Duncan Autobody partners with Keystone Opportunity Center for Recycled Rides

Once inside the Duncan Autobody repair shop on Route 313 in East Rockhill Township, you know you’re in a quality business. The floors and reception area are open, bright and tidy. Floors inside the shop are spotless. Tools are neatly tucked away, and everyone is suited up in Carstar Duncan Autobody Repair shirts.

Reliable transportation – our own wheels – is something we often take for granted.

But having an independent way to get to work, run errands, take our children and ourselves to doctor’s appointments or out for an afternoon movie matinee, can make the difference between living a full independent life, or struggling with each day’s demands.

Duncan Autobody, a Legacy Autobody Group company made a single mother’s life a lot easier on May 22.

Duncan partnered with Keystone Opportunity Center in Souderton and Geico Insurance Company to provide a donated car through the Recycled Rides National Council program to Kristen, who lives in Norristown with her three young children: Jordan, 6, Brooklyn, 4 and Kane, 2.

But it was Duncan staff that did the hands-on priming and replacing, fitting and contouring to transform an otherwise scrap-yard car for a new family.

Duncan Manager Chris Moser said the vehicle with 61,000 clocked miles on the odometer, has “a lot of life left.”

The 2008 silver Ford Taurus was involved in a car accident, but did not sustain major damage that would have rendered it unusable.

The repair bill tally exceeded the value of the car.

“That’s why it came to us. It wasn’t un-repairable, it’s just the cost of the repairs would have exceeded the value of the car, and the insurance company totaled it,” Moser explained.

Keys to the shiny Taurus with light gray interior were passed to a broadly smiling Kristen at a morning event, also attended by Geico representatives at the East Rockhill Township facility.

“I just started a full time job at Walmart and having the car will make things much easier to get the kids to their appointments and baby sitter. I am so grateful,” Kristen said.

Elizabeth Bertolet, Keystone housing case manager and supervisor, said independent transportation can make the difference between working or being unemployed and is often a huge factor in where a person can look for work as well as the type of work they can secure.

“We found Duncan through our network,” Bertolet said, of how the pieces stitched together.

Kristen was being served by Keystone and Duncan was within the Bucks/Montgomery geography available and sourced by Keystone.

Legacy is owned by partners Matt DeWalt and Eric and Mike Horvath.

They operate four locations: Duncan Quakertown and Allentown and Scott’s Collision Center in Easton and Stroudsburg.

This is Legacy Autobody Group’s third car rehabilitation, but the first for the Duncan Quakertown shop in East Rockhill Township.

“Our shops are community based, and we want to give back to the community. Our fathers started the business in 1971, so we are the second generation,” Mike Horvath said.

Inside the Duncan shop, after the unveiling, Moser said “the credit for this really goes to our guys. They did all the work and [used] the elbow grease.”

To help or make a donation contact Keystone Opportunity Center at 215.723.5430 or visit the website at www.keystoneopportunity.org.