Presentation of the NABC Recycled Ride® at CARSTAR Metro Collision Took Place September 25, 2025, in Fairfax, VA
MEDIA NOTE: Photos and Video from the NABC Recycled Rides® presentation are available HERE
PORT CHARLOTTE, FL (September 26, 2025) – On Thursday, September 25, a beautifully refurbished vehicle was donated to a United States Air Force veteran from Fairfax, VA. The donation was made possible by the NABC Recycled Rides® program, vehicle donor GEICO and repair partner CARSTAR.
The vehicle, a 2017 KIA Optima LX, was generously donated by GEICO and refurbished by the technicians of CARSTAR Metro Collision. The presentation took place at the CARSTAR location in Fairfax, VA.
Rhonda Smith is a veteran of the United States Air Force, having served her country from 1983-1987. She has worked as a federal and state government employee for over 10 years as an IT Program Manager/Asset Manager. Unfortunately, during the COVID pandemic Smith found herself homeless and without a vehicle. After a year of being unemployed and exhausting her savings, a promising job opportunity fell through, all while trying to care for her daughter, grandchild, and disabled mother. This refurbished vehicle from the NABC Recycled Rides® program will allow Smith to achieve personal stability, but also allow her to contribute more effectively to her family and personal life.
“It will be very beneficial to me now because I have a lot of doctor’s appointments at the V.A. which is very critical,” said Smith. “It will also assist with my chiropractic appointments, and it will help with travel to work too.”
The recipient was nominated by the Friendship Place. The Friendship Place is the premier provider for housing services for people experiencing homelessness in the Washington DC region. They provide innovative, customized, person-focused programs that produce demonstrative and lasting results.
GEICO, a Level One partner of the National Auto Body Council®, has donated more than a thousand vehicles to people and organizations through NABC Recycled Rides, making it the largest car donor partner of NABC Recycled Rides.
CARSTAR is an I-CAR Gold Certified network and is North America’s largest Multi-Operator Network of independently owned repair facilities, offering auto body repair, paintless dent repair, storm damage repair offering 24/7 assistance.
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 this presentation include: LKQ, Keystone, Dulles Motor Cars, Copart, Advanced Remarketing Services, Cars for Charity and Enterprise
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® and NABC First Responder Emergency Extrication (F.R.E.E.™). 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.