For many people, hopping behind the wheel is something they don’t think twice about. A car gets them where they need to go: work, school, the grocery store or home again at the end of a long day. For families facing financial hardship or major life challenges, reliable transportation can be the very thing standing between stability and uncertainty.
That reality drives the mission of Wheels Transportation Inc.
Volunteers spend days, evenings and weekends transforming donated vehicles into something far greater than transportation. They’re helping restore dignity and independence for individuals and families in Greater Cincinnati, including many in Warren County.
The ministry began more than two decades ago with a simple act of kindness. In 2001, founder Al Duebber helped the widow of a Vietnam veteran by restoring and gifting her a minivan on Christmas Eve. The impact was so powerful that the professional mechanics at Duebbers Automotive Service Center decided to make it an annual tradition. The ministry was eventually moved to local churches before becoming an independent nonprofit and relocating to Cleves in October 2018.
Since that first Christmas Eve gift, Wheels has donated 1,874 vehicles to individuals and families facing transportation crises.
“We are trying to bring light to the darkness that these folks live in every day,” explains Dave “Tex” Cho, Executive Director of Wheels Transportation.
Today, the organization partners with churches, nonprofits and workforce programs that carefully identify qualified recipients. Volunteers then repair donated cars, often completing everything from oil changes to transmission replacements before the keys are handed over.
For Dave, the need is impossible to ignore. “Imagine suddenly losing access to your car,” he reflects. “Think of all the things in your daily life that depend on reliable transportation.”
Everyday tasks are overwhelming without a vehicle. Getting to work requires multiple bus transfers. Grocery shopping is complicated. Medical appointments are missed. For families, especially single-parent households, transporting children to school or activities is a struggle.
Having transportation doesn’t just help someone travel farther. It helps them move forward. That mission is what drew Mason resident Jeff LaPrete to volunteer with Wheels nearly three years ago.
“Mark 10:45 says Jesus came to serve, not be served,” Jeff shares. “It’s my job and desire to serve. If not me, then who?”
Alongside more than 40 active volunteers, Jeff contributes practical skills wherever they’re needed. People without automotive experience can provide administrative and cleaning help, cook meals for volunteers or organize donations. Anyone can give back by donating a car, providing financial assistance or sharing their talents.
That spirit of service has helped Wheels steadily expand. Since becoming an independent nonprofit in 2019, the organization has averaged more than 120 vehicle donations annually, all powered by volunteers.
The impact of Wheels is measured in far more than numbers. Dave recalls a recipient who was pregnant and struggling with addiction. She had lost both her medical license and stability in life. After receiving a vehicle from a Wheels partner organization, she began rebuilding. Today, she has regained her credentials, started a family and works helping juveniles in the justice system.
At Wheels, each restored vehicle represents a community member willing to donate a car, time or resources to help someone else move forward. WheelsCinci.org
“Imagine suddenly losing access to your car. Think of all the things in your daily life that depend on reliable transportation.” -Dave "Tex" Cho, Executive Director Wheels Transportation