Recently, three Orlando-area women and their families experienced a life-changing event – the presentation of reliable transportation to help them get to work, school and family activities.

It was part of the 2023 Driven Brands Collision Conference at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center, featuring the ABRA, CARSTAR and Fix Auto USA collision repair networks.

Through the National Auto Body Council Recycled Rides program, GEICO donated all three vehicles, CARSTAR Collimotive refurbished two of them and CARSTAR Superior Auto Body refurbished one. ABRA, represented by Jerry’s ABRA, and Fix Auto USA, represented by Fix Auto Fort Myers, which don’t have repair locations in the area, helped stuff the trunks with much-needed items such as car seats, gas cards and gift cards for the recipients and their families.

The National Auto Body Council has had a long partnership with CARSTAR, ABRA and Fix Auto USA, collectively presenting more than 225 NABC Recycled Rides vehicles to military members, veterans and families in need.

“What an incredible experience to partner with CARSTAR, ABRA and Fix Auto USA to collectively present these vehicles to these families in need,” said Damien Reyna, COO, U.S. Collision, Driven Brands. “Many thanks to GEICO for donating these vehicles and to our partners for providing parts, materials and support for the restoration process. We strive to give back in our communities, and this is a milestone event.”

Team members and conference guests from NABC, GEICO, CARSTAR Collimotive, CARSTAR Superior Auto Body, Fix Auto USA and ABRA gathered on the hotel lawn to present three beautifully refurbished vehicles to three Orlando women:

• Knaicare Perry, who was nominated by Family Promise of Greater Orlando, received a 2021 Honda CRV donated by GEICO and refurbished by CARSTAR Collimotive. She is a single mother with children ages 4, 6 and 8. She works at Dominion Outsourcing as a Medicare advisor to care for her family. She struggles with an unreliable car that is in poor condition, and the gift of a vehicle would help her continue to get to work, take the children to school and activities and pursue additional work with services like DoorDash and Uber.

• Zahnea Harris, who was selected by Jobs Partnership of Orlando, is a hard-working mother and grandmother who received a 2021 Nissan Versa donated by GEICO and refurbished by CARSTAR Collimotive. She moved to Orlando from Texas to escape a traumatic situation to establish a new life. She is a mother of three children, and cares for her twin 1-year-old grandchildren and her 14-year-old child. She recently graduated from the Jobs Partnership LifeWorks program, and Zahnea works at Walt Disney World as a housekeeper at Port New Orleans hotel. She loves her job, but takes a two-hour bus ride or Uber to get to work, and commutes on public transportation with her family to appointments and shopping. She is known for her resilience and determination, and her goal is to return to school for additional training so she can work her way up to leadership. Having reliable transportation allows her to spend more time with her children, get to work on time and start additional training in school.

• Marie Bromfield, who was nominated by Family Promise of Greater Orlando, received a 2022 Hyundai Sonata donated by GEICO and refurbished by CARSTAR Superior Auto Body. She is a young woman who is the guardian and caretaker for her siblings, ages 16 and 17. She works at Windermere HomeCare, where she handles Direct Support Care for patients. Her job requires a vehicle to take her clients to appointments and outings, and she also has to get her siblings to school, work and activities. Her current vehicle is very unreliable, and that puts her job in jeopardy. Sometimes, she has had to use Uber to take care of her duties, which cuts into her already overwhelming household expenses. A reliable vehicle is essentially her lifeline and she is the lifeline for her siblings. The gift of transportation will ease her stress, help her keep her job and care for her siblings.

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 3,200 vehicles valued at some $46 million.

Additional partners in the NABC Recycled Rides presentation include Drive-N-Style, AsTech, Co-part, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Airport Towing and 1-800 Charity Cars.