MEDIA NOTE: Photos and Video from the NABC Recycled Rides® presentation are available HERE
PORT CHARLOTTE, FL (April 7) – On Tuesday, April 7, five deserving Dallas area veterans experienced something life-changing – the presentation of a vehicle to provide them independence and the ability to work and take care of their families – thanks to the National Auto Body Council Recycled Rides® program along with vehicle donors GEICO, and Allstate, and repair partners Crash Champions, Reliable Chevrolet, Solution Works and Texas Collision Centers.
The presentation was held as part of the NABC Lone Star Changing and Saving Lives Golf Fundraiser Presented by Enterprise at the Bear Creek Golf Club in Dallas on Tuesday, April 7. The event began with the presentation of colors by the Frisco, TX, American Legion Post 178 Color Guard. At the event, five fully refurbished vehicles were presented to veterans in need, including one adapted vehicle for a disabled veteran. (full bios below):
A 2023 Nissan Sentra S was donated by GEICO, refurbished by Texas Collision Centers Mesquite, and presented to Jerry Macon. Jerry is a veteran of the United States Army serving as a Master Sergeant from 1987 to 1990. In his time serving the nation, he was awarded an exemplary award for service, Battalion Soldier of The Year and earned an honorable discharge. All of Jerry’s children have grown up and are now making their way in the world. He is a teacher for grades K-12 Special Needs students at Red Oak Independent school district where, he is adored by all his students. Jerry continues to make a difference in their lives by always showing up to his teaching position, even if it requires him to walk there. This vehicle from the NABC Recycled Rides® program will allow Jerry to continue serving as a teacher and mentor to his adoring students rain or shine.
“I can’t say anything but thank you and God Bless America, it’s been an honor to serve our country,” said recipient Jerry Macon. “I got a chance to recover from everything life was throwing at me because I was in a bad place. Now I have 75 special needs kids in high school that nobody wanted to be around and in a short period of time their self-esteem has been built him. This vehicle will let me keep teaching and helping these kids and for that I’m very thankful.”
A 2023 Kia Rio S was donated by GEICO, refurbished by Texas Collision Centers Irving, and presented to Bobbie Herrera. Bobbie is a veteran of the United States Army, serving from 1997 to 2016. She is a devoted mother of three—two adult sons and a daughter who is currently in high school. Her daughter is an honor roll student and is studying law in high school to prepare for a strong future. In addition, Bobbie has now taken on the responsibility of caring for her elderly mother. She is an exceptionally deserving candidate for this gift from the NABC Recycled Rides® program due to her lifelong service, resilience, and unwavering commitment to rebuilding her life and supporting her family.
A 2018 Toyota C-HR XLE was donated by GEICO, refurbished by Crash Champions Little Elm, and presented to Marcellus Mitchell. He is a veteran who served honorably in the Marine Corps from 1992 to 1996 as an infantryman and later in the Army from 1999 to 2006 in a supply unit. Following his military service, Marcellus faced significant hardship and was at risk of eviction. He continued to focus on his goals of securing employment and maintaining stable housing and is now employed, as a truck driver; however, without his own vehicle, he must rely on others for transportation to and from work. This refurbished vehicle from the NABC Recycled Rides® program will allow him to reliably get to work, reduce the risk of job loss, increase his ability to accept overtime work and enable him to spend more consistent time with his family while continuing to work toward long-term stability.
A 2021 Chevrolet Malibu was donated by Allstate, refurbished by Reliable Chevrolet, and presented to Evan Smith. He is a Marine Corps veteran, having served two times in Iraq from 2002 to 2007. He was housed in a location that makes it hard for him to get to stores and doctor’s appointments. Evan has had many struggles and has been isolated without a means to go and be involved in therapy sessions. He currently has a vehicle that is not operational. This refurbished vehicle from the NABC Recycled Rides® program will change Evan’s life by reopening the world back up to him.
A 2020 Ford Explorer was donated by Allstate, refurbished by Solution Works, and presented to Brian Aft. Brianjoined the Marine Corps in May 2007. On April 11th, 2011, Brian was on routine foot patrol in Kajaki, Helmand Province, Afghanistan with his bomb dog, Buckshot. While jumping over an irrigation ditch, Brian activated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) pressure plate causing an explosion that led to the amputation of both of his legs and leaving him wheelchair bound. Buckshot survived and was reunited with Brian living to be about 15 years old. In August 2013, Brian retired from the US Marine Corps, but life for him was far from easy. Brian struggled to cope with the demons and the pain caused by war. One day, he decided, “No More!” and he changed his life. Now Brian is active in the veteran community, has been a participant at the Adaptive Training Foundation, demonstrating his enthusiasm and love for life. This gift of reliable transportation will allow Brian to not only continue his dog boarding business but will allow him to continue his important work with fellow veterans.
“They called me up and told me they were going to try and find a truck for me, but those don’t really work for me anymore,” said recipient Brian Aft, of his specially modified vehicle. “They worked really hard to find a vehicle that worked, and I really appreciate it and thank everyone very much. I don’t feel deserving of this but I’m very, very appreciative of this. This is unbelievably awesome.”
GEICO, a Level One partner of the National Auto Body Council®, has donated more than 1,000 vehicles to people and organizations through NABC Recycled Rides®, making it the largest car donor partner of NABC Recycled Rides®.
Allstate, a Level One partner of the National Auto Body Council®, has donated more than 300 vehicles to people and organizations through the NABC Recycled Rides® program, making it one of the largest car donor partners of NABC Recycled Rides®.
Crash Champions, also a Level One partner of the National Auto Body Council®, has gifted more than 250 vehicles to people and organizations through NABC Recycled Rides®.
Reliable Chevrolet has been part of the Richardson, TX community since 1989, proudly serving Dallas County and the greater North Texas region. As your dedicated Chevrolet dealership in Richardson, TX, they’ve built their reputation around the commitment to doing business the right way, one customer at a time. They are part of the Berkshire Hathaway Automotive network of car dealerships.
SolutionWorks is a nationwide leader in automotive catastrophic hail repair, claims management, reconditioning and OEM repair services. They deliver end-to-end vehicle repair solutions for a wide range of clients, from individual car owners to major corporate fleets and automotive manufacturers.
Texas Collision Centers is a hometown collision repair center that exists to improve the lives of their customers and teammates by consistently delivering an exceptional, personal, and best-in-class collision repair experience. On Veterans Day 2025 they partnered with the NABC to present 16 vehicles to 16 deserving veterans. Texas Collision Centers just opened their 18th location in the DFW area, and all their facilities are I-CAR Gold Certified.
Additional partners in this presentation include: LKQ, Nissan of McKinney, Toyota of Irving, ATE, Wheel Technologies, AutoZone, A&M Glass Service, Driver’s Edge, Berkshire Hathaway Automotive, PPG, 3M, English Color, Astech, Mobility Works, PDR Linx, Complete Collision Solutions, Dealer Tire, Allstar Wheel Repair, 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 NABC Recycled Rides® program in 2007, members of the National Auto Body Council® have donated more than 3,750 vehicles valued at some $67 million.
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 3,750 vehicles valued at more than $67 million and provided extrication opportunities for some 7,000 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 http://www.nationalautobodycouncil.org/ .