Santa Presents Veteran Gift of Wheels

A veteran from Omaha received an early Christmas gift when Santa awarded him keys to a 2008 Honda Accord at a ceremony on December 6. Howard Perry, a Marine veteran and UNO student, was chosen by the Nebraska VFW to receive a Recycled Rides™ from CARSTAR Auto Body.

Perry said the gift of the Honda is a real blessing for his family which includes three children under six years. The marine veteran is majoring in cyber security at UNO and is employed at an internship at an Omaha business. Perry’s current vehicle is unsafe due to mechanical issues, miles and age. The veteran has been borrowing cars from friends to get to school and work for the last several months.

Recycled Rides™ is a community service program of the National Auto Body Council where body shops repair and donate vehicles to agencies and families in need.

The Honda Accord was donated by State Farm Insurance. Technicians at Northwest CARSTAR volunteered their skills to repair and refurbish the Honda. Other vendors that provided donations of parts and services were Honda Cars of Bellevue, LKQ, Keystone, 3Bs Towing, Auto Tech, Auto Zone, Nebraska Frame and Alignment, and Omaha Car Care.

CARSTAR partnered with the Nebraska VFW to find a recipient. Interested veterans were required to fill out an application and go through an interview process. The key presentation ceremony also featured the Air Force ROTC Color Guard from Detachment 470 from UNO.

The Omaha CARSTAR locations take turns repairing salvage vehicles each year for the Recycled Rides™ program. This is the first year CARSTAR has partnered with the Nebraska VFW.