On Wednesday, October 9, a veteran in need from High Point, North Carolina, experienced a life-changing event – the presentation of a vehicle to provide him independence and the ability to take care of his family – thanks to the National Auto Body Council Recycled Rides program, Allstate, Sherwin Williams, and Maaco. The presentation is part of a monthly event where Richard Childress Racing, in partnership with the charity Veterans Bridge Home, provides breakfast for more than 250 North Carolina veterans through their program “Veterans Coffee.”
Veterans Coffee has been a core component to Richard Childress Racing for nearly a decade. Veterans Bridge Home has trusted RCR in partnering and hosting this once-a-month event to help connect veterans to resources imperative to their livelihood and well-being. What started off with around 75 veterans has expanded into approximately 800 veterans being hosted in a banquet hall. Through coffee and social connections, veterans are connected with resources that are otherwise unavailable or hard to come by.
Allstate donated the vehicle, which was refurbished at Maaco South Boulevard in Charlotte, North Carolina, with the help of Solutions Works and Auto Glass Now. Sherwin Williams, NABC member and sponsor of Richard Childress Racing, sponsored the event.
During the event, a 2020 Chevy Equinox was presented to Keith Bracken, a Marine Corps veteran who was nominated by Veterans Bridge Homes. Bracken, a High Point resident, served in the United States Marine Corps from August 2006 to October 2015. During that time, he was a ground electronics transmission systems maintainer and a martial arts instructor. Bracken deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan, serving his nation during a time of war. Due to his commendable service, Bracken received multiple military awards including the Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, Afghanistan and Iraqi Campaign Medals, and many others. Upon exiting the Marine Corps, he moved to North Carolina with his wife and three children. Unfortunately, his wife was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes shortly after their son was born and recently died. Throughout his struggles, Bracken has displayed the true integrity of being a veteran, by putting others before himself and sacrificing for those he loves. He currently walks four miles a day to work to provide for his family, and relies on neighbors/friends to get his kids to school due to lack of transportation. The gift of this vehicle will allow Bracken to drive to work, and take his kids to school, as there is no bus transportation where he lives.
Additional partners in the NABC Recycled Rides presentation include Cars for Charity, Advanced Remarketing Services, Copart, Solution Works, which provided paintless dent repair, and Auto Glass Now, which provided windshield replacement.