist and that you don’t even think about trying to send a text while driving.   How about your teen?  Hopefully you’ve talked to them about the dangers of using their cell phone in the car.  But did they listen?  Sometimes it helps to hear it straight from someone who knows from experience.  I recently came across AT&T’s “It Can Wait” campaign and thought it worth sharing.  Click here to visit their site where  you can watch and listen as those directly effected by texting behind the wheel talk about their experience.  As their website suggests, take out your cell phone right now and look at the last few texts.  Would any of them be worth trading a life for?

Still worried that your teen may not resist the temptation?  Click here to read my previous post about an app that will disable their phone while driving.  There is also a new app out there that will remove the temptation all-together by auto-responding to incoming calls and texts while the car is moving, letting the caller know you are driving.  Check it out!

To learn more about the author and her family-owned company, ACI (Auto Collision Inc) visit www.acibodyshop.com

Are your car’s mirrors adjusted properly?

For most of us, the answer is no. The following video clip will show you how to properly set your automobile’s mirrors to eliminate your blind spot and allow for safer driving. Admittedly the new view feels odd for the first few days, but once you get used to it you’ll be amazed at what you’ve been missing!

If this information is reaching you a little too late and you’ve had an accident…visit my website to see how I might be able to help.

You’re used to doing your part to protect our planet.  You recycle.  You use “green” products. You conserve energy by turning off lights and unplugging electronics.  You may even drive a hybrid car.  Do your efforts to go green include choosing businesses that are doing the same?  I hope so.

Going green isn’t cheap.  Although some green choices are also economical choices, many still require higher initial costs.  How do local businesses afford to make significant green improvements and still remain competitive and financially strong in today’s tight economy?  They need your help.  When you reward a company with your business, your sales dollars directly impact the affordability of their environmental efforts.  More sales means more flexibility to continue to grow and green.

So the next time you’re in need of the services of a local business, look for those who share your concern for the environment and are doing their part to help protect it.  Look not just for the green products they may sell but pay particular attention to how they do business.  Do they recycle?  Do they use environmentally friendly processes?  Are their services provided in the greenest way possible?  Now more than ever there are ways for almost every business to green up.  (Even choosing where to have your car repaired after an accident has environmental impact.) When you support the businesses who are making those efforts, you encourage change.  Make your choices count.

To learn more about the author and her family- owned company, ACI (Auto Collision Inc.) visit www.acibodyshop.com

Before you head out on that summer road trip…

• Check your tire pressure. Did you know that approximately two billion gallons of gas could be saved each year if the tires on each American’s car were properly inflated?  You can find your correct tire pressure in the owner’s manual and often on the sticker located in the driver’s door jam.

• Clean out your trunk. The more weight you carry, the lower your fuel economy.

• Schedule regular maintenance. Did you know that you can decrease your gas expense by 4% simply by keeping up to date on regular tune-ups?  Changing a dirty air filter can save you 10%.  And you can save as much as 40% if you replace a faulty oxygen sensor.  Regular maintenance not only keeps your car running properly…it saves you money.

• Check your gas cap after each fill up. It’s estimated that 17% of cars on the road have loose, damaged, or missing gas caps which allow 147 million gallons of gas to vaporize each year.

• Find the best gas price. Visit GasPriceWatch.com to find the cheapest listed prices based on zip code, road intersection, or type of station.  When you’re on the road, there are several cell phone apps that can provide the same information.

• Fill up during the coolest time of day (usually early morning or late evening).  Because gas pumps measure volume, you get more for your dollar when gas is at its densest.

• Drive smart. I know, I know…you want to get there and you want to get there fast.  But you should know that excessive speed and abrupt starts and stops adversely effect your gas consumption.

Follow these tips and you may just have a little extra spending cash for that vacation!

To learn more about the author and her family- owned company, ACI (Auto Collision Inc.) visit www.acibodyshop.com

Hopefully, your family has had no need for the services provided at any of the 22 Shriner’s Hospitals for Children located throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada.  My family; however, has been touched by their generosity and caring.   We’ve experienced first hand just exactly what it means to a family to be welcomed in for specialty care that is available nowhere else and offered up without concern for insurance coverage, billing issues or payment terms.  We know the results of their research offer hope and options that previously did not exist.  …and we are grateful.

Like many others, Shriner’s is struggling during these economic times.  But they are dedicated to continuing their mission of improving the lives of children by providing specialty pediatric care, innovative research and outstanding teaching programs.  They continue to accept children up to the age of 18 with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries and cleft lip and palate and provide care in a family-centered environment with no financial obligation to patients or families.

If you know of a child in need of the care provided by Shriner’s Hospitals, call the Patient Referral Line at 1-800-237-5055 or click here.

Please consider helping to support Shriner’s Hospitals in their efforts: Click here to learn how.

For more information, visit Shriner’s Hospital for Children online at shrinershospitals.org

*To learn more about the author and her family- owned company, ACI (Auto Collision Inc.) visit www.acibodyshop.com

Most parents want the best for their kids and many believe a college education is the key to opportunity and success.  But how many kids are entering college without a clue as to what they’d like to do when they get out?  And what about the kids who have true talents that lie outside the scope of academics?  For many kids, vo-tech (Centers of Applied Technology) could be their chance to shine — their path to future personal and economic success.  Unfortunately, not enough parents know about this hidden opportunity and others simply don’t understand what a true opportunity it is.

Beginning at the high-school level, students accepted into their local vo-tech schools spend part of their day at their local high school and the remainder of their school day at vo-tech taking classes that provide specific career training using a hands-on approach.  The kids love it and they get a serious career jump-start over their purely academic peers.

Vo-tech begins with a rotation of classes through several career paths.  This gives the students a chance to see where their true interests lie before they choose a specific course and follow it through to completion. Many are also given the opportunity to intern in local businesses as their training progresses.  For those who choose to further their education after graduation, college is still a viable option.  Those students move forward with a greater focus on what they expect to get from college and a plan for their future.

For those students who aren’t so academically inclined, vo-tech provides them one of their first opportunities to realize their potential.  Where would we all be if this were a world filled only with doctors and lawyers?  There would be no restaurants.  Who would fix your car after an accident?  Who would you call when your heater stops working or your plumbing backs up?  Who would build our houses?  Fact is, we as parents need to stop de-valuing the talents and interests our kids have for these very necessary and lucrative careers.   (Did you know that a skilled auto body repair technician can easily earn $80K annually while working no weekends and no more than 8 hours a day?)

There’s also another point to be made for vo-tech…its FREE.  Ok, I suppose it isn’t free in the sense that it is our tax dollars at work.  Score one for our public education system!  Vo-tech is only available to high school students.  An adult deciding to enter one of these career paths after graduation will have to find and pay for the required training on their own.  Equivalent training for auto body repair and refinishing offered at private training centers takes two years to complete to the tune of approximately $30K.  And those graduates enter the industry at the same level as vo-tech graduates.  I can only assume similar is true of the other career training paths offered through your local vo-tech school.

My point is this…check out your local vo-tech.  I’ve worked closely with Rodney Bolton and Keith Brown of the Center of Applied Technology North here in Severn, Maryland for many years.  I can’t say enough about how valuable this school and its teachers are to our community.  You want the best for your kids…you owe it to them to look into all the options and keep an open mind.  Click here for more information about our local vo-tech school.   For information about vo-tech schools in other locations, refer to your county’s public school system website or contact your local high school.

To download a flier with information about the Auto Body Repair and Refinishing courses offered at the Center of Applied Technology North, visit my website  www.ACIBodyShop.com and look for the link on our Employment Opportunities page.

Teens behind the wheel is scary enough!  How can you keep their eyes and their attention on the road and off their cell phones when you’re not with them?  Well, I hear there is a new cell phone app that can do just that.  Called izup, it creates a no cell phone zone that launches automatically when they’re in the car driving more than 5 miles an hour. With the exception of 911 and three other preselected numbers (like mom and dad), the handset is shut down from both incoming and outgoing texts and calls while the car is moving.  And get this…it will even alert you if someone tries to disable the app once it is installed.  Check it out at  www.getizup.com

*To learn more about the author and her family- owned company, ACI (Auto Collision Inc.) visit www.acibodyshop.com