Lockett’s big heart leads to a rejuvenated set of wheels
How often do you see someone who didn’t win a raffle be thrilled?
For Robyn Lockett of Wooster, her giving heart turned her story of being an also-ran in the Win a Car for Christmas campaign, that took place this past Christmas season, into a story of joy and thanksgiving.
In fact, this story is about giving in so many ways.
Lockett eventually lost out on the new car to Trina Miller of Killbuck, but the committee that chooses the winner was so touched by her story that a large group of local businesses went above and beyond in order to help Lockett find some wheels after all.
“This is the fourth time we have done the car giveaway, and you always wish you could do something for everyone,” said Win a Car for Christmas member Barry Nicholson. “It’s just not possible. But as you listen to their stories, you pick up on certain details. Robyn told us about this car she had purchased, but the engine had blown on it so it was sitting for three years, and she couldn’t afford to get it fixed.”
So Nicholson, who operates a dealership in New Philadelphia, teamed up with Mike Davis of Adventure Harley-Davidson of Dover, and had two local towing companies, Greg’s Towing and Chad’s Towing, bring the car in from Wooster. Nicholson’s service crew got the car up and began giving it a complete overhaul, which included a used engine they had located. They fixed the brakes, did a full detail on the inside of the automobile, and the car started to spring to life.
One thing it still needed, however, was a set of new tires, and that’s when Brad Schmucker of Millersburg Tire Service joined the fun.
“It was about as simple as looking at Brad and saying, ‘I need help,’” said Nicholson of Schmucker. “He said no problem. They have always been there for us before, and this was no different. They got involved.”
Four new tires later, the car was ready to roll — literally.
“We’re coming up on 59 years at Millersburg Tire, and giving like this is something that my Dad and Uncle Art began six decades ago,” said Schmucker. “We’re just continuing the tradition they began.
“We have been blessed with great community support, and so we just try to give back a little bit of what the Lord has blessed us with. Just like Barry and so many businesses locally, we are blessed that we are able to do things like this when they come along.”
For Lockett, who was one of the 10 finalists in the Win a Car for Christmas campaign this past December, what has been done for her has been as amazing as it would have been to actually win the new car.
“I am overjoyed,” said Lockett. “When I left after the interview, I felt so good. I got in the car, and thought, even if I don’t win the car, I have met some great people, and I feel blessed. I turned it over to the Lord, and said if it was meant for me to have, it would turn out. If not, I had faith that something would come along.”
Faith is a big part of Lockett’s life, and that rotting Mazda was part of that faith. Lockett said that people were continually asking her when she was going to rid herself of the beast, and she kept saying that something special was going to come along.
What came along was what Lockett said was an opportunity of a lifetime, and now she feels good not just about receiving the royal treatment from some caring folks, but she rejoices in the fact that the original win a car automobile has found a home with another caring person.
“Who gets chances like this,” said Lockett, who credited her father, Roy Lockett, a long-time football coach at The College of Wooster, with instilling the need to give to others in her life. In an odd twist of fate, her dad passed away the same day her car stopped running.
Lee Ann Miller, who heads up the car giveaway each year, said that Lockett’s story, and how she has dedicated herself and her life to give back to others regardless of what may come her way, was a large part of why the car giveaway committee members were so bent on finding a way to help Lockett, who works for Beacon House, a drug and alcohol treatment center for STEPS. Before that, she volunteered and worked at Every Woman’s House, so giving to others on a daily basis is a big part of her life.
“I love helping people. That’s the way dad always preached,” said Lockett with a loud laugh. “I have never done it to get anything back in return, other than seeing other people’s lives being better. I am so thankful for all that these people have done for me, because they didn’t have to do it. Even though we have only had minimal contact, I feel like I have a family now with all of these people.”
Lockett said she trusted that God would give her what she needed to get to and from her work, so that she could continue to make a positive impact in the people’s lives with whom she works.
“I’m a work in progress,” Lockett said, her laughter resounding throughout Nicholson’s Auto SuperStore. “I said OK Lord, I am going to trust you. Sometimes it’s hard to give up control, but I have been blessed in so many ways.”
And so, Lockett now said that through her good fortune and faith, she will approach life in a manner that will help others, as she prepares to pay this act of great giving forward “50 fold.”
That kind of outlook is what drew the committee to Lockett’s story. It was her ever-present zeal for life and for helping others that made them want to go above and beyond the initial car giveaway.
“You get into something like this wanting to help someone in need, and you never realize how much it is going to bless your own life when you meet these wonderful people,” said Miller, tearing up. “Seeing Robyn walking to work, hearing her story, and seeing the example she is setting for all of us to follow, that speaks to my life.”
Committee member Matt Beres, the children’s ministry director at NewPointe Church, also served on the committee, and he said that Lockett’s story was particularly engrossing because of her uncanny willingness to give so unselfishly.
“The gift of a car is a gift to her, but it is also a gift to all of the people that she will be helping along the way,” said Beres. “Everything that has been given to her by others will be multiplied through how she will in turn touch the lives of many others. Robyn is one of those people who will help others whether she has a car or not.”
This is a story about how those who give unconditionally, oftentimes eventually receive.
If your story sounds a lot like Robyn’s, keep an eye out for this giveaway program next Christmas season.
For Robyn Lockett of Wooster, her giving heart turned her story of being an also-ran in the Win a Car for Christmas campaign, that took place this past Christmas season, into a story of joy and thanksgiving.
In fact, this story is about giving in so many ways.
Lockett eventually lost out on the new car to Trina Miller of Killbuck, but the committee that chooses the winner was so touched by her story that a large group of local businesses went above and beyond in order to help Lockett find some wheels after all.
“This is the fourth time we have done the car giveaway, and you always wish you could do something for everyone,” said Win a Car for Christmas member Barry Nicholson. “It’s just not possible. But as you listen to their stories, you pick up on certain details. Robyn told us about this car she had purchased, but the engine had blown on it so it was sitting for three years, and she couldn’t afford to get it fixed.”
So Nicholson, who operates a dealership in New Philadelphia, teamed up with Mike Davis of Adventure Harley-Davidson of Dover, and had two local towing companies, Greg’s Towing and Chad’s Towing, bring the car in from Wooster. Nicholson’s service crew got the car up and began giving it a complete overhaul, which included a used engine they had located. They fixed the brakes, did a full detail on the inside of the automobile, and the car started to spring to life.
One thing it still needed, however, was a set of new tires, and that’s when Brad Schmucker of Millersburg Tire Service joined the fun.
“It was about as simple as looking at Brad and saying, ‘I need help,’” said Nicholson of Schmucker. “He said no problem. They have always been there for us before, and this was no different. They got involved.”
Four new tires later, the car was ready to roll — literally.
“We’re coming up on 59 years at Millersburg Tire, and giving like this is something that my Dad and Uncle Art began six decades ago,” said Schmucker. “We’re just continuing the tradition they began.
“We have been blessed with great community support, and so we just try to give back a little bit of what the Lord has blessed us with. Just like Barry and so many businesses locally, we are blessed that we are able to do things like this when they come along.”
For Lockett, who was one of the 10 finalists in the Win a Car for Christmas campaign this past December, what has been done for her has been as amazing as it would have been to actually win the new car.
“I am overjoyed,” said Lockett. “When I left after the interview, I felt so good. I got in the car, and thought, even if I don’t win the car, I have met some great people, and I feel blessed. I turned it over to the Lord, and said if it was meant for me to have, it would turn out. If not, I had faith that something would come along.”
Faith is a big part of Lockett’s life, and that rotting Mazda was part of that faith. Lockett said that people were continually asking her when she was going to rid herself of the beast, and she kept saying that something special was going to come along.
What came along was what Lockett said was an opportunity of a lifetime, and now she feels good not just about receiving the royal treatment from some caring folks, but she rejoices in the fact that the original win a car automobile has found a home with another caring person.
“Who gets chances like this,” said Lockett, who credited her father, Roy Lockett, a long-time football coach at The College of Wooster, with instilling the need to give to others in her life. In an odd twist of fate, her dad passed away the same day her car stopped running.
Lee Ann Miller, who heads up the car giveaway each year, said that Lockett’s story, and how she has dedicated herself and her life to give back to others regardless of what may come her way, was a large part of why the car giveaway committee members were so bent on finding a way to help Lockett, who works for Beacon House, a drug and alcohol treatment center for STEPS. Before that, she volunteered and worked at Every Woman’s House, so giving to others on a daily basis is a big part of her life.
“I love helping people. That’s the way dad always preached,” said Lockett with a loud laugh. “I have never done it to get anything back in return, other than seeing other people’s lives being better. I am so thankful for all that these people have done for me, because they didn’t have to do it. Even though we have only had minimal contact, I feel like I have a family now with all of these people.”
Lockett said she trusted that God would give her what she needed to get to and from her work, so that she could continue to make a positive impact in the people’s lives with whom she works.
“I’m a work in progress,” Lockett said, her laughter resounding throughout Nicholson’s Auto SuperStore. “I said OK Lord, I am going to trust you. Sometimes it’s hard to give up control, but I have been blessed in so many ways.”
And so, Lockett now said that through her good fortune and faith, she will approach life in a manner that will help others, as she prepares to pay this act of great giving forward “50 fold.”
That kind of outlook is what drew the committee to Lockett’s story. It was her ever-present zeal for life and for helping others that made them want to go above and beyond the initial car giveaway.
“You get into something like this wanting to help someone in need, and you never realize how much it is going to bless your own life when you meet these wonderful people,” said Miller, tearing up. “Seeing Robyn walking to work, hearing her story, and seeing the example she is setting for all of us to follow, that speaks to my life.”
Committee member Matt Beres, the children’s ministry director at NewPointe Church, also served on the committee, and he said that Lockett’s story was particularly engrossing because of her uncanny willingness to give so unselfishly.
“The gift of a car is a gift to her, but it is also a gift to all of the people that she will be helping along the way,” said Beres. “Everything that has been given to her by others will be multiplied through how she will in turn touch the lives of many others. Robyn is one of those people who will help others whether she has a car or not.”
This is a story about how those who give unconditionally, oftentimes eventually receive.
If your story sounds a lot like Robyn’s, keep an eye out for this giveaway program next Christmas season.
Published: January 25, 2012
