The Good Life – September-October 2019

“It was a difficult leap,” Carlson said, “but it was a good
time for me to move on, and things fell into place. I felt
like I was called to do this. We really felt like God led us.”
Carlson and Jensen first ran the ministry on a private
property out of town, but the limitations and location
made it difficult. Their shop, while sizable for a residence,
wasn’t large enough to service and store many vehicles.
They also lacked a fenced-in space that could house
donated cars. Despite these frustrations, they still knew
this was what they were supposed to do.
— the perfect spot to start their next idea — an auto care
shop to support the ministry.
“We came up with the idea of just creating the shop and
have it pay for the heat, electricity and the rent. We were
able to get this big building that has enough room for
everyone to work, and by having a regular automotive
shop, we were able to get insurance,” Carlson said. “The
more we can grow the auto shop, the more we can grow
the ministry because all the equipment is used for both.”
“We found out that if you give away your services,
it’s going to grow quickly,” Carlson said. “We started
by working with the YWCA, and then we went to the
Rape and Abuse Crisis Center. Lots of people have
transportation issues, but if you’re a single mom with five
kids, transporting is really difficult, so we thought we’d
focus on that area. Then we went to the homeless shelters
and 40 other organizations in the F-M community.”
As Fix It Forward swiftly grew, they acquired their 501(c)
(3) as a nonprofit and began giving away donated cars
they repaired. Soon a shop with 6,000 square feet,
private offices and a fenced-in area went on the market
urbantoadmedia.com / THE GOOD LIFE / 19