The U.S. Bureau of Transportation estimates that more than 15 million Americans have difficulty getting the transportation they need. But thanks to the National Auto Body Council (NABC) and its Recycled Rides program, two Florida families will no longer be part of that statistic. On May 17, those two families received the gift of reliable transportation during the CCC Industry Conference at the Sawgrass Marriott in Jacksonville, Fla.
Recycled Rides is a national initiative through which NABC members refurbish donated vehicles and gift them to families in need and organizations dedicated to assisting others.
Each Recycled Rides event is local in focus, and the program works with charities in specific geographic areas to find qualified recipients needing vehicles to help them continue leading productive lives. Both recipient families are graduates of Family Promise of Jacksonville, a non-profit interfaith network that provides support to families in crisis.
The Florida Autobody Collision Alliance (FACA) was responsible for getting the shops involved and securing the cars, which were made available by GEICO and Allstate. FACA Executive Director Cathy Mills, a Recycled Rides committee member, headed up the effort, and NABC members Sterling Autobody Centers and Sunbeam Auto Body worked in conjunction with FACA to refurbish the vehicles.
One of the families is the McWhite family, comprised of single parent mom, Delphia, and her two daughters. Unable to complete high school, and without a driver’s license, Delphia had experienced difficulty finding the kind of work that would allow her to support her family. Relying on public transportation for doctor’s visits and transporting her children to other important appointments proved to be additional hardships. During her time with Family Promise, Delphia completed her GED, obtained her driver’s license, found subsidized housing and secured a job with her daughter’s day care, allowing the family to move into their own apartment. In addition to making life less stressful and more productive, the refurbished vehicle will assist Delphia in her goal of pursuing a degree in business administration at Florida State College.
The Riddle family is headed by Dan, who maintained a home in Arlington for 15 years while he held various warehousing jobs. After injuring his arm on the job, he couldn’t work for 15 months as he underwent surgery and rehabilitation. When he could work again, he was unable to return to his old position, so he took a job as a versatile handyman with a home remodeling/construction company.
When the economy took a turn for the worse, Dan lost his house as a result of insufficient work. He and his son were accepted into the Family Promise program, where Dan continued to look for work and eventually met a volunteer who helped him secure an inventory control position with the southeast distributor for 7-UP/Snapple more than a year ago. He and his son now reside in a mobile home close to his place of employment, and he hopes someday to move into a new house with his son. The family’s Recycled Ride came into their life at just the right time, as their old car’s transmission had recently given out.
“The McWhites and Riddles are just two of the 150 families who will receive the gift of reliable transportation from Recycled Rides this year,” said Recycled Rides Co-Chairman and Sterling Autobody Centers President Nick Notte. “That’s 150 families who will receive the opportunity to make better lives for themselves through the intra-industry efforts of the program. I’m grateful to be part of a project that clearly illustrates the giving nature of NABC members and the collision repair industry in general.”
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