Fix Auto USA Honors Fallen Soldier and His Mother
September 2nd, 2015 by Eli P
For years, Lee Ann Smith drove an old Saab with more than 300,000 miles on it. Although it kept breaking down, she continued to drive her well-worn car for two reasons.
As the founder of a Member of Service Mom, a non-profit organization that helps locate vital resources for military veterans and service members, she needed the car to perform her volunteer work. More important, it was the last remaining material possession of her son, Andrew Tobin, a U.S. Army Sergeant who was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2011.
To ensure that Lee Ann has more reliable transportation to continue her volunteer work, Fix Auto USA hosted a tribute on September 2 to honor Andrew and his mother. During the ceremony, held in Pasadena, Fix Auto Pasadena and SCA Appraisal jointly presented Lee Ann with a refurbished 2014 Hyundai Elantra, through Recycled Rides.
Recycled Rides is a community awareness project that brings together all facets of the auto repair industry – from insurers to paint and parts suppliers, towing companies and auto body shops like Fix Auto. Working together, they refurbish cars that have been declared an economical total loss but are still structurally salvageable. Instead of selling the car, insurers and other salvage organizations donate it to a shop that participates in Recycled Rides. The shop repairs the car and hosts an event to donate the car to a local charity or recipient.
In this instance, SCA Appraisal sourced the vehicle on behalf of Recycled Rides and turned it over to Fix Auto Pasadena, who performed a safety inspection and made numerous cosmetic improvements before gifting the car to Lee Ann.
“Sergeant Tobin was admired and respected by his comrades, who looked to him for courage, strength and support on the battlefield,” said Vatche Derderian, owner-operator of Fix Auto Pasadena. “He made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, and we are proud to play a small role in supporting his mother as she carries out good works in the name of her son.”
