Abra, CARSTAR and Fix Auto USA Join Forces with Geico to Change Lives for Five Dallas Families with the Presentation of Five NABC Recycled Rides® Vehicles At the 2024 U.S. Driven Brands Collision Conference in Dallas

Vehicles Donated by GEICO, Refurbished by CARSTAR MVP Group, and Abra and Fix Auto USA to Help Stuff the Trunk for Recipients

Photos available HERE

DALLAS, TX (October 9, 2024) – On Tuesday, five Dallas families experienced a life-changing event – the presentation of reliable transportation to help them get to work, school and family activities, all part of the 2024 Driven Brands Collision Conference featuring the Abra, CARSTAR and Fix Auto USA collision repair brands. Through the National Auto Body Council Recycled Rides® program, GEICO donated all five vehicles, and CARSTAR handled the repairs at the CARSTAR Campbell’s Auto Body, CARSTAR Mansfield Paint & Body, CARSTAR MVP Farmers Branch, CARSTAR MVP Richardson and CARSTAR Mr. Collision locations. Abra and Fix Auto USA, which don’t have repair locations in the area, helped stuff the trunks with much-needed items and gift cards for the recipients and their families.

Recycled Rides Vehicles under blue covers, ready for a presentation in Dallas, TX

The National Auto Body Council® has had a long partnership with CARSTAR, Abra and Fix Auto USA, collectively presenting nearly 240 NABC Recycled Rides® vehicles to military members, veterans and families in need with another 10 planned later this year.

“What a perfect opportunity with our franchise partners to give back to five deserving families in the Dallas area,” said Sabrina Thring, Driven Brands Collision president. “We appreciate the support from our vendors, the donation of the vehicles from GEICO and the contributions the team members at CARSTAR MVP. It was made even more special with two of our recipients being cystic fibrosis families, which is CARSTAR’s longtime charity.”

Participants in the program included GEICO, which donated the five vehicles; CARSTAR Campbell’s Auto Body, CARSTAR Mansfield Paint & Body, CARSTAR MVP Farmers Branch, CARSTAR MVP Richardson and CARSTAR Mr. Collision, owned by Frank Odeh, which repaired the vehicles and Enterprise, which provided gift cards for each recipient. Longhouse Solutions donated car seats for the families.

Fix Auto USA locations including Fix Auto Pasadena, Fix Auto Santa Ana, Fix Auto Montrose, Fix Auto La Habra, Fix Auto Express-Anaheim North, Fix Auto Bakersfield-City Center and Fix Auto Bakersfield South, owned by Vatche Derderian, Fix Auto Brooklyn Park and Fix Auto Maple Grove, owned by Matt Feehan, Fix Auto Huntington Beach- North, Fix Auto High Desert, Fix Auto Rancho Cucamonga, Fix Auto Fontana, Fix Auto Garden Grove, owned by Joe Banh, and an Abra location, Jerry’s Abra, owned by Geralynn Kottschade, which stuffed the trunk for each recipient with car seats, gift cards, and gas cards for the family.

The recipient families included:

  • Alicia Taylor, who received a 2020 Kia Sportage, been a volunteer at the United Way since 2021. She’s a very hard worker and a devoted mom but she’s always struggled with having reliable transportation. She works two jobs, including a split shift. One job requires her to be at work at 6 a.m. She must get the kids off to school and then make it to work on the bus or asking someone for a ride. She’s the most giving, reliable, easy going, non -complaining person. Reliable transportation will now finally be one less thing that she would have to worry about.

“This is truly a blessing to me, I really can’t believe it,” said Taylor. “It’s a beautiful car and will absolutely change our lives.”

  • Anna received a 2021`Hyundai Tucson. Shestarted outreach services at Genesis Women’s shelter seeking support to be free from her domestic violence situation. She has two daughters to whom she shows great devotion. Their current mode of transportations are Lyft, motor scooter or the bus. The gift of reliable transportation is a wonderful benefit to herself and family on her journey to be free from domestic violence.
  • Teresa lives 20 miles from her work and her morning commute can be about two to three hours long, but she does not let that get her down! The gift of a 2020 Kia Soul now will help her meet her goals and securing a safe future where she can continue to heal.
  • Natalie Wester and her husband, Jose, often struggle with financial issues. Their one vehicle is unreliable and constantly has maintenance issues. In addition to bills and the high cost of treatment for their son Austin, who has cystic fibrosis, these constant vehicle maintenance costs put a greater financial burden on the family. For the Westers, the gift of a 2020 Hyundai Elantra will significantly enhance their daily lives and overall well-being.
  • The Harvey Family: Tiffany, James, and their five-year-old son, Xander, received a 2022 Nissan Sentra. Xander was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis before he was a month old. Despite the challenges associated with CF, Xander is doing well. He is a ball of energy and loves to keep his parents on their toes! The family lives an hour-and-a-half away from the clinic, which is a huge burden without reliable transportation. There have been times family has had to cancel or reschedule Xander’s appointments because of lack of transportation. A reliable vehicle is a tremendous gift for this family.

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 NABC Recycled Rides® program in 2007, members of the National Auto Body Council® have donated more than 3,500 vehicles valued at some $47 million.

Additional partners in the NABC Recycled Rides® presentation include Enterprise, Longhouse Solutions, Advanced Remarketing Solutions and Cars for Charity.

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ABOUT THE NATIONAL AUTO BODY COUNCIL®

The National Auto Body Council® is the premier organization of collision industry partners dedicated to strategic networking opportunities that positively change lives in the communities we serve. The collaborative membership of the National Auto Body Council® has gifted more than 3,300 vehicles and provided extrication opportunities for some 5,500 First Responders in communities around the country through NABC Recycled Rides®, NABC First Responder Emergency Extrication (F.R.E.E.™) and the NABC® Community Impact program. That effort equates to a 4:1 ROI in dollar value delivered from NABC® membership dollars. The NABC Changing and Saving Lives Foundation, a 501c3 organization, is committed to the goal of driving change for veterans, military members, first responders and families in need, while harnessing the power of the collective membership of the collision repair industry to positively impact communities where we live and work. As demand for NABC® programs like NABC Recycled Rides® and NABC F.R.E.E.™ grows, so do the needs for resources to manage these important programs. Being able to pursue grants, gifts and donations allows NABC to expand these programs to serve those in need and help communities where we live and work. For more information, visit www.NationalautoBodyCouncil.org.