Sparrow Clubs USA, a local charity founded in 1995 believes "Kids will do heroic things when they have heroic things to do." The Sparrow Clubs program empowers today's youth by helping kids help kids in medical crisis through sponsored community service. We are literally changing youth culture from the inside out by providing students real-world opportunities to experience for themselves the power of compassion and service to others. Kids gain purpose and the chance to truly make a difference in the lives of others.  Even in the midst of a global pandemic, the Sparrow Clubs program has maintained its life-changi_ng presence within schools and the lives of students. This year sixteen Portland area schools have launched Sparrow projects this year, including the La Salle Preparatory College which launched its second project on March 3. Coming up in April Sparrow Clubs USA will be hosting the organization's first-ever "Wings of Hope" Virtual Auction, scheduled for April 23 - 27. Proceeds from this auction will benefit the work of Sparrow Clubs USA throughout Oregon and will be especially helpful during the ongoing challenges of the pandemic. For this event Sparrow Clubs USA is looking for item donations to support this auction. If you and/ or your business have items of value to donate, please email Sparrow Clubs Portland Program Director, Laura Queen, at lqueen@sparrowclubs.org. Thank you! (Written April 2021- Parish Neighbors of Cedar Mill)

Community is an important part of Macley Auto Group. We believe in giving back to the community that we grew up in, have lived in and raised our family in. To achieve this, we partner with local schools and youth organizations to help them reach their goals. One partner close to our heart is Sparrow Clubs.  Sparrow Clubs is a national organization with a huge local impact, that grows every year. The program works by partnering a local school with a family who has a child with a great medical need. The selected school community then goes to work by organizing community service projects in order to raise money for the child and family in need. Project sponsors contribute to the fund-raising efforts and the school.  According to Sparrow Clubs USA, the Sparrow Clubs program teaches life lessons in compassion and selflessness through building relationships between a Sparrow family, a school student body and the community. Watching the impact that this has on not only the family that is being helped but also on the kids that are helping is amazing. I have had the honor watching two of my kids be a part of this amazing experience, and it made such an impact on my husband and myself that we asked to partner with them when we opened Macley Auto Group.  Our partnership with Sparrow Clubs is different than many businesses. We didn't want to just help one school and one family, but instead we wanted to help as many as possible. Our hope was that our impact could reach many and hopefully help Sparrow Clubs to grow throughout the area by bringing on more schools and more families. Our partnership donates 10% of the profit from a purchase, and $50 from each consigned to car to the school/family of purchaser's choice. At this time, we have opened it up to all schools within the Portland Metro Area and hope to expand that as we grow.  If you are interested in getting your school involved, are interested in sponsoring, or have a child to recommend for the program please contact Laura Queen, Portland Program Director at LQueen@sparrowclubs.org. ( Written February 2020- Parish Neighbors of Cedar Mill Magazine)

Many people know that buying a used car can be a smart financial decision; yet, the idea of purchasing or selling a used vehicle can be daunting. The realityis these transactions can be both simple and financially prudent. Here are a few tips to make the most of your next used car buying experience.  Once you have determined your budget, and size and type of vehicle you're pursuing, your next big decision is whether to involve a broker or dealership in the process. Finding a reputable dealer takes research; but I promise they are out there. Start by asking friends and family for recommendations and go online to look up their reviews. I have found that Google and Facebook are the best avenues to see all reviews. Be sure to look at the good, the bad and the ugly. If there are multiple bad reviews, check to see if there are several positive reviews within a week of the bad review. If there are, be cautious. Many companies hire outside firms to keep their online presence positive. Look for consistency and details; this is usually a sign that the reviews are real. Finally, call the broker or dealership, ask questions, and build your own opinion. Once you identify a dealer that you like, talk through your needs list with them. Ask for their recommendations and do some test drives. You may be surprised that their suggestions could lead you to an even better vehicle than you anticipated. If they don't have exactly what you are looking for, ask them if they could find it for you. Explain your time frame, budget, and expectations while understanding theirs, as well. A good dealer will not bother you unnecessarily; but, will check in to let you know the progress and next steps.  Once you pick the car, ask for an inspection from an outside shop, for any recon that has been done, and a vehicle history report (NMVTIS, AutoCheck, etc.). This will give you a good idea of whether to expect additional expenses. A reputable dealer will have the vehicle inspected and do any recon related to the mechanics and safety of the vehicle. Remember, the cheapest car may not be the best option: condition is the key. A reputable dealer may charge a little more, but there is peace of mind knowing you are getting a quality vehicle. Be aware that all used car sales in Oregon are AS IS; so, find out as much as you can before the sale.  Now, it's time to make your purchase. Know your options when it comes to financing, cash payments, service contracts, and trade. If you have a good relationship with your bank or credit union, a preapproval may secure a good rate. First­time buyers may qualify for financing programs. As far as warranties and service plans go, it all depends on the vehicle. It's good to know the recommended maintenance for your new vehicle so you can weigh any long term maintenance options. When deciding whether to trade, it is important to ask the dealer about the value of your trade. If you think the trade value is too low, you can consign your vehicle or arrange a private sale. If your dealer has a consignment program, you may leave the car with them and the will sell it for you. 1 n most cases YOU will get around private party value with this option. Many satisfied car owners have found that when buying from a reputable dealer, they discovered a great car, perfect for their needs that will last them for years to come. (Written December 2019- Parish Neighbors of Cedar Mill Magazine)

I hear regularly, "What's up with used car prices?" Followed  quickly by, "This has got to end soon, right?" It may seem like a simple problem, no computer chips for new vehicles, with a simple answer, make more! Unfortunately, it is not that simple and the fall out from what we are seeing right now could take a few years to sort itself out. Here is why ...  New cars have typically been produced on a regular schedule. Dealerships and manufacturers knew what inventory was needed and when based on past numbers. This allowed them to satisfy demand and maintain a steady supply. When production was halted last year, this disrupted the supply chain in multiple ways. Dealerships were no longer receiving their regular deliveries of new cars and chip manufacturers shifted their focus to fulfilling orders for those in other industries. When things began to open back up and vehicles were in demand it was quickly discovered that getting back to business as usual was going to be difficult. First chip manufacturers are mostly outside the United States and many factories have shut down and some are still shut down. Chips for new vehicles are not available for the vehicles being built. This is causing a shutdown of manufacturing plants across the U.S. for new vehicles because there is no place to store them while they wait on chips. Even when these plants are open many are at reduced capacity due to Covid restrictions. With new vehicle supply not meeting the demand, used vehicles are filling the gap. For probably the first time in history used vehicles are appreciating! ln talking with dealers and GMs throughout the nation this shortage of new vehicles is expected to last another 6-12 months, and even then, it will take additional time for the market to recover. This price increase is hitting dealers and consumers alike. Unfortunately, there are only so many used vehicles out there and the number decreases by the day due to accidents and other incidents that damage vehicles beyond repair. This is a situation that manufacturers and dealers are working hard to resolve, but it will take time.  In the meantime, if you are in the market for a vehicle look for a dealer that you can trust. Ask for recommendations from friends or family and do your research. A used vehicle is just that used, but you want to know that the car you are getting is mechanically sound and that it has a clean title. It is important to understand the pricing of the vehicle you are looking at. You may be looking at two very similar vehicles with different prices, know why they are different. One may have been fully reconditioned, while the other may not. Knowing that you won't have large maintenance costs soon may be worth the extra money be asked. Understand that on line valuation tools such as KBB and Carfax are good tools to help you educate yourself about a potential vehicle, but they should only be seen as resources. There are many things that they don't consider that can affect the vehicle's value both for the positive or negative. Ask a dealer for a NMVTIS report. This is vehicle history report that insurance companies, auctions, and DMVs across the country report to. This will be the most accurate report about the title status and history of the vehicle. (It doesn't show maintenance history.)  On the plus side if you have an extra vehicle this is a great time to sell it. If you don't want to meet with people, consider consignment with a reputable dealer. It is a simple process and will make you the same or more as if you sold it yourself.  (Written October 2021- Parish Neighbors of Cedar Mill Magazine)

Being a small business owner in the midst of Covid-19 has been one of the hardest things to go through, yet one of the biggest faith builders. Every small business owner will have their own story coming out of  2020. There will be stories of heartache, closures and disaster while others will experience growth and expansion that they didn't think possible and then there's so many stories in the middle. Being a part of many small business networks, I hear these stories every day. I feel for them, because I am one of them.  First a little history about Macley Auto Group. When my husband, brother, sister-in-law and I started Macley Auto Group in 2018 we knew it wouldn't be easy because building trust as a new dealership takes time. In our first two years our country faced "out of the ordinary" hard times. There were contentious elections, government shut downs, and just a lot of general unrest in our state and nation. We kept pushing through knowing we just needed to get our name out there and prove we were different. When we hit our two-year mark in March of 2020 it was like a switch flipped. We were suddenly getting lots of leads, people knew who we were, for about two weeks things were exciting ... then Covid-19 hit.  Covid-19 hit the auto industry harder than most realize. Yes, auto sales are considered an essential business. We could technically be open to serve the public. However, so much of what we need to conduct business was closed; DEQ was closed, most DMV offices were closed, and most of our supply chain was shut down. So, doing business was difficult to say the least and it sti II is. Here is a snapshot of what is happening now.  The auto industry will take time to recover. As many know the US auto manufacturers shut down auto manufacturing to make ventilators while imports were and are taking more time to enter the country. This has caused a shortage in new vehicles, which means less trade-in's, meaning less used cars at auction and in the wholesale market, causing shortages across the board. Pricing in the wholesale market has skyrocketed and that gets passed to the consumer. This shortage will be around for a good six months to a year at least. Dealers like us don't want to pass those higher prices onto our customers, so we are looking at other ways to buy our autos to keep our prices down while keeping quality up.  We have people contact us regularly to find them a specific auto, we in turn look through all avenues to source that auto at the best price and quality for them: auction, wholesale, and private party. We have found that buying from private parties is providing us with higher quality vehicles. We are now expanding this buying program. This, along with our consignment program offers our customers an easy way to sell their vehicles without having to waste their time or meet up with strangers. At Macley Auto Group we know that 2020 and all that it has to offer is only one year (though it may feel like many rolled into one). All the good and the bad will come to pass and what we are left with is how we weathered it, what we learned, and how we grew. Our hope and prayer are that when we make it through, we learned a lot about community, the people we serve, and that we grew in ways that made us stronger. Stay safe, stay healthy and if we can help you in any of your auto buying, selling or consigning needs give us a call at 503-430-1762 or visit our website at www.macleyauto.com. (Written August 2020- Parish Neighbors of Cedar Mill Magazine)