Hal Colston, Co-Founder of Good News Garage, to Appear on Oprah Winfrey Show
Hal Colston, Co-Founder of Good News Garage, to Appear on Oprah Winfrey Show

VERMONT, May 20, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Hal Colston, the inspiration behind Good News Garage and NeighborKeepers, will appear on the Oprah Winfrey Show on May 19. Oprah invited Colston because of his creativity and success in establishing non-profit social enterprise programs that help people to break the cycle of poverty and joblessness.

Good News Garage, a program of Lutheran Social Services, was one of the first programs in the nation to seek the charitable donation of reliable cars for income-eligible people to help them move from welfare to work. Since its founding in 1996, Good News Garage has provided more than 3,200 vehicles to low income families in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Colston's brainchild Good News Garage evolved through a social ministry program of Lutheran Social Services that brought Burlington, Vermont, area congregations together to identify urgent and unmet needs in the local community. Colston was the program's founding director until he left in 2004 to found NeighborKeepers, an inclusive community built on meaningful relationships that generate Circles of Support, empowering families to create a sustainable path to adequate resources.

Because of its effectiveness as an anti-poverty program, Good News Garage has been featured recently in People Magazine, Reader's Digest, and on the Today Show. In the years prior, it appeared in Smithsonian Magazine, The Boston Globe, and USA Today as well as on the NBC and CBS nightly news broadcasts and National Public Radio's All Things Considered.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development sited Good News Garage in its Best Practice report for 1998 and 1999. In July 2000 Good News Garage was honored as one of HUD's Best of the Best nonprofit agencies in the U.S. Good News Garage was awarded special recognition from The Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management for its innovative social enterprise model, which now has expanded to serve residents in five of the six New England states.

The University of Vermont (UVM) and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) completed a study in 2005 documenting that Good News Garage is an effective tool for moving people from welfare to work. 60% of recipients reduced their need for welfare, and 49% were completely off welfare within a year or less of receiving the car.

But the true success of Good News Garage is expressed in the lives of recipients: "This car has changed my life," states Good News Garage recipient, Paula, single mother of four. "I can get to my job and get my kids to and from school without depending on anyone else or on public transportation."

Hal Colston's newest anti-poverty enterprise is a non-profit called NeighborKeepers whose goal is to strengthen communities one family at a time. It connects struggling families with volunteer allies who build relationships based on trust and reciprocity. NeighborKeepers supports weekly community dinners where there are opportunities to form rewarding friendships. Circles of Support are created when community members pursue their goals with support from three allies acting as life coaches. NeighborKeepers is a non-profit based out of the Winooski Community Center.

For more information about Good News Garage or to donate a car, call toll-free 877-448-3288 or donate online www.goodnewsgarage.org All vehicle donations are tax deductible.

Neighborkeepers is looking for volunteers, donated food and funds for community dinners. To contribute call 802-264-4829 or visit www.neighborkeepers.org

Press Release Contact Information:

Lisa Farren
Good News Garage
Marketing Manager
809 Main Street, Ste 204
East Hartford, Connecticut
United States 06108
Voice: 860-218-2970
Fax: 860-218-2971
Website: Visit Our Website