NABC® and Crash Champions Donate a Refurbished Vehicle to Detroit Woman in Need and Former Olympian Through the NABC® Recycled Rides® Program

Presentation to Recipient was held September 25 at MGM Hotel and Casino, Detroit, as part of the CIECA CONNEX Conference.

To see additional photos, click here.

PORT CHARLOTTE, FL (September 27, 2024) – On Wednesday, September 25 at the MGM Grand Detroit, the National Auto Body Council and Crash Champions proudly gave back to help a local Detroit woman in need.

Zara Northover, a former Jamaican Olympian who has been a long-time resident of the Motor City, experienced a life-changing event – the presentation of  a vehicle to help her regain mobility and independence  – thanks to the National Auto Body Council Recycled Rides® program along with collision repair partner Crash Champions and event sponsor CIECA CONNEX.

The 40-year-old Northover received a beautifully refurbished 2018 Honda CRV, prepared by Crash Champions’ technicians. Northover was nominated by local advocate, the Minority Freedom Community Fund.

“There were many other people who deserved to receive this car,” a grateful Northover said. “I am truly blessed to be able to help others with this car.”

The presentation was part of the CIECA CONNEX Annual Conference. The goal of the conference was to educate collision industry leaders and provide a forum for open discussion of issues that are important to the future of the collision industry.

Northover is a former Olympian who competed in the shot put for Jamaica in the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, China. She has dual citizenship in Jamacia and the U.S. and has been a community champion for decades. She recently lost her job and at the same time her car engine blew and she has been without a car. Regardless, she still finds a way to smile and show up for others as best as possible. A reliable vehicle will allow her to overcome the transportation challenge as she pursues other job opportunities. She is a confident, positive person and believes that with prayer, service, diligence and hard work that things will fall into place. She is not someone who is comfortable asking for help because she’s normally a giver and the helper for others. With this gift of reliable transportation, she can continue paying it forward back to the community she lives to serve.

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 3,300 vehicles valued at some $47 million.

Additional partners in the NABC® Recycled Rides® presentation include Cars for Charity, Advanced Remarketing Services, Copart, Enterprise, LKQ, Orchard Lake Towing, Page Honda Bloomfield, Nikolas Motorsport, and Detail Express.

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.