PORT CHARLOTTE, FL (July 31, 2025) – On Wednesday, July 23, a U.S. Navy veteran and single father from the Denver area received a life-changing gift, a fully refurbished vehicle to allow him to help his son get to school activities and to see to the family’s needs—thanks to the National Auto Body Council Recycled Rides® program and CARSTAR Jordan Road Collision, which donated the vehicle and the work of its technicians to fully refurbish it.
The car was donated by Murray Rigsby, the father-in-law of the owner of CARSTAR Jordan Road Collision in Centennial, Colorado. Rigsby was an proud Air Force veteran and a community-minded citizen who, when the time came to voluntarily give up driving, decided that he wanted his vehicle to benefit another veteran through the NABC Recycled Rides® program.
Murray Rigsby recently passed away, and his son-in-law Gary Boesel, the owner of the CARSTAR Jordan Road Collision repair center, has followed through with his wish. Rigsby’s family all attended the donation presentation.
NABC® and CARSTAR Jordan Road presented a beautifully refurbished 2012 GMC Terrain to Michael Esler, a veteran of distinguished service in the U.S. Navy. He is the single father of a young son with special needs. Esler has gone from homelessness to finding housing through the HUD-VASH program. Esler is a hard worker who uses a bicycle to get to his medical appointments but struggles to get his son to the care he needs or the school programs he is enrolled in. This veteran is recovering from a concussion and other injuries he suffered in a series of bicycle accidents.
Esler looks forward to the progress he and his son will make with the NABC Recycled Rides® donated vehicle. He was nominated for the NABC Recycled Rides program by the Veterans Health Homeless Program.
CARSTAR Jordan Road is one of the original CARSTAR franchises, which is now 800 strong across North America. They are I-CAR Gold Class certified, earned through the highest level of training and up-to-date repair procedures. CARSTAR is a level one member of the NABC®.
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 $51 million.
Additional partners in the NABC Recycled Rides® presentation included Mike Maroone, Axalta, Astech, New World PDR, Advanced Remarketing Services and Cars for Charity.
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 3,500 vehicles and provided extrication opportunities for some 6,000 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.