MEDIA CONTACT:
Dale Ross
651.207.9652
dross@nationalautobodycouncil.org
MEDIA NOTE: Photos from the NABC Recycled Rides® presentation are available HERE.
(PORT CHARLOTTE, FL) January 23, 2025– On Monday, January 20, a U.S. Army veteran, A U.S. Army Reserve veteran and a U.S Marine Corps veteran each received life-changing help – the presentation of vehicles to provide them independence and the ability to support their families. This was a joint effort of the National Auto Body Council Recycled Rides® program along with car donors Allstate, GEICO and Farmers Insurance, and local collision repair partners, CALIBER, Crash Champions and Fix Auto. The special NABC Recycled Rides® presentation took place in conjunction with the NABC Gala “The Best Is Yet to Come” Presented by Crash Champions, held in Indian Wells, California.
WHO: NABC Recycled Rides® program, along with:
Vehicle donors Allstate, GEICO and Farmers
Collision repair partners Crash Champions, CALIBER and Fix Auto
Recipients Marishia Lopez, Rafael Sierras and Hassan Degraffenreid
WHAT: NABC® and the insurance and repair partners presented fully refurbished vehicles to three deserving Palm Springs-area residents:
Marishia Rey Lynn Lopez is a married mother of three who served four years in the U.S. Army, including deployment to Afghanistan. The family lives in Indian Wells. She had been borrowing her father’s car to get to work and to transport a family member with special medical needs to frequent doctor visits, until now. This NABC Recycled Rides® 2019 Honda CRV, donated by Farmers and refurbished by Crash Champions Ontario, is already making a huge difference in her ability to work and take care of her family. Lopez was nominated for the donation by the Sy Kaplan VA Clinic.
Rafael Sierras was a member of the U.S. Army Reserve for 17 years. He lives in Redlands and is married with three children, including a newborn. Right after getting a new job, his car broke down, meaning that he had to walk a long distance to and from work or try to catch a ride with a co-worker. He is the sole provider for the family so a working car is essential for Sierras. This NABC Recycled Rides® 2020 Kia Sportage was donated by Allstate and refurbished by Fix Auto Cathedral City. He was nominated for the donation by U.S. Vets, the veteran aid organization.
Hassan Degraffenreid is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. He and his wife have five children and live in Twenty-nine Palms. In his nearly eight years in the service, he was deployed to both Kuwait and Iraq and was decorated for his service. Degraffenreid is now a civilian employee of the U.S. Marine Corps, but his job is far enough away that he must stay in San Diego during the week. His car was unreliable, and the family could not afford the repairs it needed. This NABC Recycled Rides® 2021 Hyundai Tucson SE was donated by GEICO and refurbished by CALIBER Collision Palm Springs. Degraffenreid was nominated for the donated vehicle by the Sy Kaplan VA Clinic.
“It’s an amazing moment. It’s overwhelming,” Rafael Sierras said told the media. “It’s God’s good graces, and it’s going to help us out so much to get us back-and-forth to doctors’ appointments, school, work. It’s overwhelming. It’s a blessing.”
“It’s once in a lifetime,” Lopez said. “We always think that as veterans, ‘They’re never going to give it to us. We’re 1%, so why are they going to think of us?’ Sometimes we feel like we’ve been left behind and we sacrifice so much. Today is a day, a reminder, it wasn’t all for naught.”
“I love serving my country,” Degraffenreid said. “For me it’s really important to serve my country and my community, and to receive a vehicle from my community is really good. The investment and time that I spent–to get this back–it’s really great.”
Fix Auto USA, part of the Driven Brands group of companies, is one of the largest chains of collision repair shops. Fix Auto Cathedral City has refurbished multiple vehicles for Coachella Valley residents in the past few years.
Caliber Collision with more than 1700 locations in the U.S., has refurbished more than 600 vehicles for the NABC Recycled Rides program.
Crash Champions has grown to more than 650 locations in just 10 years of operation and has refurbished nearly 120 vehicles in just the last four years that were gifted to 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.
“For many of us, getting to the grocery store, going to work or attending school is something we don’t think twice about,” explained Dale Ross, the program director for NABC Recycled Rides®. “But for these veterans, a vehicle means independence, mobility, and the ability to live their lives to the fullest.”
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.