MEDIA CONTACT:
Alison Ilg
404.281.9806
alisonilg@nationalautobodycouncil.org
Car Presentation Took Place June 3 in Virginia Beach
MEDIA NOTE: Photos and video from the NABC Recycled Rides® Presentation are available (here)
VIRGINA BEACH, VA (June 7, 2023) – On June 3, a deserving Virginia Beach veteran experienced a life-changing event – the presentation of a vehicle to provide her independence and the ability to work and take care of her family – thanks to the National Auto Body Council Recycled Rides® program along with car donor GEICO and Elite Autobody.
The presentation was held at Kaizen Athletics in Virginia Beach. The deserving recipient was selected by the USO.
Marie Gatopoulos, who received a 2018 Hyundai Tucson, has served in the Air Force for the past five years. Later this summer, she will transition from active-duty service to the New Jersey Air Guard. Ms. Gatopoulos is planning with her one-year-old daughter for this transition in her military career and a safe, dependable vehicle that she can rely on will be a big help to her as she moves on to a new chapter in her life.
The repairs were done by Elite Autobody, the largest independently owned auto body collision center in Tidewater, with locations in Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Kilmarnock, and Hayes Virginia. Elite’s newest location at 529 J Clyde Morris Blvd Newport News 23601 donated their time and resources to make sure a 2018 Hyundai Tucson for Ms. Gatopoulos was ready for the road.
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 3,000 vehicles valued at some $42 million.
Additional partners in the NABC Recycled Rides® presentation included 1-800 Charity Cars and Enterprise, who donated a generous gift card to help Ms. Gatopoulos with fuel and maintenance costs on her new vehicle.
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 3,000 vehicles, provided extrication opportunities for over 5,000 First Responders and is helping educate students and adult drivers in communities around the country through NABC Recycled Rides®, NABC First Responder Emergency Extrication (F.R.E.E.™) and the NABC® Drive Out Distraction program. That effort equates to a 4:1 ROI in dollar value delivered from NABC® membership dollars. The National Auto Body Council® is changing the paradigm of how the collision industry works and is viewed. For more information, visit www.NationalautoBodyCouncil.org.
