Strengthen the Mind
Just being a kid
13-17
A visit to Ellie's Garage: Virginia teen, father restore car
Photo and reporting by
Washington Times (and others)
Ellie, 15, spent months rebuilding a 1965 Ford Falcon with her dad Matt, working through everything from carburetor cleaning to engine work. She paid for the parts and the labor herself, and when it finally ran, it was hers to drive.
Somebody said yes
Matt and Robin didn't buy Ellie a car. They offered her a deal: they'd buy the Falcon, but she'd pay for every part and do the restoration herself, with her dad standing next to her instead of doing it for her.
Why we picked this one
Nobody called it a lesson. It was a trade: a rusted Falcon for months of Ellie's money and her hands, with her dad there to hand her tools, not take them from her.
Ellie's version started with a wrench, not an engine. The Drill is the same trade scaled down: hand over the real tool, make them measure twice, and let them build the thing themselves.
Read the full story at
Washington Times (and others)
Where it happened:
Spotsylvania, Virginia
Somewhere near you there's a car nobody's driven in years, sitting behind a garage or up on blocks in a field. What if the birthday present was the toolbox instead of the keys.