NABC® Members Caliber Collision and GEICO Donate a Refurbished Vehicle to a Tidewater U.S. Navy Petty Officer in Need through theNABC Recycled Rides® Program

The NABC Recycled Rides® Presentation Took Place Recently in Suffolk, Virginia.

MEDIA NOTE: Photos from the NABC Recycled Rides® presentation are available HERE.

PORT CHARLOTTE, FL  (February 18, 2025) – On Valentine’s Day, A U.S. Navy Petty Officer from Naval Station Norfolk and her four-year-old son were showered with love when they received keys to a newly refurbished car at a special celebration marking Caliber Collision’s 600^th vehicle donation nationwide.  Petty Officer 2nd Class Blair Cleary was selected to receive a 2019 Kia Sorento. The car donation in partnership with GEICO, which donated the vehicle, is part of the National Auto Body Council Recycled Rides® program.

Technicians at Caliber Collision’s Suffolk North location volunteered their personal time and skills to restore the vehicle. Since 2012 Caliber teammates across the country have been donating their time and resources to provide military service members, veterans, and other individuals with the gift of reliable transportation.

Petty Officer Cleary, a single mother, had been without a car since June 2024. This has made going to work and everyday tasks difficult enough but a recent diagnosis of her son with a severe form of autism has made things even more challenging.  He requires therapy for a minimum of 30 hours a week and is enrolled at an out-of-area school that can better meet his developmental needs. This timely gift of transportation will give Cleary peace of mind, independence and the ability to spend more quality time with her son and care for his needs.

GEICO is the largest donor of vehicles to the NABC Recycled Rides® program, having donated more than 1000 vehicles since 2007.

Cleary was nominated for the NABC Recycled Rides® donation from Geico and Caliber by MVP – Merging Vets & Players, a national nonprofit whose mission is to empower military, veterans, and professional athletes to thrive when the uniform comes off through fitness, health, and wellness programs.

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.

Additional partners in the NABC Recycled Rides® presentation included 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 3,500 vehicles and provided extrication opportunities for some 6,000 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.