History
In 2015, Second Chance Cars’ founding director, Dan Holin, was searching for a new opportunity that would fuse his love for helping others, cars, and entrepreneurship. He discovered Vehicles for Change (VFC)—a Maryland-based nonprofit that awards cars and offers vocational training in car repair to individuals reentering society from incarceration. Intrigued by VFC’s unique model and meaningful impact, Dan reached out to CEO Marty Schwartz to learn more. He soon realized that, although similar organizations existed elsewhere, there was nothing like it in Massachusetts. That insight ignited the spark that would eventually become Second Chance Cars.
during a car award at Essex Technical High School
Recognizing that Massachusetts offered no program similar to VFC’s, Dan proposed the idea of a car award program to UTEC, Inc., an agency that provides job training for formerly gang-involved and incarcerated youth. After witnessing the transformative economic impact of awarding the right car to the right person at the right time, Dan launched Second Chance Cars in 2018.
Second Chance Cars’ initial focus on supporting returning citizens (formerly incarcerated individuals) grew from Dan’s experiences at UTEC. The drive to include low-income veterans was inspired by a passionate U.S. Navy veteran on the Second Chance Cars board and by Dan’s service in the Israeli Defense Forces.
Today, Second Chance Cars partners with generous car donors and a network of nonprofit, corporate, and pro bono partners to award cars to hardworking veterans, returning citizens, and single parents, empowering them with reliable transportation to build brighter futures.