On Patriot Day, Sept. 11, the National Auto Body Council® held a special NABC Recycled Rides® presentation to honor two families of fallen first responders and a military member and provide them reliable transportation. The event was hosted by Enterprise Rent-A-Car and made possible by car donors Allstate, Farmers Insurance® and Nationwide Insurance and repair partners Schaefer Autobody Centers, Crash Champions and Caliber Collision, along with support from Evercoat.
The presentation was held at Boone Valley Golf Club in Augusta, MO. Following the golf fundraiser, players and guests gathered for the heartwarming presentation for the military and first responder families.
“We are pleased to provide needed vehicles to these St. Louis area families,” said Deborah Robinson, executive director of the NABC. “Working with our members and partners and presenting the gifts of reliable transportation to these three families is core to our mission. We are very thankful for their service and sacrifices and are honored to help them along their path. We wish them continued success.”
Two deserving recipients were selected by The Backstoppers, Inc. Police Officers and Firefighters Fund, and the third by the Soldier and Family Readiness Group.
Sue Reifschneider, nominated by The Backstoppers, received a 2018 Kia Forte LX donated by Allstate and repaired by Schaefer Autobody Centers, a member of the Quality Collision Group. Her current vehicle is unreliable and in the repair shop most of the time. Reifschneider must rely on family and friends for rides to work and doctor’s appointments. She is the widow of St. Louis County Police Officer James Reifschneider, who was killed in the line of duty when he was struck by a motorist while conducting a traffic stop. Sue raised their three wonderful children as a single mother. One of her children serves in law enforcement and one of her grandchildren serves in emergency medical services.
Cheryl Branson, nominated by Backstoppers, received a 2021 Subaru Forester donated by Nationwide and repaired by Caliber Collision. She needs worry-free transportation to work, since her current vehicle has left her stranded multiple times. Branson is the widow of St. Louis Metropolitan Police Officer James W. Branson Jr., who died in the line of duty as the result of injuries sustained several days prior in an auto accident while in pursuit of a stolen vehicle.
Jorden Johnson, nominated by the Soldier and Family Readiness Group for Bravo Company, 1-138th Infantry, received a 2016 Fiat 500X Trekking donated by Farmers and repaired by Crash Champions. Johnson is a private first class in the Missouri Army National Guard and he needs a vehicle to maintain his job at General Motors and continue to serve the Guard. Johnson has a young family and dependable transportation will help him to continue to provide for his family.
“We’re a family business dedicated to giving back to our community, and this is one of the many ways we work to help those in need,” said Scott Schaefer, second-generation owner of Schaefer Autobody. “It’s an honor for our team to work on refurbishing a vehicle to help a first responder family who has sacrificed for our community. We’re proud to be able to support them.”
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 NABC Recycled Rides program in 2007, members of the NABC have donated nearly 3,200 vehicles valued at some $46 million.
Additional partners in the NABC Recycled Rides presentation include 1-800 Charity Cars, Evercoat, Longhouse Inventory Solutions, Bommarito, Yancey, Dent Wizard, Sick Tint, Onsite Wheels, Lou Fusz and University Subaru.
Source: NABC
Abby Andrews