MEDIA CONTACT:
Dale Ross
651.207.9652
dross@nationalautobodycouncil.org
The NABC Recycled Rides® Presentation Took Place Tuesday, April 9 at the Schaller Auto Body Center In New Britain
MEDIA NOTE: Video from the NABC Recycled Rides® presentation can be found HERE.
PORT CHARLOTTE, FL (April 11, 2024) – A single mother experienced a life-changing event –the presentation of a vehicle to provide her the ability to get her to her job and to take care of her daughter –thanks to the National Auto Body Council Recycled Rides® program along with car donor GEICO and repair partner Schaller Auto Body.
NABC®, GEICO and Schaller Auto Body presented a fully refurbished 2017 Honda CR-V to Jazmen Sullivan.
Jazmen Sullivan overcame a difficult upbringing to become the first family member in generations to finish high school. As an adult, she has faced homelessness and work challenges, while being the sole parent for her daughter. Recently, her car was stolen and vandalized and she lost her job. Now she has a new job and the vehicle she received from the NABC Recycled Rides® will provide a way for her to get to that job and to help her daughter get around. In the words of her nominator at Family Promise, “To say she is deserving is an understatement.”
Dan Elmer, Schaller’s collision repair director, took part in the presentation. “We are a big part of the community and our whole team rallied behind this exciting and heartwarming event,” Elmer said afterwards. “We could see it would be life-altering experience for the Sullivan family.” Schaller’s team included repair professionals Tommy Pratt, Brett Christy and Jeni Jackson.
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 vehicles with a total value of more than $46 million.
“Since it became a part of NABC’s goal to change and save lives, the NABC Recycled Rides program has presented more than 3,300 vehicles to people in need,” said Deborah Robinson, executive director of NABC. “The entire collision industry has made this possible.” She also noted that nearly 75% of recipients have been veterans.
Additional partners in the NABC Recycled Rides® presentation included LKQ, The Glass Man, Tires Plus, Advanced Remarketing Services, Cars for Charity, and Copart
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.