On Aug. 14, a deserving Central Florida man received a beautifully refurbished vehicle to enable him to get to work and care for his mother, made possible by the National Auto Body Council (NABC) Recycled Rides program, car donor GEICO, and repair partner Gerber Collision & Glass in Odessa, FL, which also hosted the presentation.
Justin Pisklo, who received a 2020 Kia Sportage LX, is a young man who has worked hard to improve his life. Pisklo separated himself from those he loved to escape the toxic cycle of addiction. He moved from kitchen help to kitchen lead while working at Jobs Partnership’s Lifeworks program. Pisklo has been limited in his travels because he could only travel by bicycle. In addition to his work, Pisklo wants to visit his ailing mother to help her restore her home. He has made every effort to be a positive member of society, and a vehicle will allow him to get to work and volunteer without added stress and will also allow him the opportunity to care for his mother.
Pisklo was nominated for the NABC Recycled Rides program by Jobs Partnership, an organization that assists the unemployed and underemployed, or those seeking a better life, breaking down roadblocks to employment through career coaching, skill development and training.
“Thank you to everyone who helped make this possible for me; I’m ecstatic, I’m grateful, and I fill blessed,” said Pisklo. “This is going to open so many doors for me in helping my mom and also bettering myself, bettering my future, and going back to school. I really appreciate everybody with GEICO, Enterprise and NABC. And thank you to the guys with Gerber Collision & Glass for the work on the car. I appreciate everybody very much.”
GEICO and Gerber Collision & Glass are both Level One partners of the NABC. GEICO has donated more than 1,000 vehicles to people and organizations through NABC Recycled Rides, making it the largest car donor partner of the program. Gerber Collision & Glass has refurbished many vehicles for recipients.
“Days like today demonstrates GEICO’s commitment to serving our communities through a culture of caring and showing unique ways we can help out people where we live and work,” said Mike Zuhars, field manager, physical damage for GEICO. “The gift of transportation will help Justin on his path of moving up the ladder with his employment, without having to deal with our challenging Florida thunderstorms. The vehicle will also make it easier to visit his aging mother and make it easier to restore her home, which is several miles away.”
NABC Recycled Rides is a unique program in which businesses representing all facets of the collision repair industry team up to repair and donate vehicles to individuals and families in need of reliable transportation. Since the inception of the program in 2007, members of the NABC have donated more than 3,500 vehicles valued at $51 million.
Additional partners in this presentation included Copart, Enterprise, Tommy’s Towing, All Hours Towing, AutoZone, PPG, AutoNation, Fairline Ford, Lakeland Ford, Advanced Remarketing Services and Cars for Charity.
