Lisa Martinez was beyond thrilled when she received a 2012 gray Nissan Rogue earlier this year.
So much so that she gives thanks every time she gets behind the wheel.
“I thank God and I thank the Baileys because what they did was just beyond wonderful,” she said. “It changed my life. I can tear up just thinking about it.”
The Baileys are Dane and Cathy Bailey, a couple from Colleyville who provide refurbished vehicles for those in need of transportation through their organization Autos of Love. They have given away six vehicles since starting the program in 2024.
Martinez, operations assistant at the Serving Our Seniors, a nonprofit with a mission to aid seniors in northeast Tarrant County, was a 2026 recipient of the refurbished automobile from Autos of Love.
The organization started giving away vehicles in 2024 as an offshoot of their auto service and repair business, Auto Experts of Colleyville.
The Baileys’ work earned them recognition in 52 Faces of Community, Fort Worth Report’s weekly series highlighting unsung heroes in Tarrant County.
Autos of Love began when the couple decided they wanted to provide a service to the community they had been part of for so long.
The couple belonged to an automotive group called Transformers where they often exchanged business ideas, said Cathy Bailey.
“It was an auto shop out of California, and they were telling us about their car giveaway that they did called ‘Wheels to Shine,’” she said. “That idea kind of stuck with us. We had gone to Houston for another business meeting and on our way back, we decided — this was 2024 — we would work on putting together an organization that could give away vehicles.”
First, they needed a name for the program.
“It was obvious to have the word ‘Autos’ in the name,” said Bailey. “After all, it’s what we do. It’s our ‘what,’ The more we discussed the idea, the word ‘love’ kept arising. We realized that word described our ‘why.’ We want to do this out of love.”
To the Baileys’ amazement, the domain autosoflove.org was available.
“We really couldn’t believe it,” said Bailey. “It was just another sign this was meant to be.”
Next came the commitment to quality. They decided that every donated car must be safe enough for them to want to put their two daughters inside it.
Jerry Maxey, their general manager of Auto Experts of Colleyville, was immediately on board. He had previously worked at a service center that participated in a similar program, so he took a leadership role in securing donated cars.
He asked friends and customers if they would like to donate a car. Within a short time, he had secured two vehicles.
The Baileys recruited a selection committee to review all applications and determine the ideal recipients.
They established a criteria for the recipients. Each applicant must:
be a Tarrant County resident
have a valid Texas driver’s license
not currently own a reliable vehicle
be able to pay for auto insurance
With the vehicle, each Autos of Love recipient receives an entire year’s free service and maintenance.
“The recipient needed to put the car to the greatest use,” said Bailey. “We made sure the recipient could pay to operate the car and improve their life.”
Dane Bailey said they knew that lack of transportation options forced people into unemployment.
“It’s not just the cars given to people in need, it’s also the way they’ve built a community around what they are doing.” – John Fletcher, nominator.
“We frequently hear about people losing potential jobs because they don’t have the transportation to get to and from work,” he said.
Martinez said she felt that way. She would either have to walk the five miles or take a ride-share service to work daily.
She mentioned the dilemma to her bosses at Serving Our Seniors, and someone mentioned the situation to Jason Ridley, the organization’s board chairman and a friend of the Baileys. He knew about the Autos of Love program and submitted Martinez’s name as a potential recipient.
Cathy Bailey noted that lack of transportation is a particular problem in the Mid-Cities, where Martinez and Serving Our Seniors are based.
“Without wheels, your options are limited,” she said. “With them, it can open the world to you. There’s a real sense of freedom and purpose when you have the means to travel, and we are committed to solving a real need for someone,” she said.
The first car would serve as their proof-of-concept vehicle to confirm the process could work. The Baileys footed the bill for all replacement parts and promotion. The entire 13-member Auto Experts team participated in the program, along with their client liaison specialist: the Baileys’ dog, Sophie.
An image of Sophie, the client liaison specialist for Auto Experts, graces the side of the repair and service company’s loaner vehicles. (Courtesy | Auto Experts of Colleyville)
The overall cost for the first vehicle’s refurbishment was over $3,000.
But the Baileys considered the amount to be well worth it, said Cathy Bailey.
“We invited the recipient in under the pretense that we were interviewing her in person for her application,” she said “She was shocked to learn that she would be driving home in the new-to-her Lexus.”
Autos of Love
Anyone interested in donating a car to a deserving recipient or helping to underwrite the costs of the refurbishment can visit autosoflove.org.
Following that initial vehicle presentation, others — including community leaders and the auto shop’s vendors — took notice.
Some made direct donations, while Auto Expert suppliers offered to donate parts or sell them at cost. Among the donated parts were a water pump, spark plugs, oil filters and tires.
The most expensive replacement part was a new engine for a 2013 Toyota Prius. A supplier agreed to sell the engine at cost.
The community connections are helping lead Autos of Love to expand its reach.
“It’s got some real momentum now,” said Cathy Bailey.
An attorney has helped them file for nonprofit status for Autos of Love, which they hope will be approved this year. That would allow donations to be taken off their taxes.
“We’ve had great donors, but until we get that nonprofit status, it has just been a donation,” said Bailey. “We believe with nonprofit status we will be open to a broader range of donors.”
The ceremonies when the recipients receive their vehicles have turned into events. The staff from Auto Experts of Colleyville dress up as a pit crew with Autos of Love t-shirts. There are also food and balloons and, unsurprisingly, tears.
“I was bawling my eyes out,” Martinez recalls. “I still might, just thinking about it.”
Martinez named her car Rizzo after Stockard Channing’s blustery but tender character in the 1978 film “Grease.”
“She was someone who stood up for herself, no matter the challenges,” said Martinez. “That’s how Rizzo, the car, makes me feel.”
Bob Francis is business editor at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org.
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