INDIANAPOLIS — A single mom who’s been without a car for months got a new set of wheels Wednesday, and it didn't cost her a dime thanks to an auto-repair company with local ties.
Caliber Collision gifted Emiley Eaton a new car at the Northside location.
“You don’t realize how much a car means to you and how important it is until it’s taken away,” Eaton told WRTV.
Eaton got into an accident late last year, totaling her only means of reliable transportation for her and her five-year-old son.
“It means that I can go to work, it means I can make a paycheck to take care of my family. It means that I can get to doctors’ appointments and take him to school,” she told WRTV.
She works in the medical field and sometimes has 9–10-hour shifts.
Despite not having a vehicle, she still managed to get her son to school, sports, and still manage to go to school herself.
“She was able to navigate all of that on her own without a lot of help, which was awesome. It made it very easy to pick her for this opportunity,” said Paula Hayes, the family program Manager at the Concord Neighborhood Center, where Eaton’s son attends.
The center nominated Eaton to get the free car that was restored by Caliber Collision, a nationwide auto-body repair shop with locations across Central Indiana.
“She was able to navigate all of that on her own without a lot of help, which was awesome. It made it very easy to pick her for this opportunity,” said Donnie Smith, the auto-body shop’s Regional Vice President.
The car donation is a part of the National Auto Body Council's Recycled Rides program.
“I did some of the bodywork and some of the disassembly and reassembly,” explained Larry Katon, a general manager at Caliber Collision who helped work and manage the restoration. “Being able to give back to the community, I think, is huge, and I’m blessed to be a part of it.”
Through it, Caliber has partnered with them and other local nonprofits to help give away more than 600 restored cars nationwide since 2012.
