Tuesday, December 3 was a very lucky day for Rossmoor resident Nathan Roundy. He won at TV Bingo and then hit the Lucky Circle drawing all during the same night. This double win was unprecedented and if you can listen carefully, you can still hear the buzz throughout the Rossmoor community! By winning the Lucky Circle drawing, Nathan and his wife Lynn Lively received a $100 gift certificate for Il Pavone restaurant in Walnut Creek, CA donated by Mike’s Auto Body

It is a rare event for one person to win both on the same night, especially when you figure that approximately one thousand players participate in TV Bingo every month.

Nathan celebrated his win with the people who all played a part of winning both. Patty Smith, Paula and Dennis Krauss, as well as Nathan’s wife, Lynn Lively. Lynn had put Bingo on “pause” while she turned on the oven for dinner.

While in the kitchen, both Lynn and Nathan’s phones rang simultaneously. Patty was calling Nathan, and Paula was calling Lynn, both shouting “You won Lucky Circle!” Call Channel 28 right now!” To win the prize, Nathan had to respond promptly and thank goodness he did.

“We are so happy to have Mike’s Auto Body as a sponsor for things like our TV Bingo and golf tournaments,” Lynn Lively said. “If anyone here gets into a fender bender, they take their vehicles to one of Mike’s locations and they know they’re an honest company.”

Mike’s Dane Dearlove is proud and pleased to be associated with Rossmoor on several levels for more than a decade. “The folks in Rossmoor are simply wonderful people,” he said. “By supporting their community with Bingo Prizes, golf tournaments, and automotive educational classes, we always feel we are supporting in ways that are special to them, and we know it is very much appreciated. This creates a special relationship for us with a group of very special people. We feel that we are blessed to have the opportunity.”

Many TV Bingo winners win gift certificates from Il Pavone restaurant that are donated by Mike’s. Restaurant Owner Nick Bigotti likes working with Mike’s for several reasons. “We went to one of their car giveaways and we thought, wow these people are amazing,” Bigotti said. “Rossmoor residents like us because they are from a generation that really values service. Participating in the Bingo pays off in many ways because our name gets mentioned the first Tuesday of every month.”

Sal Contreras, a long time member of Mike’s marketing team, has been a big part of the long relationship with Rossmoor over the years. “It’s a very fun way to spend an evening for the people at Rossmoor and we’re delighted to be sponsors of Bingo Night for the last 11 years,” Contreras said. “We appreciate the Rossmoor Community and have developed some special relationships with the people living there and it’s been a pleasure to be a part of the community. I have a personal appreciation for Rossmoor. My in-laws lived in Rossmoor for many years and my wife went to school with one of the Dollar’s granddaughters and actually played at the Dollar Ranch when it was a real ranch. I want to thank the Rose family for encouraging Mike’s Auto Body to continue to be supportive and active in the Rossmoor Community.”

About TV Bingo at Rossmoor

TV Bingo happens the first Tuesday of every month at Rossmoor on Channel 28, Rossmoor’s very own TV station. It allows people to play at home and enjoy this game whose history can be traced back to 1530. Prizes vary each month with gift cards, haircuts, dinners, manicures, jewelry, concert tickets, flowers and more.

Mike’s Auto Body added its 17^th location when it recently acquired Gil’s Body Works in Pleasanton, CA. With a goal to expand its market and strengthen its presence along the Hwy. 680 corridor, Mike’s Auto Body has long been attracted to the idea of doing business in Pleasanton, a growing area with approximately 80,000 people.

Gil’s Body Works was opened in Dublin, CA in 1988 and moved to Pleasanton in 2001. The facility is approximately 10,000 square feet in size and located in close proximity to the city’s downtown area.

The acquisition is strategic and a great match for Mike’s CEO at Mike’s Auto Body Brennan Rose said. “We were very fortunate that the people at Gil’s gave us the opportunity to sit down and discuss our company culture and keeping their family business, a family business,” he said. “It’s an ideal situation for us, because their operational standards, facility structure and employee base fit our model perfectly.”

Manager Tony Castagnetto has agreed to oversee the operations at the new location to ensure that everything keeps rolling along during the transition period. “We are confident that our new team will hit the ground running while we add our DRP partners and implement our company culture. Jeff Gil like us has a lot of long-term quality employees that we look forward to making part of Mike’s Auto Body Family.

“We would like to thank all of our people for their hard work and dedication,” Rose said. “Our amazing team has enabled us to grow and expand in our current and new markets over the years. As owners, we understand it takes a strong, focused management team and great employees to make our business successful.”

Fixing cars to their pre-accident condition since 1972, Mike Rose and his family have built Mike’s Auto Body into a 17-shop organization known for its honesty and integrity with an emphasis on exemplary customer service. With two locations in Concord and Walnut Creek and one in Lafayette, Pittsburg, Antioch, Brentwood, Richmond, Fairfield Napa San Ramon and now in Pleasanton, Mike’s Auto Body is well-known for being an outstanding business partner in every city where it serves the public.

Every year, people know that the holidays are just around the corner when Mike’s Auto Body in northern California’s East Bay starts giving cars to deserving families, individuals and non-profit organizations. This year, five recipients received completely refurbished vehicles on December 11^th at its Antioch location, as local companies worked in conjunction to make life a little easier for those less fortunate.

This marked our 19^th year of giving away cars—a total of 88 vehicles and counting.

Every year, we come across cars that are “written off” by either their owners or insurance companies. In most cases, these are older vehicles that just need some mechanical and bodywork to get them back on the roads and safe to drive. Nineteen years ago, the people at Mike’s saw that they could genuinely help people by giving them refurbished cars, so they decided to step up and that’s how the program began.

It was a rainy day, but the feeling of benevolence was in the air. After Emcee Sal Contreras made the opening invocation, there was a flag presentation by Mt. Diablo JROTC Color Guard under the direction of LTC Marvin Davis. It was followed by American the Beautiful performed by our very own bagpiper Kristopher Muse, and then the Antioch High School Band played the National Anthem under the direction of Band Director Brooke Crawford.

Other speakers included Antioch’s Mayor pro tempore Joy Motts; Marketing Manager Dane Dearlove; Farmers Insurance District Manager Daniel Brown; Senior State Farm Agent Mike Stoiber; Liberty/Safeco Claims Manager Tom Donahue; PR Consultant for CSAA Insurance Group Jason Willett; Enterprise Rent A Car Regional VP Kelly Hunt and Jason Morin from Big O Tires.

Santa Claus made a grand entrance, courtesy of the Contra Costa County Fire Fighters Station 81 led by Captain Jon Taormina. At the end of the car’s presentation, Big O Tire’s Jason Morin presented brand new bikes, tricycles and helmets, donated by Big O Tires, to all the children. It was hard to tell who was more excited, the recipients getting the cars or the kids getting the new bikes?

Dearlove made a speech that conveyed an inspirational message that resonates throughout the crowd of close to 300 attendees. “This is not about you and me,” he said. “It’s about all of us and how we can help those in need.”

Contreras has been an integral part of the program since day one, so he has seen countless peoples’ lives change with the gift of transportation. “This has become more than just a community relations program designed to generate goodwill at the local level. Everything is always donated, including the cars, parts, paint, mechanical inspections, tires, and one full year of insurance. Our body and paint technicians donate their time and skills and they look forward to doing it every year. CSAA Insurance Group, Farmers Insurance, State Farm Insurance, Liberty/Safeco Insurance and Enterprise Rent A Car participated this year in our December presentation by donating a “written off” vehicle that will be given away to a deserving family.”

Benevolence has become an annual rite for Mike Rose, his family and his employees, and they never get tired of it. “We feel extremely fortunate to be involved with such an amazing program and are excited to be able to give back to all of the communities that have supported us for the past 47 years,” Rose said. “Being in the collision repair business for as long as we have, repairing the vehicles is the easiest part, but having to select a recipient is the part that’s always hard. After getting hundreds of applications over the years and reading all of the heartbreaking stories, we only wish that we could do so much more. But hopefully with the increased publicity of our Benevolence Program, other shops will adopt a program like ours.”

The five recipients included Marianela Reyes, sponsored by the Hemophilia Foundation of Northern California, received a 2011 Toyota Camry that was donated by Farmers Insurance and refurbished by the crew Mike’s North Broadway location led by Managers Erica Randall & Sam Arvizu.

Now she can take the car to her son Luis to his medical appointments as well as transport her other children to school and other events. Reyes exclaimed when the car cover came off to reveal the Camry. “I will never ride the bus again!”

Sophia Martinez, sponsored by Shepherd’s Gate of Brentwood, received a 2012 Kia Optima donated by State Farm Insurance and refurbished by the crew at Mike’s Pittsburg location under the direction of Managers Angelina Yuen & Kent Osborn. Her two grandkids live with her and now all of their lives will be so much easier now with their Optima. When Martinez saw new bikes for her grandchildren, she teared up for just a moment. “Who are these people that do this for others? I can’t believe this!”

Melissa Lilly, sponsored by Ujima Family Recovery Services, received a 2016 Subaru Forrester donated by Liberty Mutual/Safeco and refurbished by the crew at Mike’s Concord VDM location led by Managers Kristen Fade and Tony Castagnetto. A widower with three children ages 4-11 Lilly can now pursue bigger and better things after receiving the gift of transportation, she said. “This car looks brand new!”

Rob A. Luis, sponsored by Turner East County Students/Special Needs Children Program, received a 2017 Toyota Camry, donated by CSAA Insurance and refurbished by the crew at Mike’s Fremont Street location under the direction of Managers Stacey Perkins & Nick Throne. Luis will no longer have to ride his bicycle up to 30 miles daily to and from his two jobs. “I’m inspired by this generous gift and will continue to pay it forward in every way I can,” he said with more than a dozen friends and relatives on hand to celebrate.

Janice Garrison, sponsored by Sparkpoint Contra Costa Shelter Inc., received a 2019 Nissan Sentra, donated by Enterprise Rent a Car and refurbished by the crew at Mike’s Antioch location led by Managers Cheryl Arvizu and James Maltbie. A single mom with three energetic daughters ages 1-7 (Amyrah, Aulani and Armani) Garrison is ready for her new car and a new life. “People don’t know unless they lose their transportation. Thank God for people like Sal and all of the other people at Mike’s Auto Body.”

Local companies that donated products and services include as Precision Brake Front End, MAB Towing, Big O Tires O’Reilly Auto Parts Antioch, FinishMaster, Keystone/LKQ, Concord Mitsubishi, Delta Dealer Services, Walnut Creek Toyota, Dent King, MM Star Smog, D & H Auto, MAB Towing, PPG Automotive Refinishing, Four Corners 76 Station, Pacific Rims, TechZone, Concord Nissan, Antioch Nissan, ServiceMaster Restoration Services, Geronimo’s Detail Toyota Walnut Creek, Lexus of Concord, Mel’s Dent Removal and Albany Subaru.