As the holiday season approaches, collision repair shops and their insurance partners are continuing a year-round tradition of giving back to their communities through the National Auto Body Council (NABC) Recycled Rides program, presenting at least 10 refurbished vehicles to veterans, first responders, single parents, and families in need over the past several weeks.
The late November and early December donations span the country, from Florida and Arizona to Arkansas, Kentucky, and Oregon, involving major insurance carriers GEICO, Allstate, and Farmers alongside repair partners including Gerber Collision & Glass, Crash Champions, Caliber Collision, Classic Collision, Maaco, Brown’s Collision Center, and Carey’s Body Shop.
“I am a domestic violence survivor, and I have lost my son, and I have been through so much in my life, but today is a day of blessings, of miracles,” said Rose West, a Tampa grandmother who received her vehicle Dec. 3 at a Crash Champions location in Land O’ Lakes, FL. West, who cares for two young grandchildren while working at Dress for Success Tampa Bay, had been without reliable transportation despite being essential to the organization’s operations.
The presentations highlight how collision repair businesses transform insurance company-donated total loss vehicles into reliable transportation that changes recipients’ lives. GEICO has donated more than 1,000 vehicles to people and organizations through NABC Recycled Rides, making it the largest car donor partner in the program’s history.
Veterans rebuilding after hardship
Recipients during this holiday stretch include military veterans struggling after COVID-related job losses, first responders commuting long distances to serve their communities, single mothers pursuing education while raising children, and charitable organizations supporting underserved populations.
Calvin Sawyers, a Marine who served from 2012 to 2016, received a 2023 Nissan Rogue SV on Veterans Day at a GEICO office in Lakeland, FL. After honorably serving his country, Sawyers faced mounting challenges when the pandemic hit. He lost his job and has struggled to find employment since, while also dealing with effects from his military service. The vehicle he shared with his wife had its engine fail, leaving them without reliable transportation.
A Tucson firefighter received a vehicle donated by GEICO and refurbished by Caliber Collision at the 5th Annual Rockin’ 4 Heroes Concert in Oro Valley, AZ. The vehicle will help him travel over 120 miles to and from his shifts at a local fire department.
In Portland, OR, veteran Johnathan Bernard received a 2018 Hyundai Tucson SE on Nov. 21 to help him chart a new path forward for himself and his daughter. Fort Kennedy, an organization that connects veterans with benefits and provides essential services to unhoused and low-income veterans, nominated him for the program.
Families and nonprofits receive keys to independence
The industry’s charitable efforts also reached working families and nonprofits. In Bentonville, AR, nursing student Joie Cureton received a 2019 Honda CR-V, donated by Farmers and refurbished by Brown’s Collision Center, on Nov. 24. She works while attending NorthWest Arkansas Community College nursing school full time and raising her son. Cureton previously relied on expensive and unpredictable rideshare services.
“I believe that it’s a responsibility to be able to share the blessings that we’ve been given on this earth,” said Keith Brown, owner of Brown’s Collision Center.
In Kentucky, Down Syndrome of Southern Kentucky received a 2019 Kia Soul on Nov. 17. The car had been refurbished by Caliber Collision in Elizabethtown, KY, to support its outreach into rural areas across its 14-county service region. “This is something that we hold dear to our hearts at Caliber,” said Paul James, regional vice president for Caliber. “We like to be involved in the community, and this is something that we love to do, refurbish vehicles for people and organizations that need them.”
Chanielle Talbird, a Memphis, TN, mother and domestic violence survivor, received a 2021 Jeep Cherokee Laredo refurbished by Carey’s Body Shop at a Nov. 19 presentation hosted by Pinnacle Financial Partners. The Women’s Advocacy Center, which nominated Talbird, works to empower survivors of domestic abuse, sexual assault, and stalking in rural and suburban communities.
“It is so important that the women we serve have transportation, to create stability for them and their families,” said Romona Jackson, founding president and CEO of the Women’s Advocacy Center..
Presentations from coast to coast
A San Diego-based sailor pursuing a law career received a vehicle Nov. 12 at a GEICO office in Poway, CA, during a Veterans Day celebration. Classic Collision completed the refurbishment, and the recipient was nominated by the Paralyzed Veterans of America, Cal-Diego Chapter, which works to improve the quality of life for veterans with spinal cord injury or disorders.
The Las Vegas presentation during the Maaco Annual Convention at Planet Hollywood on Nov. 13 brought together Allstate and Maaco to help Patrick Brown, a father struggling to rebuild his life while caring for his children. “This truck will mean everything to us; we will be able to do more things with the family, doctors’ appointments, everything, doing laundry,” Brown said. “We have a hard time right now, and this will really help out a lot.”
One of the December presentations took place at the Walt Disney World Swan Hotel during the Boyd Group Leadership Conference on Dec. 2, where an Orlando veteran received a vehicle to aid in her mission to help those less fortunate. Gerber Collision & Glass, part of The Boyd Group, completed the refurbishment work.
Building on a record-setting year
The recent presentations follow the program’s largest single giveaway event in its history, when 16 Dallas-area veterans received vehicles on Veterans Day at Texas Collision Centers in Plano, TX.
Since the inception of the NABC Recycled Rides program in 2007, members of the National Auto Body Council have donated more than 3,500 vehicles valued at some $51 million. The program brings together insurers that donate total loss vehicles, collision repair shops that refurbish them at no charge, and charitable organizations that identify deserving recipients.
“We’re fortunate that we have the ability. The insurance companies have the cars, the repair shops have the talents, and they can all come together to provide reliable transportation to people who really need it,” said Dale Ross, NABC Recycled Rides program director, to Local Memphis.
Shops interested in participating in NABC Recycled Rides can contact the National Auto Body Council for information about becoming a repair partner.
