MEDIA CONTACT:
Dale Ross
651.207.9652
dross@nationalautobodycouncil.org
The NABC Recycled Rides® Presentation Took Place Recently in Windsor, Connecticut
PORT CHARLOTTE, FL (February 19, 2025) – On February 13, Veterans Base Camp, which provides meals, counseling and other services to veterans, received a gift that will dramatically help the organization meet its mission — the presentation of a fully refurbished vehicle – thanks to the National Auto Body Council Recycled Rides® program along with car donor insurance partner Travelers and collision repair partner Crash Champions.
The vehicle, a 2018 Ford Escape SE, was donated by Travelers and refurbished by technicians at Crash Champions-East Hartford. The presentation took place at the Travelers training center in Windsor, Connecticut.
Veterans Base Camp is based in Chaplin, Connecticut. The men and women of Veterans Base Camp provide support to veterans, first responders–many who are veterans as well– and their families, and those at risk in the community. The organization delivers food to those who are homebound or in hospice and provides counseling and travel to medical appointments and sobriety meetings. Until now, the Veterans Base Camp has been paying for rideshares or using volunteers in their private vehicles to provide transportation services to those in need. The NABC Recycled Rides® donated vehicle is already providing a way to take veterans to more appointments and group activities and other healthy outings.
Crash Champions, which has grown to more than 650 locations in just 10 years of operation, has refurbished nearly 250 vehicles that were then gifted to charities and people in need.
“Travelers has partnered with Recycled Rides for over a decade,” noted Michael Shepherd, Travelers claim product manager. “We are deeply committed to the communities where we do business, supporting organizations and initiatives that are helping to provide opportunity. So far, we have donated more than 70 vehicles through NABC Recycled Rides.”
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 David’s Custom Repair, Executive Detail, Tolland Automotive, Tires International-Manchester, Alloy Wheel Repair, LKQ, Autozone, Packer Norris, 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 https://nationalautobodycouncil.org/.
