Presentation of the NABC Recycled Ride® with GEICO and Caliber Collision Took Place at GEICO Headquarters in Chevy Chase, MD
MEDIA NOTE: Photos and Video from the NABC Recycled Rides® presentation are available HERE
PORT CHARLOTTE, FL (October 23, 2025) – On Tuesday, October 21, a United States Marine Corps veteran received a life-changing gift—the donation of a beautifully refurbished vehicle to help him stabilize his health and housing. The donation was made possible by the NABC Recycled Rides® program, vehicle donor GEICO and repair partner Caliber Collision.
The presentation took place at the GEICO corporate office in Chevy Chase, MD. The recipient was nominated by Friendship Place. 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.
“These are the types of things that can transform somebody’s life and really make a difference, said U.S. Representative Glenn Ivey, D-MD. “It’s a great ‘feel good’ story that has a happy ending and is really going to transform this gentleman’s life.”
Joseph Butler is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, having served from 1978 – 1983. He suffers from a chronic health condition that impedes on his ability to complete tasks like grocery shopping and getting to his healthcare appointments via public transportation. It is difficult for Butler to walk daily from his apartment to the bus stop. He has been hospitalized several times due to his ailments and risks missing vital medical appointments due to limited access to mass transportation or by not having anyone available to take him to the doctor’s office. This refurbished vehicle from the NABC Recycled Rides® program will allow him to keep up with his doctor’s appointments, get to work and shop for household items. This reliable vehicle will be the steppingstone he needs to stay independent and focus on his health.
“Very grateful, just overwhelmed, I just love all of this,” said recipient Joseph Butler. “This is such a huge help because I have appointments that I had to put off because I couldn’t get there. Work, I had to call out of a few times, volunteering, just getting around, I couldn’t get places and now I can.”
Butler added “It gives me hope, that people can look out for one another, and that people have the heart to go out of their way to help others.”
Representatives from Enterprise were on hand to present Butler with a gift card to defray some of the first-year vehicle maintenance expenses.
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.
Caliber Collision, also a Level One partner, has donated more than 600 vehicles to military service members, veterans and other individuals in need of reliable transportation over the last 12 years. All Caliber locations are I-CAR Gold Certified repair facilities.
Additional partners in this presentation include: Axalta, Protech, AutoZone, Mr. Tire, Catlett’s, Bob Bell, Fleming, Enterprise, Copart, Advanced Remarketing Services, and Cars for Charity
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.
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.