MEDIA CONTACT:
Dale Ross
651.207.9652
dross@nationalautobodycouncil.org
The NABC Recycled Rides® Presentation Took Place Tuesday, May 21 in Tampa.
MEDIA NOTE: Photos and video from the NABC Recycled Rides® presentation are available HERE.
PORT CHARLOTTE, FL (May 22, 2024) – A U. S. Air Force veteran said he was overwhelmed by a life-changing event–the presentation of a vehicle to provide him the ability to get to work and take care of his family–thanks to the National Auto Body Council Recycled Rides® program along with car donor GEICO and repair partner Crash Champions.
NABC®, GEICO and Crash Champions presented a fully refurbished 2016 Acura ILX to Rodney Tinsley.
Rodney Tyrell Tinsley served more than five years in the U.S. Air Force, during which time he was deployed to the Middle East twice. He is the single father of a teenager, and they have been making the best of things despite some setbacks and no reliable vehicle to get places. He works at Target and has moved to full-time employment with them. The gift of reliable transportation will allow him to get to work and take care of his son.
“I am speechless at this gift,” Tinsley said after the presentation. “My car broke down a little while ago and you find very quickly when you don’t have a car that it is hard to earn money to fix the car. It’s an amazing drain.”
Tinsley continued, “This is going to turn things around in a way I haven’t begun to work out. I cannot begin to express how grateful and absolutely surprised I am. This is beyond anything I could have imagined.”
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 included Empire Wheel Worx, Bay Area Glass, Cars for Charity, Advanced Remarketing Services, Copart 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 3,300 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.
