Summer Interns Volunteer at St. Vincent de Paul
DriveTime Interns Summer Class of 2018
Every summer, DriveTime Car Sales hires on a class of 20-30 wide-eyed interns to learn the ropes of the business world. The interns are mostly current college students or recent grads from all around the U.S. eager to discover the inner workings of a national company. While meetings and emails are important, two interns are quickly discovering that DriveTime cares just as much about their community as they do their car sales. After a volunteer day spent at St. Vincent de Paul, Abby and Drew talk about the impact the experience had on them and how they plan to continue serving their community.
Q: Why do you think DriveTime continues to volunteer at St. Vincent de Paul?
Drew: “I believe the reason DriveTime continues to work with St. Vincent de Paul is because of SVDP’s commitment to the community- in Phoenix and around the nation. St. Vincent de Paul is an honest and hardworking organization that truly cares about serving; whether it be cooking up thousands of meals for hungry families, or providing free dental and medical clinics for those who need it.”
Abby: “I feel like DriveTime chose St. Vincent de Paul as our volunteer day to show the interns the value of teamwork and the importance of having a positive impact in your community. It takes an army of volunteers to put on the events that happen at St. Vincent de Paul every day. DriveTime gave us the opportunity to be a part of that army. SVDP has the most loyal and giving volunteers I have ever seen. It was a privilege working alongside that loyalty first hand.”
Abby setting up a toy store event for kids who have earned store credit based on merit.
Q: What surprised you the most while you were there?
Abby: “I was surprised to witness how much time and energy volunteers take out of their daily lives to contribute towards giving back to their community. I truly believe that you have to be the change you wish to see in the world, and at St. Vincent de Paul, that change is happening every single day by people from all over the valley.”
Drew: “What surprised me the most about St. Vincent de Paul was the impact they have around in their community. As we walked through the massive facility and saw dozens of people preparing food boxes and hundreds of meals for the morning, I was amazed at how much people are willing to give to their neighbors in need. The visit brightened my week and gave me a more positive perception of how much people care about each other.
I often volunteer with my church and other organizations in my community, but I’ve never seen a charitable organization scaled so large. The fact that SVDP is funded 100% from donations was astounding to me.”
Drew (left) cutting potatoes for dinner service
Q: What was something you learned?
Abby: “Something I learned was that giving tangibly allows you to receive intangibly. By providing food and toys to those who don’t have any, I gained gratitude for the small things I have in my own life I oftentimes take for granted. When I gave physical gifts, I received the nonphysical gift of appreciation. It’s a win, win.”
Q: Do you have any takeaways?
Drew: “My main takeaway is the fact that there will always be more people who need help. If everyone gives a little, a little will eventually become a lot. Even the smallest donation can benefit someone. Because of this volunteer day, I am going to encourage my friends and family to give back to their communities.”
Abby: “If every person in the Phoenix area each did one small act of kindness every day, that’s over one million ways Phoenix becomes a better place to live! I cannot wait to volunteer again at St. Vincent de Paul and contribute toward my acts of kindness.”
DriveTime is transforming the buying and financing of a used vehicle. Headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, DriveTime is the nation’s second largest vehicle retailer focused solely on used vehicles. DriveTime operates over 140 dealerships nationwide with annual sales exceeding 150,000 used vehicles, 1.2 million+ monthly visitors to its website, drivetime.com, and over $2 billion in consumer credit requests each month.
DriveTime now provides used vehicles and used vehicle financing to the full range of customers in the market today, including competitively priced, lower mileage used cars. DriveTime offerings include used car features on its online inventory; speed of financing including a credit score and the starting down payment in less than two minutes; prices on every used vehicle online and at its dealerships; no haggle pricing; salaried associates trained to help our customers find the right used vehicle for them; and a five day, no questions asked used vehicle return program.
