U.S. Marine Corps veteran and current art student Dani Figueroa of Alexandria speaks at the Springfield Progressive Service Center and receives a donated Toyota Rav4. Photo by Tim Peterson.
When Alexandria resident Dani Figueroa left the U.S. Marine Corps after being injured during a tour in Afghanistan, she said, “I knew I was different, I had changed.”
In addition to recovering from her physical wounds, the veteran also struggled with other conceptual, personal conflicts. “What is winning, what’s my purpose?” she asked.
Figueroa found solace and direction in art, specifically the 296 Project, an Arlington-based organization offering art and expressive therapies to help people heal from traumatic events and injuries. With an aging and unreliable car, however, stress found its way back into her life as she struggled to commute to and from her classes with bulky canvases and supplies.
The former Marine was one of a pair of veterans recognized at the Springfield Progressive Service Center on Nov. 11. She and Josh Heath of the U.S. Army, currently at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, each received newly refurbished cars as part of Progressive’s third annual “Keys to Progress” program.
This year, the insurer donated 134 vehicles nationwide to veterans and their families.
“I’m humbled and grateful,” Figueroa said. “They’re making it easy for life after the military.”
Premier Collision Repair and Koons Collision Center refurbished the two donated vehicles.
For more information about The 296 Project, visit www.the296project.org.