The “New Old Car” project, part of the Young Car Mechanic competition whose grand final in 2025 was held in Croatia, has reached its final act. The vehicle that finalists from 13 countries restored during the competitive portion of the contest was awarded to the Krijesnica association, which supports children and families facing malignant illnesses.
September is a month for raising awareness about malignant diseases in children and adolescents. On the very last day of this “golden” month, the organizing team of the Young Car Mechanic competition in Croatia was very pleased to hand over the vehicle and keys to representatives of the Krijesnica association, Žana Salapić and Mirela Stanić Bogović.
The used vehicle was made safe and ready by the YCM finalists at the competition held in June in Zagreb. The humanitarian project “New Old Car” was organized for the first time in 2024 at the large YCM international final in Lithuania, and this year its implementation in Croatia was carried out as well.
The Krijesnica association has been active for 25 years, and its goal is to provide help and support to children and young people who face malignant diseases, as well as to their families. The founders, leaders, and collaborators of Krijesnica are parents, physicians, nurses, psychologists, psychiatrists, and other professionals who actively use their knowledge and experience to improve the quality of care for sick children.
Naturally, operating and supporting this association requires constant funding so that every child confronted with a malignant disease can have access to the best possible treatment along with all complementary activities. That is precisely why the donated vehicle will greatly help the Krijesnica association and all its beneficiaries in need.
“When a child needs to reach therapy, a parent to attend a support group, or to relocate closer to the hospital, every kilometer can seem endless. For many families under our care, traveling across Zagreb meant a lot of energy used for organization, even more for navigation and calculation—and above all, stress.
That is why we are especially happy to share this great news with you. Thanks to the partnership with Inter Cars d.d.o for trade and services, Krijesnica now has a car! What was once a burden now becomes relief and safety, knowing our support will arrive faster, more simply, and right on time. Our new team member also has a special story: it was prepared by young competitors in the Young Car Mechanic project.
That way, their knowledge and success have gained a new dimension and turned into support for families who need it most. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to Inter Cars for the sponsorship and all the young mechanics for their effort and enthusiasm. For our families, this car removes at least part of the burden from their shoulders and lets them focus their energy on what matters most—on their child’s path to recovery.”
— Mirela Stanić-Popović, Executive Director of the association
“With great pleasure we have handed over the car to the Krijesnica association so that we can, at least a little, ease the everyday life of children and families in need of support. It is especially an honor for us that through this competition and donation we have been able to connect education and the development of youth with providing support to the community, because we believe that such cooperation leads to creating a better future for all,” said Marko Lalić, coordinator of the YCM project in Croatia.