The National Auto Body Council (NABC), along with Hertz, Allstate, CARSTAR Jeremiah’s Collision and Service King North OKC, recently gifted refurbished vehicles to two Oklahoma City veterans via the NABC’s Recycled Rides program.
The presentation was held in conjunction with the NABC Pars for Cars Golf Fundraiser presented by Hertz at the Golf Club of Edmond. The golf event helped raise funds for programs like Recycled Rides, and leaders from the local and national automotive industry were on hand to celebrate the veterans’ accomplishments.
“It was tremendous to see our colleagues from the collision repair industry come together to help change and save lives through the NABC Recycled Rides program,” said Clint Marlow, chairman of the NABC board of directors and claims director for Allstate. “The two veteran recipients are great role models for other military members building their lives after their service. We were proud to present them with reliable transportation that will help continue their positive life path. Many thanks to our partners who made this presentation possible.”
The veteran recipients of the Recycled Rides vehicles were:
- Keith Beverly, a U.S. Army National Guard veteran, who received a 2018 Kia Forte donated by Hertz and repaired by CARSTAR Jeremiah’s. He was selected by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Beverly served as a staff sergeant from 2011 to 2016. He has been working for the Department of Veterans Affairs for several months on the night shift. He has to ride the city bus 20 miles each way to and from work. The gift of reliable transportation will allow him to safely commute to work and care for his family and friends.
- Merinda Anderson, who served in the U.S. Army for 10 years as a firefighter and a truck driver, received a 2014 Honda Pilot. She was nominated by Honoring America’s Warriors. She was deployed in 2007-2008 as a prison guard in Iraq. After her deployment, she faced some personal challenges all while raising two wonderful young men by herself. She is now involved in several nonprofit organizations dealing with other veterans and helping them find ways to cope with everything we went through. She is also a full-time student at UCO and getting a bachelor’s degree in studio art, with an emphasis in ceramics, sculpture, and hopefully drawing. She would like to put her degree to use by showing other veterans a way to use art as a form of therapy. Having reliable transportation will allow her to continue her education, take care of her family and support other veterans in need.
The NABC is the premier organization of collision industry partners dedicated to strategic networking opportunities that positively change lives in the communities they serve. The collaborative membership of the NABC has gifted nearly 3,000 vehicles, provided extrication opportunities for nearly 5,000 first responders and is helping educate students and adult drivers in communities around the country through NABC Recycled Rides, NABC First Responder Emergency Extrication (F.R.E.E.) and the NABC Drive Out Distraction program. That effort equates to a 4:1 ROI in dollar value delivered from NABC membership dollars.
For more information, visit nationalautobodycouncil.org.
