NABC® Members GEICO and CARSTAR Donate Refurbished Vehicle to Deserving Boston Area Single Mother in Need

The NABC Recycled Rides® Presentation Took Place on July 25 in Lancaster, Massachusetts

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

PORT CHARLOTTE, FL  (July 25, 2024) – A single mother from Canton, Massachusetts 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 GEICO and repair partner CARSTAR Waldon’s A-1 Auto Body.

NABC®, GEICO and CARSTAR Waldron’s A-1 Auto Body presented a fully refurbished 2018 Mazda CX-5 to Yadhira Tapia, who has managed to overcome many barriers and challenges thrown her way. She cites her three children as the inspiration to earn her medical assistant certification. Now, she is working to extend her education; she has been accepted into a work study program at Massachusetts Bay Community College in Wellesley. She is involved in school and community activities. Yadhira has been paying $700 each month to get herself and her children to school.  This NABC Recycled Rides® car donation will take pressure off her budget and will expand opportunities for the whole family, including her children being able to participate sports. 

“My children are already making plans for the activities that they want to do,” said Yadhira Tapia, the recipient. “Before this, we couldn’t afford cab rides all the time.  This takes that worry away. I am so thankful to the NABC, GEICO and Mr. Waldron and his great team at CARSTAR.”

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.

“My whole life, I’ve been involved in fixing cars every day.” said Bob Waldron, owner of CARSTAR Waldron’s. “But when you get the chance to change someone’s life, that’s a special day. I am delighted that NABC and GEICO are working with us to make someone’s dream come true.”

This is the second NABC Recycled Ride that CARSTAR Waldon’s A-1 Auto Body has gifted to a person in need in the community. 

Additional partners in the NABC Recycled Rides® presentation included Balise, Keystone, LKQ, Solid Auto Glass, City Tire, Chandler Auto Body, Auto Body Supplies and Paint, Patrick Motor Group, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Fisher Auto Parts, Elite Wheel & Tire, Premiere Services, 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.