CARSTAR Auto Body Repair Experts announced that it, along with Farmers Insurance, will present a restored Chevrolet Malibu to Kansas City native and military veteran Justin Padelli on Thursday, March 19, 2015 at 2 p.m. at CARSTAR Metcalf. The presentation is made possible through the National Auto Body Council’s (NABC) Recycled Rides program.

Padelli served in the Air Force as a munitions specialist, maintaining, storing, building and delivering munitions to the B2 aircraft. He was stationed at Whiteman AFB in Missouri. After two years of service, he was granted an honorable discharge to take care of his two-year old daughter, Maddison, of whom he has sole custody.

Padelli’s divorce and subsequent custody battle left him struggling financially. In spite of that, he is focused on creating a positive future for himself and his daughter. Today, he is in school as a full-time student at Johnson County Community College. He has been getting by with an unreliable pickup truck for transportation. The heater and air conditioning do not function properly, and the truck needs tires and is a gas guzzler, consuming much of his income at the pump. He also worries about the fact that his truck does not have safety harness hooks for Maddison’s car seat, leaving him only the seatbelt to secure it.

Thanks to CARSTAR and the NABC, Padelli will soon have a newer, more dependable car that will help him save money, relieve his worries about his daughter’s safety and provide peace of mind that he won’t be stranded with her in the car.