Car Craft Auto Body of Chesterfield, Mo., and GEICO donated a refurbished vehicle to a deserving St. Louis veteran on Sept. 18 through the National Auto Body Council (NABC) Recycled Rides program.
The recipient, Joey Powell, received a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu and will now have the ability to work and take care of his family. Powell served on active duty in the U.S. Army for 10 years, with deployments to Kuwait, Kosovo and Iraq. He also served in the National Guard, and retired in 2019 at the rank of staff sergeant. Powell is married with two children. He is challenged with PTSD from his service, and his wife struggles with health issues as well. His old car was in poor condition and was unreliable, which made it hard to get to work, medical appointments and family activities.
“As a proud husband, father and soldier, it hurts me to have to ask others for assistance,” said Powell. “A reliable vehicle will not only offer our family safe transportation but also peace of mind. It will also free us from the financial burden of ongoing, costly maintenance on our old vehicle. I can’t say thank you enough to everyone who helped make this happen.”
The presentation was held at Car Craft Auto Body, and Powell was selected as the recipient by H.E.R.O.S. Care.
“We at Car Craft Auto Body are honored and grateful to be a part of such a wonderful program called NABC Recycled Rides,” said Jenny Kinner, office manager for Car Craft Auto Body. “Each donated and refurbished vehicle is as special as the next one. We can’t thank Joey enough for his service in the military. We hope he enjoys driving his new 2016 Chevrolet Malibu as much as we enjoyed repairing it for him.”
Added NABC President and CEO Bill Garoutte, “We share our gratitude for Joey Powell’s service, and thank him for his many contributions in the military. We are honored to partner with GEICO and Car Craft Auto Body Chesterfield to present this refurbished vehicle to Mr. Powell and his family.”
NABC Recycled Ride is a 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 Recycled Rides in 2007, NABC members have donated more than 2,500 vehicles valued at more than $36 million.
Additional partners in the NABC Recycled Rides presentation included 1-800 Charity Cars, Enterprise, JDL Auto Transport, Cooper Color, Weir Parts Center and PPG.
