The National Auto Body Council (NABC) recently donated refurbished vehicles to four deserving Las Vegas families, including three veterans, via its Recycled Rides program. Others involved included car donors Farmers Insurance, GEICO, Travelers and USAA and collision repair partners Caliber Collision, CARSTAR and Gerber Collision & Glass.

The presentation was held at the new United Way of Southern Nevada facility. The recipients were selected by U.S. VETS of Las Vegas, Forgotten Not Gone and Family Promise of Las Vegas.

“What an honor to be here at the United Way of Southern Nevada to present these four deserving Las Vegas families with the gift of reliable transportation,” said Bill Garoutte, president and CEO of the NABC. “A special thank you to our three veterans who received cars today for their service. We could not have done this without the support of our insurance members and collision repair partners, and appreciate their many contributions. Thank you, as well, to President Julian High and the United Way of Southern Nevada for being our host.”

The recipients included:

• Adam Amrod, who served in the U.S. Navy from 1999 to 2003 and received a 2019 Jeep Cherokee Latitude that was donated by USAA Insurance and repaired by Caliber – Salt Lake City. Amrod, who was selected by Forgotten Not Gone, received the Good Conduct Medal/ Flag Level Letter of Commendation, Commanding Officer Letter of Commendation, Commanding Officer Certificate of Appreciation and United States Air Force Certificate of Appreciation during his service. Amrod’s business was impacted due to the pandemic, and when his 2006 Volkswagen Passat broke down completely, he wasn’t able to find employment without transportation. The presentation of a reliable vehicle will allow him to return to work and independence.
• David Browning, who served in the U.S. Army from 1969 to 1971 and received a 2018 Hyundai Sonata that was donated by Farmers Insurance and refurbished by the team at Caliber Summerlin. Browning was selected by U.S. VETS. He came to U.S VETS for housing assistance while he worked to find employment in Las Vegas. He is looking for work in logistics, and the gift of reliable transportation will be a great addition to his journey of getting back on his feet.
• Darnel Dorsey, who served in the U.S. Army from 1984 to 2004 and received a 2018 Hyundai Elantra that was donated by GEICO and repaired by Gerber Collision & Glass – Henderson. Dorsey was selected by U.S. VETS. Dorsey served as a cargo specialist and was deployed as part of Operation Desert Storm, retiring after 20 years of service. Dorsey came to U.S. VETS for housing assistance, and continues to volunteer with the program. The gift of reliable transportation will allow him to become an active member in the community and assist his two older sisters (who are 70 and 75 years old).
• Devin and Tamika Jaskiewicz, who received a 2019 Toyota Corolla that was donated by Travelers and refurbished by CARSTAR Collision Masters. The Jaskiewicz family was selected by Family Promise. With three young children, juggling child care, daily activities and their jobs on the opposite sides of town are challenging. Then, Devin’s vehicle was totaled in December 2020, and the family had to borrow a family member’s vehicle to get around. The gift of reliable transportation will provide them freedom and relieve their burden of relying on others.

Recycled Rides 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 the program in 2007, NABC members have donated more than 2,750 vehicles valued at more than $38 million.

Additional partners in the presentation include United Way of Southern Nevada, 1.800 Charity Cars, LKQ and Keystone.