NABC® Members GEICO, Crash Champions, and URG Presented a Refurbished Vehicle to U.S. Army Veteran from Central Florida through the NABC Recycled Rides® Program

Gift of Reliable Transportation Means “Freedom” for Central Florida Veteran and Her Daughter

Media Note: Photos from the event available HERE

PORT CHARLOTTE, FL  (April 18, 2025) – On April 10, a U.S. Army veteran received a life-changing gift—a beautifully refurbished vehicle, thanks to the NABC Recycled Rides® program, insurance partner car donor GEICO and repair partner Crash Champions. The gifting was sponsored by NABC member United Recyclers Group (URG) and held at its URG Scholarship Foundation golf fundraiser as part of the URG/Team PRP training conference.

The vehicle, a 2019 Honda CR-V EX, was donated by GEICO and refurbished by the expert technicians at Crash Champions of Ocoee, Florida.

The recipient was Pacita Marks, who was nominated by Soldiers Angels, and served her country in the U.S. Army for 12 years. Her 20-year-old car broke down and was unrepairable. Since then, Marks has been dependent on rideshares for her and her daughter’s frequent medical appointments, as well as for groceries and other needs, which gets to be very expensive in a short time. The NABC Recycled Rides® donated vehicle will relieve some of the economic and health concerns of the family.

“I am very grateful to everyone involved in this gift”, said Marks. “I am truly blessed to receive a car this nice. When I think about this car, it represents freedom. It’s freedom for me and my family.”

“It is great to see our auto recycler community gather to support this veteran with a gift of a NABC Recycled Ride”, said Don Porter Internal Business/Industry Consultant, United Recyclers Group and Chair of the Changing and Saving Lives Foundation. “Our members are committed to giving back in their communities and I’m proud to see URG join forces with GEICO, Crash Champions, Enterprise, and NABC to provide this veteran and her daughter with much needed reliable transportation.”

URG, a long-time supporter and Level One member of the National Auto Body Council, is a trusted member-based organization, built by recyclers for recyclers. Their mission is to help members innovate and rise to the challenges of an ever-changing market.

GEICO, also a Level One partner of the National Auto Body Council®, has donated more than 1000 vehicles to people and organizations in need through the NABC Recycled Rides® program.

Crash Champions has grown to more than 650 I-CAR Gold Certified locations in just ten years of operation and has refurbished nearly 250 vehicles to donate to charities and people in need.

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 this NABC® Recycled Rides presentation included Affordable Auto Spa, ATE, AutoZone, The Tire Brigade Inc, Holler Honda, AutoNation Honda Clearwater, 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 training 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.