National Auto Body Council Closes Out 2025 with Vehicle Donations
The National Auto Body Council Recycled Rides Program closed out 2025 with a flurry of donations during the holidays.
On Monday, Dec. 22, U.S. Air Force Veteran Mark Knowlton received a 2025 Honda Accord at the University of Wisconsin’s Kohl Center in Madison. After leaving the military, Mark went on to work for Motorola, working two-way communications for 22 years and then worked radio communications with the Baltimore Ravens for ten years. Unfortunately, he found himself without permanent housing or a vehicle.
Reliable transportation is something that most people take for granted until they are in a position where they must go without it. Without transportation, usually friends must take time out of their day to drive him to appointments and other errands. Knowlton also has a teenage grandson who lives an hour and a half away who he would love to spend more time with as their relationship is close.
"It's kind of tough being homeless without a car,” said Knowlton. “It's kind of tough to get to appointments, to see family and stuff, so they say, ‘we’ve got this opportunity for you, if you've got a clean driving record, we can get you hooked up with a car’. We went through the whole process. It was a little nerve-wracking for me, because I am, that's the way I am, but we got it done."
The vehicle was donated by American Family and refurbished by Gerber’s Collison & Glass.
On Tuesday, Dec. 16, Recycled Rides delivered a 2023 GMC Sierra to U.S. Army Veteran Matt Spang and a 2024 Toyota Highlander to U.S. Air Force Veteran Keith Proctor at Crash Champions in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Spang began his military service in August 2006 at the age of 20, enlisting as a 12B Combat Engineer. He deployed to Iraq in 2008-2009 and again to Afghanistan in 2011. During his deployment to Helmand Province, hesurvived three separate IED blasts. The final incident occurred on December 7, 2011, when his vehicle was struck by two roadside bombs. He was evacuated to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX, where he underwent a bilateral below-the- knee amputation. After two years of intensive rehabilitation, Matt medically retired from the U.S. Army on November 21, 2013. Today, Matt is a devoted husband to his wife, Janelle. Matt is also a dedicated stay-at-home father to his stepson and daughter.
Proctor is a U.S. Air Force combat veteran who served his country honorably, was wounded in battle, and now is beginning a second career. He is attending school to become a software engineer. Proctor is a solo father of four. In his spare time, he works as a personal trainer and a boxing coach for youth that do not have a father present in their life. Proctor also describes himself as a youth football coach.
Both vehicles were donated by USAA and refurbished by Crash Champions.
On Wednesday, Dec. 17, Melinda Thomas received a 2020 Honda CR-V EX in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She is a single mother of two children in need of a vehicle to commute safely to work and care for her special needs child. She has been limited in her ability to transport her children to school and therapy due to unreliable transportation. Thomas is also limited by the current cost of a newer vehicle, in addition to the cost of the services needed to care for her children. The vehicle will help Thomas start college classes as she looks to further her career in the medical industry.
The vehicle was donated by Geico and refurbished by Faulkner Collision Center.
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 National Auto Body Council have donated more than 3,500 vehicles valued at some $51 million.