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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The couple belonged to an automotive group called Transformers where they often exchanged business ideas, said Cathy Bailey.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was an auto shop out of California, and they were telling us about their car giveaway that they did called \u2018Wheels to Shine,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cThat idea kind of stuck with us. We had gone to Houston for another business meeting and on our way back, we decided \u2014 this was 2024 \u2014 we would work on putting together an organization that could give away vehicles.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
First, they needed a name for the program.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was obvious to have the word \u2018Autos\u2019 in the name,\u201d said Bailey. \u201cAfter all, it\u2019s what we do. It\u2019s our \u2018what,\u2019 The more we discussed the idea, the word \u2018love\u2019 kept arising. We realized that word described our \u2018why.\u2019 We want to do this out of love.\u201d<\/p>\n
To the Baileys\u2019 amazement, the domain autosoflove.org<\/a> was available.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe really couldn\u2019t believe it,\u201d said Bailey. \u201cIt was just another sign this was meant to be.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n He asked friends and customers if they would like to donate a car. Within a short time, he had secured two vehicles.<\/p>\n The Baileys recruited a selection committee to review all applications and determine the ideal recipients.<\/p>\n They established a criteria for the recipients. Each applicant must:\u00a0<\/p>\n be a Tarrant County resident With the vehicle, each Autos of Love recipient receives an entire year\u2019s free service and maintenance.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cThe recipient needed to put the car to the greatest use,\u201d said Bailey. \u201cWe made sure the recipient could pay to operate the car and improve their life.\u201d<\/p>\n Dane Bailey said they knew that lack of transportation options forced people into unemployment.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not just the cars given to people in need, it\u2019s also the way they\u2019ve built a community around what they are doing.\u201d \u2013 John Fletcher, nominator.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe frequently hear about people losing potential jobs because they don\u2019t have the transportation to get to and from work,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Martinez said she felt that way. She would either have to walk the five miles or take a ride-share service to work daily.\u00a0<\/p>\n She mentioned the dilemma to her bosses at Serving Our Seniors, and someone mentioned the situation to Jason Ridley, the organization\u2019s board chairman and a friend of the Baileys. He knew about the Autos of Love program and submitted Martinez\u2019s name as a potential recipient.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cathy Bailey noted that lack of transportation is a particular problem in the Mid-Cities, where Martinez and Serving Our Seniors are based.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWithout wheels, your options are limited,\u201d she said. \u201cWith them, it can open the world to you. There\u2019s 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,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n 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\u2019 dog, Sophie.\u00a0<\/p>\n The overall cost for the first vehicle\u2019s refurbishment was over $3,000.\u00a0<\/p>\n But the Baileys considered the amount to be well worth it, said Cathy Bailey.<\/p>\n \u201cWe invited the recipient in under the pretense that we were interviewing her in person for her application,\u201d she said \u201cShe was shocked to learn that she would be driving home in the new-to-her Lexus.\u201d<\/p>\n Autos of Love\u00a0<\/p>\n Anyone interested in donating a car to a deserving recipient or helping to underwrite the costs of the refurbishment can visit autosoflove.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Following that initial vehicle presentation, others \u2014 including community leaders and the auto shop\u2019s vendors \u2014 took notice.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The most expensive replacement part was a new engine for a 2013 Toyota Prius. A supplier agreed to sell the engine at cost.\u00a0<\/p>\n The community connections are helping lead Autos of Love to expand its reach.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s got some real momentum now,\u201d said Cathy Bailey.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve had great donors, but until we get that nonprofit status, it has just been a donation,\u201d said Bailey. \u201cWe believe with nonprofit status we will be open to a broader range of donors.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI was bawling my eyes out,\u201d Martinez recalls. \u201cI still might, just thinking about it.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Martinez named her car Rizzo after Stockard Channing\u2019s blustery but tender character in the 1978 film \u201cGrease.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cShe was someone who stood up for herself, no matter the challenges,\u201d said Martinez. \u201cThat\u2019s how Rizzo, the car, makes me feel.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Bob Francis is business editor at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nhave a valid Texas driver\u2019s license
\nnot currently own a reliable vehicle
\nbe able to pay for auto insurance<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SophieAutoLove.jpg\")
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)<\/p>\n