JumpStart History
In loving memory of my wife Kimberly Alison Ferland
July 3rd, 1970 - June 17th, 2022
Hello, My name is Chris Ferland. My late wife Kimberly & I started developing our JumpStart initiative about a year before we even opened and took her several years to come up with the ways to help. Together we have made it what it is today, a part of our social business designed to give a hand up instead of a hand out. Sadly, Kimberly passed away June 17th, 2022 from her long battle with cancer and there are some really big shoes to fill as her husband. So what kimberly and I came up with shortly before she passed was JumpStart 2.0. We have created a small board that oversees how things are done and Jesse my shop manager and I will do our very best to carry on what my amazing wife Kimberly started and put so much work into.
Chris Ferland - Owner /Good News Auto
My family has been in the auto repair business for over 50 YEARS so it was a natural choice for me. The only problem was that I spent most of my life as a drug addict/alcoholic and ended up in Vancouver's Main and Hastings. Two people stood by me and believed in me, Kimberly and my mom. Well, I have been clean and sober for 25 years now and I finally am fitting into the legacy of my father and grandfather of running an auto repair shop. We have a great team here at Good News Auto and I couldn't do it without them.
My family has been in the auto repair business for over 50 YEARS so it was a natural choice for me. The only problem was that I spent most of my life as a drug addict/alcoholic and ended up in Vancouver's Main and Hastings. Two people stood by me and believed in me, Kimberly and my mom. Well, I have been clean and sober for 25 years now and I finally am fitting into the legacy of my father and grandfather of running an auto repair shop. We have a great team here at Good News Auto and I couldn't do it without them.
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HOW WE DO IT
Good News is the only shop in Edmonton that uses it's profits to help educate people about their vehicles. When you bring your vehicle to Good News Auto you are helping us help educate so many people with our workshops and clinics.
We are so excited to tell you about Good News Auto Repair, we are a clean, affordable and reliable mechanic shop with a twist, one that takes its profits to help subsidize repairs for those who for whatever reason could not afford to repair their vehicle on their own.
About 20 years ago a ministry called Car Care was started at Sherwood Park Alliance Church. The dilemma people were facing was how to keep their cars safe and on the road when they couldn't afford it on their own. The solution was to partner with a local mechanic and organize volunteers to do basic safety repairs on vehicles. Car Care also repaired and gave away donated vehicles to replace unsafe vehicles removed from the road. Car Care offered a solution to a problem many people face who are on limited incomes or in difficult circumstances: How do I keep my car on the road even though I can’t afford it on my own? Car Care volunteers and Church attendees willingly shared their time, previously owned cars and monetary resources to solve that problem.
2012 - In response to overwhelming demand Good News Auto was created. There were three key reasons for beginning a retail shop:
- to build a mechanic shop that would be accessible throughout the year and would generate funds
- full time qualified mechanics available to repair vehicles for our community
Car Care workshops offer community members the opportunity to learn about their vehicle. Participants can learn online through Good News Auto. A customer who understands their vehicle will save money on vehicle repairs and be safer on the road.
The JumpStart Fund offers financial assistance to people in our community for safety repairs. Our goal is to support those who aren't able to access financial assistance through other programs. The "working poor" make too much to qualify for government supports but not enough to save up for a large repair. This is where our JumpStart Fund can step in to help pay a portion of a safety repair. This helps people keep going to work and not have to make a decision between rent and vehicle repairs.
2019 - As we met people in our community we realized there are many more needs than financial. We decided to build a coffee shop to help spread the word about our JumpStart Fund as well as create a way to offer more assistance in our community. Many of the customers we met through JumpStart had lived through life altering situations like domestic violence, addictions, job loss, major illness and relationship changes. Journey Cafe was started as a place to help with rebuilding after these different traumas. A safe and supportive community is imperative in rebuilding a life and that is what we built Journey Cafe to offer. Volunteer, event hosting, incubating a business, meetings, learning about new resources and meeting new friends are all happening at Journey Cafe.
About 20 years ago a ministry called Car Care was started at Sherwood Park Alliance Church. The dilemma people were facing was how to keep their cars safe and on the road when they couldn't afford it on their own. The solution was to partner with a local mechanic and organize volunteers to do basic safety repairs on vehicles. Car Care also repaired and gave away donated vehicles to replace unsafe vehicles removed from the road. Car Care offered a solution to a problem many people face who are on limited incomes or in difficult circumstances: How do I keep my car on the road even though I can’t afford it on my own? Car Care volunteers and Church attendees willingly shared their time, previously owned cars and monetary resources to solve that problem.
2012 - In response to overwhelming demand Good News Auto was created. There were three key reasons for beginning a retail shop:
- to build a mechanic shop that would be accessible throughout the year and would generate funds
- full time qualified mechanics available to repair vehicles for our community
Car Care workshops offer community members the opportunity to learn about their vehicle. Participants can learn online through Good News Auto. A customer who understands their vehicle will save money on vehicle repairs and be safer on the road.
The JumpStart Fund offers financial assistance to people in our community for safety repairs. Our goal is to support those who aren't able to access financial assistance through other programs. The "working poor" make too much to qualify for government supports but not enough to save up for a large repair. This is where our JumpStart Fund can step in to help pay a portion of a safety repair. This helps people keep going to work and not have to make a decision between rent and vehicle repairs.
2019 - As we met people in our community we realized there are many more needs than financial. We decided to build a coffee shop to help spread the word about our JumpStart Fund as well as create a way to offer more assistance in our community. Many of the customers we met through JumpStart had lived through life altering situations like domestic violence, addictions, job loss, major illness and relationship changes. Journey Cafe was started as a place to help with rebuilding after these different traumas. A safe and supportive community is imperative in rebuilding a life and that is what we built Journey Cafe to offer. Volunteer, event hosting, incubating a business, meetings, learning about new resources and meeting new friends are all happening at Journey Cafe.
