MEDIA CONTACT:
Dale Ross
651.207.9652
dross@nationalautobodycouncil.org
The NABC® Recycled Rides® Presentation Took Place on Sept. 4 in Lebanon, Pa.
PORT CHARLOTTE, FL (Sept. 5, 2024) – A retired U.S. Army veteran experienced a life-changing event – the presentation of a vehicle to provide her critically needed transportation – thanks to the National Auto Body Council Recycled Rides® program along with car donor Allstate and repair partner RJ Sells’ Body Shop in Lebanon, Pa.
NABC®, Allstate and RJ Sell’s Body Shop presented a fully refurbished 2019 Hyundai Tucson to Darlene Wilson, of Harrisburg, Pa., on Wednesday, Sept. 4 at RJ Sell’s Body Shop in Lebanon, Pa.
“Oh, it’s wonderful,” Wilson said of the honor. “It was very humbling and just a really great experience that there’s people out there to help out like this. I’ve been without a car for a little while, and it was a struggle getting back and forth to work.”
It was Wilson’s boss at Veterans Outreach of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg who nominated her for a NABC® Recyled Ride.
“It made me feel really good that he thought of me,” Wilson said. “He was like, ‘Hey, this was something that was brought to my attention and I think that this would be a really good thing for you.”
Wilson served 18 years in the U.S. Army, achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant and deploying overseas in Iraq and Kosovo. Her work at Veterans Outreach of Pennsylvania (VOP) is vital to their mission to combat veteran homelessness. Darlene suffers from various medical issues including PTSD, which means she connects with other veterans in the program dealing with physical and mental issues. The peer-to-peer work that she does at VOP is much more valuable because of the experiences she brings to group and individual counseling sessions. She lacked transportation to get to work, making her dependent on others. This NABC® Recycled Rides® donation will change that.
“It’s a big life changer,” Wilson said. “Just to be able to know that I’m able to do things for my mother, who’s not always able to do for herself. I also have a granddaughter and with not having a vehicle, it kept me away from her and that’s not a good thing. So it makes it so much easier now that I’m able to just get up and go and get her when she needs me and just different things like that. It’s just real nice.”
Wilson’s life has been about dedication, whether to her family, the Army or the homeless veterans she works with on a daily basis. In that true spirt of dedication, Wilson didn’t waste any time after she got the keys to her new ride.
“I went right to work,” she said. “Work is very important to me. This program that I work at is for homeless veterans. I’m a veteran myself. I remember a time in my life when I got out of the military it was very difficult and I started spiraling a little bit, but I had a lot of people to help me, who gave me a little hand and would say, ‘You’ve got this, you can do this.’ (Working with homeless veterans) is kind of me giving back to them, to let them know, ‘Look, I understand, but I’m your light at the end of the tunnel.”
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 Advanced Remarketing Services, Cars for Charity, RJ Sell’s Towing, Bennet Hyundai, LKQ, Fred Beans, Continental Auto Parts, Chuck’s Auto Glass, 1-800 Radiator, Wampler’s Buff & Wax Auto Detailing.
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.
