US Army Veteran Receives Moving Gift at RCR Veterans Coffee Event

National Auto Body Council

On the second Wednesday of each month, Richard Childress Racing hosts a Veterans Coffee event, connecting veterans to resources necessary for their livelihood and well-being. On Wednesday, October 8, the event also served as the location of a moving gesture towards one Charlotte native.

The National Auto Body Council (NABC) Recycled Rides program presented United States Army veteran Tiwanna Kaiser with a refurbished 2020 Chevrolet Malibu, donated by Allstate and Maaco of Greensboro, NC.

“I was really surprised, I really was not expecting all of this, and I’m just grateful,” said Kaiser.  “I think this is awesome and I’m just happy to see that people care about us.  When you join the military, they make you think once you come home, everybody will be so happy for you, there will be jobs waiting for you and it’s just wasn’t happening like that.  We just never felt like anybody cared.”

Kaiser served in the United States Army from 1989 to 1997. She is a mother of three and grandmother of six, born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio.

After moving south in 2011, seeking a better life for her family, Kaiser enrolled at Johnson C. Smith University in 2019 with the goal of earning a degree in Social Work. However, she was hosptialized for seven days during the COVID-19 pandemic, and suffered the loss of her daughter shortly thereafter.

Her home was sold shortly after that, giving her just 30 days to vacate. She spent part of this time without a home, living in hotels or her car before entering a women's shelter with her youngest son and grandson.

Despite these challenges, Kaiser persevered and maintained her commitment to her education. Kaiser graduated in 2023 with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies.

Along with the 2020 Chevrolet Malibu, Kaiser also received a $500 gift card from Richard Childress Racing to assist in purchasing gas for the vehicle.

“Our goals at Maaco are to help those around us and those we have the opportunity to meet and impact in the most positive way,” said Phil Collins, who owns multiple Maaco locations in North Carolina, including the Greensboro location that refurbished the vehicle.

“Allstate really loves giving back to our community and this event today really specializes what we do for veterans who bravely served our country,” said Jim Glenn, Director of Claims, Total Loss Delivery for Allstate.  “Truly Tiwanna [Kaiser] is a deserving individual and on behalf of all the local Allstate Good Hands people we are glad to have donated this vehicle to help as she moves ahead.” 

Kaiser was nominated by Veterans Bridge Home, which is a committed advocate for service members, veterans and their families in the Carolinas to create stronger communities one veteran at a time.

The NABC Recycled Rides program offers businesses representing all facets of the collision repair industry an opportunity to team up and repair vehicles to donate 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.