HASLETT, Mich. (WLNS) — After a devastating loss, helping others is how one family works to transform their pain into purpose.

They are honoring their late son by giving back in a way they say he would approve of.

“As a parent, you always want to give something to your kids on their birthday. So now this is, as a mom, it’s my way and my husband’s way of giving something to Danny. Which is a vehicle to a deserving family,” said Dorrie Bath, the mother of Danny Bath and the founder of Danny Bath Legacy Awards.

In 2021, 19-year-old Danny Bath was just weeks away from becoming an EMT when his life was cut short. He hit a spot of black ice and lost control of his car before it crashed.

To honor his life, Danny’s family started a nonprofit called What Would Danny Do? They say its purpose is to continue helping people like he did.

“He was always fixing people’s cars and, you know, he was just there to help people,” said Dorrie Bath, mother of Danny Bath and founder of Danny Bath Legacy Awards.

Dorrie says her son loved cars, and that’s how “Kick off Kindness” came to be.

“He had an old van that he drove in the winter and it was parked in our yard for a year and a half, and I thought, ‘What am I going to do with this van?'” Dorrie said. “And so I got a very strong message from Danny. He said, ‘Donate it to a family.'”

So that’s what Dorrie set out to do. With the help of A & D Auto Repair, they were able to give Danny’s car to a family.

Now, it’s an annual event that will take places on Danny’s birthday–October 12.

“To support Dorrie and her family, and Dave, their family and their foundation, that meant the world to us,” said Roy Niemi, COO of A&D Auto Repair.

The folks at A&D Auto Repair say they know the organization’s namesake personally.

“We knew Danny,” said Eric Goodnoe, CEO of A&D. “He would stop in occasionally, just, cars were here and he would talk about them. I even caught him in the shop one day, asking for advice from a technician.”

If you or someone you know is in need of a vehicle, you can find more information about nominations for Kick off Kindness here or on the Seen on 6 section of WLNS.com. The last day to nominate someone is September 24.