Business comes to rescue after vehicles for the disabled vandalized

An unfortunate situation has had a positive outcome thanks to the help of a local business.

The Warren County Board of Developmental Disabilities was looking at a bill for about $3,000 after vandals smashed out all the windows of seven passenger vans used to transport clients.

“We were shocked,” Pete Mason, operations director for WCBDD, said of finding the damaged vehicles in July.

“The vans are used daily to transport people with developmental disabilities to their jobs and activities in the community. We couldn’t believe that someone would have vandalized them,” he said.

In that condition, the vans were unusable, Mason said, so he began calling companies for repair quotes.

“I had two proposals — one from Safelite AutoGlass, and one from another company. We were looking at about $3,000 worth of damage,” he said.

Then Mason received a call from Safelite AutoGlass employee Kelsey Profio.

“She said that Safelite AutoGlass wanted to fix all the vans’ windshields at no cost to us,” he said. “They came out and fixed all of our vans for free, on the spot.”

The two technicians who performed the work — Zach Pate and Casey Durham — said they were happy to make the repairs.

“It was a great feeling knowing that I was able to take part in turning an unfortunate situation into a positive outcome,” Pate said.

“When we help folks, it cements the bond between us, and we grow from being just another business to a valued member of the community,” said John Wagner, area sales manager for Safelite AutoGlass.

The Warren County Board of Developmental Disabilities supports more than 1,800 individuals with disabilities and their families through various programs and services.

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