Renee King, 36, inside the refurbished Subaru Impreza she was gifted at a Midas on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Fort Lauderdale. King, a single mom with two children, relied entirely on public transportation for her daily commute between Fort Lauderdale and Miami.
Photo by Matias J. Ocner
mocner@miamiherald.com
Without a reliable car, Fort Lauderdale resident Renee King embarks on an hourslong daily journey to get to work in Miami that involves buses, trains, rental cars and Ubers.
That changed Thursday, when King received a free, newly refurbished car from Midas Project Spark, an initiative run by car service center chain Midas to supply veterans, single parents and other community members in need of safe and reliable transportation with cars of their own.
Kingston Allen, 4, and his mom, Renee King, 36, inspect the refurbished Subaru Impreza they were gifted at a Midas on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Fort Lauderdale. King, a single mom with two children, relied entirely on public transportation to get to work from Broward to Miami. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com
Yoel Victores, the Midas franchisee at 235 E Sunrise Boulevard, handed the car keys to King and her son, 4-year-old Kingston Allen.
“That’s for you!” King told her son.
Originally from Hialeah, King moved to Fort Lauderdale a few years ago. She’d been relying on a used 2012 Hyundai Tucson that she bought two and a half years ago for $24,000 to make her long commute. But last October, the car’s anti-lock braking system broke. The $8,000 cost to repair the damage on top of the car payments was too much, so King was forced to give up the car.
“I was heartbroken,” she said.
She had been relying on South Florida’s notoriously unreliable public transportation system ever since. Without her own car, King woke up in the wee hours of the morning to prepare her children for school and then embark on her two and a half hour commute to work. It takes about the same amount of time to get back home, so she arrives home around 8 p.m.
Renee King, 36, and her son Kingston Allen, 4, receive the keys to a free refurbished Subaru Impreza from Yoel Victores, 42, a franchise owner of a Midas in Fort Lauderdale. King, a single mom with two children, was forced to give up her previous car and relied entirely on public transportation to get to work. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com
Project Spark team members work with nonprofits and community organizations across the country to find people in need of a new car, so long as they are able to pay for insurance, do not have a criminal record and have a valid drivers’ license. After connecting to a local daycare, Project Spark found King.
“I felt blessed,” she said. “It’s an extreme relief. I’ll be able to spend more time with my kids.”
Victores, who has been a Midas franchisee since 2023, said he hopes to work with Project Spark on more car giveaways in the future. The Fort Lauderdale Midas store worked with Advance Auto Parts to refurbish the light blue Subaru Impreza, which was donated by Charity Cars. Advance Auto Parts donated the needed parts, and Midas donated the labor to fix up the car, Victores said.
“It’s a very rewarding feeling to give back to your community, somebody in need, especially her,” Victores said. “She’s very hardworking with two kids.”
As King turned on her new car, Kingston was quick to jump in the car, poke his head out the window and wave at the cameras. From now on, its smooth sailing for King and her family.
“It feels good to be able to have something that’s reliable and won’t break down on me,” she said.
Kingston Allen, 4, and his mom, Renee King, 36, were gifted a refurbished Subaru Impreza at a Midas in Fort Lauderdale. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com