In two separate presentations in late July in Maryland and New Jersey, a total of three military veterans and a hardworking single mother each received a fully refurbished vehicle to allow them to work and care for their families, thanks to the National Auto Body Council (NABC) Recycled Rides program and its vehicle donor and repair partners.
On July 29, two vehicles were presented to a U.S. Army veteran and a single mother, both Maryland residents, at GEICO’s headquarters in Chevy Chase, MD. Both vehicles were donated by GEICO and repaired by Top Gun Collision in Rockville, MD, a member of the CollisionRight network.
Petra Rice, who was presented a 2022 Honda Civic, is an extraordinary woman who has shown remarkable strength and dedication in every aspect of her life. As a hardworking single mother, she has tirelessly supported her son through a challenging diagnosis, ensuring he received the care and love he needed. Despite the difficulty of walking to work, Rice has remained steadfast in her commitment to her job, knowing how crucial it is for her family's stability.
Even though her son is now an adult, Rice continues to guide him with love and encouragement, even helping him secure employment at her previous workplace, where she had built a strong rapport with her manager. She goes above and beyond, ensuring her son gets to work on time and supporting him as he navigates his own journey. The gift of reliable transportation will not only ease the strain of her daily commute but also be a well-earned recognition of her hard work, determination and the love she consistently gives to those around her.
She was nominated through Bridges to Housing Stability.
“This means I am further on my way to financial independence,” said Rice. “Absolutely fantastic, I’m speechless. I owe a load of gratitude to so many people but most of all…my son. He is my pride and joy. Everything I have done and everything I will do in the future is because he is my reason for living. I can’t be more proud of him and the young man he is becoming.”
Ronald Hector Jr., who received a 2021 Honda Accord, is a U.S. Army veteran and retired. He is a security officer working at the VA hospital. He feels it is his duty and his service to help and protect other veterans, as well as hospital staff and the doctors who help veterans that served and are still serving.
Hector faced housing challenges in recent years but relied on his faith and worked with Friendship Place on his path to independence. He continues to strive to do better and continue to be a productive member of society. This vehicle will help him get to work and help other veterans in need.
Hector was nominated through Friendship Place.
“Thanks GEICO, for giving me this opportunity and providing me with this new car,” said Hector. “And to all those who were involved, thank you so much. May God bless you guys and thank you so much again.”
GEICO, a Level One member of the NABC, is the largest donor of vehicles to NABC Recycled Rides, having provided more than 1,000 vehicles in the 18 years of the program. CollisionRight, parent company of Top Gun Collision, is also a Level One member.
“Today we were honored to team up with Top Gun Collision, Enterprise, Friendship Place and Bridges to Housing Stability to gift these vehicles to Ronald Hector Jr. and Petra Rice through the Recycled Rides program,” said Christopher Reed, physical damage manager at GEICO. “Through our long-standing partnership with the National Auto Body Council, we’ve been able to provide the gift of transportation to Ronald, Petra and many more recipients here in the DMV area and beyond.”
“We’re proud to support the NABC Recycled Rides Program and help make a meaningful difference in the lives of two deserving recipients,” said Tim Morales, regional manager for CollisionRight. “This initiative reflects our commitment to community, and we’re especially grateful to the team at Top Gun Collision in Rockville for their outstanding work in restoring these vehicles. Under the leadership of General Manager Pablo Cristiani, their dedication and craftsmanship brought this donation to life.”
Enterprise was also part of the presentation and made a significant contribution to help Rice and Hector with gas and vehicle maintenance. Additional partners included Advanced Remarketing Services, Cars for Charity and Copart.
On July 23, two U.S. Marine Corps veterans from New Jersey received keys to newly refurbished vehicles through the NABC Recycled Rides program. Both of these vehicles were also donated by GEICO, and repaired by New Trimble Auto Body in Clifton, NJ, which also hosted the presentation.
The two veterans were nominated by the New Jersey Veterans Administration HUD-VASH program. They received a 2019 Mitsubishi Mirage and a 2018 Hyundai Elantra SL.
“It is such an honor to give back to those in our community who have served our country,” said Ivo Rodrigues, owner of New Trimble Auto Body and a veteran of the Portuguese army. “Our team is proud to contribute their time and hard work to refurbish these vehicles for these two veterans. We are very grateful for our business partners who helped make this possible.”
Miguel Arocho, who served 12 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, became homeless after losing his job in California. He moved to New Jersey to stay with his sister, only to have a tree fall on her house, making it uninhabitable. Arocho has overcome those adversities to be able to enroll in school under the G.I. Bill and to get housing through the Veterans’ Administration HUD-VASH program. He is pursuing a horticultural degree.
“I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone that participated to make this happen," Arocho said. “I give free car rides to students and couldn't be more grateful to those who have made this possible."
Dominick Carpentieri, who rose to the rank of sergeant in his six years in the U.S. Marine Corps, served from 1962 to 1968, primarily in Okinawa. After his service, he worked for more than 30 years as a union butcher. Carpentieri’s car has 220,000 miles on it and is increasingly unreliable. This veteran uses his car to see his children and grandchildren daily and to volunteer helping other veterans, but he can’t rely on the car to travel out of town to see his sister. The donated vehicle will enable him to continue to visit family and give back to other veterans.
"I'm here to pick up something that is very valuable to me right now," said Carpentieri. "This is truly a remarkable day. I appreciate everyone that has helped me out. I can't express enough my appreciation for this new car."
New Trimble Auto Body has been a family-owned business for 40 years and holds OEM certifications from most major car brands. New Trimble Auto Body is an I-CAR Gold Certified repair facility that has presented eight NABC Recycled Rides vehicles to those in need in its community.
Additional partners in the New Jersey presentation include Keystone/LKQ, Fred Beans, Colours, PPG, 3M, King of Dents, Empire Rim Fix, Scott Tire, Advanced Remarketing Services, Cars for Charity, Copart and Enterprise.
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 some $51 million.
