NABC® Members GEICO and MB Collision Change a U.S. Army Veteran’s Life from Southern California with the Donation of a Refurbished Vehicle through the NABC Recycled Rides® Program

The NABC Recycled Rides® Presentation Took Place Recently in Corona, California.

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

PORT CHARLOTTE, FL  (March 5, 2025) – On Wednesday, February 26, a decorated veteran of the U.S. Army from Fontana received a beautifully refurbished vehicle that will enable her to continue her college studies – thanks to the NABC Recycled Rides®  program along with car donor GEICO and repair partner MB Collision. The presentation took place at the MB Collision center in Corona, California.

NABC®, MB Collision Group and GEICO presented a fully refurbished 2015 Toyota Corolla to Christina Tafoya, a full-time student who served two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan during her five-year stretch the U.S. Army. She received many commendations for her service.  Now she is working on her bachelor’s degree in English and hopes to continue to earn a master’s degree.

Tafoya has utilized the support services available to veterans through the Corona Veterans Center to help her reacclimate to civilian life. Getting to school and pursuing employment will be made much easier with the donation of the NABC Recycled Rides® vehicle.  Tafoya was nominated by the Corona Vet Center.

GEICO is the largest donor of vehicles to the NABC Recycled Rides® program, having supplied more than 1000 vehicles in the 18 years the program has been in operation.

MB Collision Group operates collision centers in seven Southern California cities, with more to come. MB Collision holds eight OEM Certifications. This is one of several vehicles that MB Collision will be refurbishing for the NABC Recycled Rides® program this year.

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 include AKZO Nobel, LKQ, Larry H. Miller Toyota, Advanced Remarketing Services, Cars for Charity, 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.