Cash for Cars

Hurricane Katrina Car Donation | Willow Glen Resident article

2010-12-07

When Hurricane Katrina swept into the Gulf of Mexico and left a wake of devastation along the coast, it was difficult for most Californians to comprehend the depth of the disaster. For one San Jose family, however, the reality of Katrina spilled right into their daily life. The Simmons have 50 family members, spanning three generations, who were forced to leave their homes in Louisiana during the disaster. The hurricane left their four homes underwater. Everything was lost, family members say. Rose Garden resident Rich Amooi is a friend of the Simmons who wanted to help. Amooi made a phone call to his friend Greg Tomassian. Tomassian, a longtime Willow Glen resident and owner of Cash for Cars, 1800 W. San Carlos St., says he shed a few tears for the Simmons family. "Rich called me and said he wanted to purchase a trade-in for a family we knew who lost everything to Katrina," he says. "But I wanted to get involved and have a direct connection with this disaster and saw this as a great opportunity." Like Amooi, Tomassian asked Simmons what his family would be using the car for and found out that it would be used by Ameerah Simmons to go to work or school and that she had two young boys. "So I thought they were going to need a larger sedan," Tomassian says. He donated a 1997 Ford Taurus to the family. "It felt really good and I know it went to the right people, to the right cause," he says. "With what this family went through, it's not only my pleasure but my obligation." "I was so surprised with the car," Ameerah Simmons says. "My car is somewhere in Gentilly floating." Read the full article on Willow Glen Resident here: Hurricane Katrina Car Donation | Willow Glen Resident