NABC and industry partners honor veterans with largest single-day vehicle giveaway

In the largest, single-day car giveaway ever, the National Auto Body Council, with partners including Progressive and Enterprise, presented 117 military veterans across the country with refurbished vehicles today, in honor of Veterans Day.

Spearheaded by Progressive Group of Insurance Companies, the second annual Keys to Progress is part of the National Auto Body Council’s Recycled Rides program, a collision industry collaboration to repair and donate vehicles. The 117 vehicles in this year’s Keys to Progress is nearly double the 59 vehicles donated from Progressive’s program last year.

Most of the vehicles for this year’s event were provided by Progressive, Insurance Auto Auctions and Copart.

“We are beyond excited,” said Chris Andreoli, corporate claims process director with Progressive. “It is amazing and humbling to see the sacrifices veterans have made and in our little way be able to give something back that can have a big impact on their lives.”

NABC member repair facilities donated time and resources to repair the vehicles; Enterprise Rent-A-Car donated six months of insurance for each of the 117 recipients’ 1-800 Charity Cars handled vehicle titling; VFWs across the country identified recipients and VRC Investigations vetted the candidates. 

“These gifts of transportation will make a significant impact in the lives of these service men and women who have sacrificed much for our country. This grand-scale generosity from so many of our members truly exemplifies the professionalism and integrity of our collision industry,” says Nick Notte, President of the National Auto Body Council. “As an organization, the NABC wants to focus on initiatives that do a really good job of highlighting our member action to show they are stand-up citizens and businesses that care about their communities and are trying to do the right thing. The NABC pulls from the industry for the good of the industry. We always want to make sure the good things happening in our industry are recognized by the community.”

“Being part of Keys to Progress for the second year in a row and giving back to our local communities is a great honor for Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Keys to Progress is a natural fit, allowing us to work with our partners at Progressive, NABC and others that have a shared value in serving our military members,” said Mary Mahoney, Vice President, Insurance Replacement Division, Enterprise Holdings.  “In addition, we have long been a partner of NABC’s Recycled Rides program, providing vehicles to the program and further extending our efforts to give back at the local level. The reach that Keys to Progress makes by bringing all of these partners together is impressive and we are thrilled to be a part of it.”

Since the inception of Recycled Rides in 2007, NABC members have donated more than 1,000 vehicles to deserving individuals and nonprofit organizations. NABC estimates close to $4 million worth of vehicles will be donated in 2014.

NABC thanks the following shops for their participation in the 2014 Keys to Progress giveaway.

NABC will also be celebrating its 20^th anniversary with a gala at Spencer’s on the Mountain on Tuesday, Jan. 13 in Palm Springs, Calif., just before the start of the CIC meeting.