On Jan. 16, three Palm Springs, CA-area veterans and a single mother were presented with refurbished donated vehicles, gifts certain to have an impact on the lives of these individuals in need.
The National Auto Body Council (NABC) Recycled Rides® Program made the donations possible with the help of vehicle donors Allstate, the Interinsurance Exchange of the Automobile Club of Southern California and Hertz, and collision repair partners Fix Auto Cathedral City, Fix Auto Palm Springs and Seidner’s Collision Center of Fontana and Loma Linda, which refurbished the vehicles to like-new condition.
The presentation was held at the NABC Changing and Saving Lives Golf Fundraiser Presented by Hertz at the Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort. Palm Springs Mayor Jeffrey Bernstein issued a decree naming Jan. 16 NABC Day in Palm Springs, for the many lives that have been changed there each year as part of the annual NABC Recycled Rides gifting event.
“There have been nearly 400 NABC Recycled Rides presented in California since the program was founded,” said Dale Ross, program manager for NABC Recycled Rides, at the event. “That’s 400 families and thousands of lives we have been able to positively impact in hometowns throughout the state, thanks to our members who donate and refurbish these vehicles.”
Izeyah Torres, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq, is recovered from a period of homelessness and unemployment. He went to school, learned a skill and found an apartment. Torres has a good job now. His 2019 Hyundai Elantra will make him less reliant on public transportation and the kindness of friends.
The car was donated by Allstate and repaired by Fix Auto Cathedral City. Allstate has donated more than 100 vehicles to the program and Fix Auto Cathedral City has revitalized seven of them. The Sy Kaplan VA clinic nominated Torres for the program.
Jennifer Guttierez Lopez, nominated by Variety---the Children’s Charity of the Desert, is a recent single mother of two, one of whom has special needs. Lopez is his full-time caregiver. This reliable 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe will allow her to travel to her son’s long-distance appointments and better care for her entire family.
The SUV was donated by the Interinsurance Exchange of the Auto Club of Southern California, which has donated more than 75 cars. It was refurbished by Seidner’s Collision Center of Loma Linda, the 35th time it has made a donation of the time and skills of its employees.
Miguel Ahumada, also nominated by the Sy Kaplan VA clinic, served four years in the U.S. Navy, during which time he received an award for heroism when he risked his life to save a sailor from an engine fire. He has been a stay-at-home father for his and his wife’s three children. The 2019 Hyundai Elantra he received replaces a 17-year-old unreliable vehicle.
Hertz donated the car, one of many it has contributed to NABC Recycled Rides. It was refurbished by Fix Auto Palm Springs.
Frank Abney Sr. is retired and single. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army in 1971. Abney received a 2021 Subaru Outback, donated by the Auto Club and refurbished by Seidner’s Collision Center in Fontana, to aid him in his daily activities and make it possible for him to get to appointments and grocery shopping, and to visit his son, who lives 80 miles away.
“It’s just amazing to now have a safe, working car that I can use to take my kids to school and to doctors’ appointments," said Lopez. “We love this car!"
"I appreciate everything everyone has done,” said Ahumada. “This car is going to make a big difference for my family, especially because my car is so old and not reliable. I really appreciate everyone---thank you all so much.”
“Since it became a part of NABC’s goal to change and save lives in 2007, the NABC Recycled Rides program has presented more than 3,200 vehicles to people in need,” said Deborah Robinson, executive director of the NABC. “The entire collision industry has made this possible.” She also noted nearly 75% of recipients have been veterans.
NABC Recycled Rides is a unique 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, members of the NABC have donated more than 3,200 vehicles valued at some $46 million.
Additional partners in the presentation included Cars for Charity, Advanced Remarketing Services, Copart, Midway Car Rental, Hyundai of Inland Empire, Auto Glass Master, Randy from R&R Dents, Paintless Dent Repair, Hyundai of La Quinta, Big O Tires and Dent Matters.
