A-1 Auto Repair owners Josh and Megan Bernt (right) stand next to winner Darci Barnes and her daughters Ivy and Anna Tullis (left).
ARNOLD – Car keys exchanged hands in Arnold on Monday morning as Josh and Megan Bernt of A-1 Auto Repair gave away a 2013 Dodge Dart to Darci Barnes, the result of a vehicle giveaway promotion that began in October.
Josh told KCNI/KBBN that the idea for the giveaway just came to him.
“We’ve got this 2013 Dodge Dart, it’s a car that we’ve had just sitting around for a while and we weren’t really sure what to with it,” said Josh, “One morning I just kind of woke up and it just came to me as something that just seemed like a good thing to do.”
After extensive front suspension work and a new engine install, the Dart was ready to be given away.
Both Josh and Megan said they pursued the idea because they wanted to give back to the community for being so supportive of them. The two said that several nominations came in between October and December, each giving reasons why the person in mind could use the vehicle. A third party board chose the winner of the contest, who needed to live within 35 miles of Arnold.
“Well, I missed the call, and so I the voicemail and so I just kept playing it over and over and it’s like ‘I don’t think I heard this right!’. I kept going back and back, and I finally called him back. I just, I cried a lot. I couldn’t really come up with what to say,” said Barnes.
