On Veterans’ Day 2020, AutoNation, TrueCar and Disabled American Veterans [DAV] have collaborated for their fourth annual DrivenToDrive program which provides a new vehicle – retrofitted to their needs and disability – for an injured American veteran selected as the winner from TrueCar’s DrivenToDrive contest submissions.
This year’s vehicle is a retrofitted 2020 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2, which was awarded to medically retired Air Force Senior Airman Karah Behrend in a surprise virtual ceremony at her home in Phoenix, Arizona.
The 27-year-old Behrend joined the Air Force in 2011 as a Signals Intelligence Analyst and spent nearly seven years in the military before medically retiring. She was diagnosed with RSD CRPS (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Complex Regional Pain Syndrome) that left her in a wheelchair.
Behrend is an adaptive athlete who participates in basketball and rugby Warrior Games. She also competes as an amateur rally racer. Behrend says she plans to use the vehicle to train other disabled individuals how to drive off-road with hand controls, in case they find themselves in a vulnerable situation or stuck off-road.