{
  "id": 9432551,
  "title": "Dunwoody students rebuild car for Navy veteran in Minneapolis",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/dunwoody-students-rebuild-car-for-navy-veteran-in-minneapolis",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-23T22:47:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "CBS News",
    "slug": "cbs-news",
    "url": "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dunwoody-veteran-recycled-rides-car/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Dunwoody College of Technology's automotive students presented a veteran, Robert Hanson, with a brand-new Hyundai Elantra on Wednesday. Collision instructor Brian Briske emphasized the significance of the gift, stating that it was about more than transportation - it was a tool to help transformation. The students had spent months refurbishing the donated Elantra through the National Auto Body Council's Recycled Rides program, after Hanson was referred to the program by Hennepin County and MAC-V.\n\nHanson, who had been without a car for two years due to multiple health issues, expressed his gratitude for the gift. \"I'm so thankful to everybody involved,\" he said. The car will allow him to shop at more reasonable places, buy in bulk, and ultimately enjoy life again. Briske added, \"Today, we aren't just giving away a set of keys, we're handing over a tool to help transformation.\"\n\nThe students' satisfaction was evident as they watched Hanson's reaction to the car. Collision student Abbie Vera commented, \"I was so happy to see that he was happy to have literally a brand-new car, and we were able to be a part of that.\" Collision student Ethan Gamm added, \"It's a project that means more than a letter grade.\" For Gamm, a veteran himself, \"It's rewarding. I love to see that kind of thing.\"\n\nThe Recycled Rides program, run by the National Auto Body Council, has distributed over 3,700 vehicles nationwide, with approximately 75% of them going to veterans and current military members.",
  "summary": "Automotive collision and refinishing students at Dunwoody College in Minneapolis rebuilt a Hyundai Elantra and gave it to Robert Hanson, a U.S. Navy veteran, through the National Auto Body Council's Recycled Rides program.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}