Mike Beato isn’t employed by AAA, but he’s doing his part to help our members out. There’s no way to know how many flat tires he’s prevented, but he certainly has made a difference over the past eight years.

Mike, an avid runner, once fell and broke his wrist, which led him to be a bit more cautious on his runs. “Ever since I resumed running, I look down a lot more,” he explains. “I didn’t want to trip, and I started noticing stuff on the road.”

Whenever Mike spots a nail or any other hazardous road debris, he picks it up and stashes it in his running pouch, alongside his phone. It doesn’t matter how big the item is; it all ends up in a box in his garage, but the items never make it to the trash. Instead, Mike transforms them into artwork on New Year’s Day.

“For whatever reason after the first year, I spread the contents out and made a collage and took pictures and posted it on social media,” he explains. “My running friends got a kick out of it.”

Mike, now in the ninth year of his hobby, admits he likes to get creative. “I don’t look in the box until January 1, and I ask myself, ‘What can I make out of it?’”

His wife, WIVB-TV news anchor Jacquie Walker, often lends a hand as he makes abstract designs or faces. “I have a large poster board spread out on the floor and start arranging and call Jacquie. She’ll say, ‘Why don’t you move that there?’ and by the end of the day, I’m done. My friends look forward to it.”

And they appreciate Mike’s efforts. “Once by my house, I picked up 20 roofing nails on Jacquie’s route to work. I don’t want her or anyone else to drive over it,” he said noting that flat tires are frustrating. “I’ve gotten several flats over the years. I have AAA – for at least 30 years. I do call AAA. No one likes a flat.”

When asked if he ever discovered anything of value, Mike says he once found half of a $5 bill, and amazingly found the other half too, “I bought a lottery ticket with the money but didn’t win.”

While Mike doesn’t do this for the money, and we can’t quite put him on the AAA payroll, we sure are grateful for his service. He says it will last for at least four more years, “My goal is to do it for 12 years, and maybe I’ll make a calendar out of it.”

AAA appreciates members like Mike, and we're proud to provide our wide selection of benefits to members throughout the region. See a full list of membership benefits below. 

AAA Member Benefits