November Trucker Buddy of the Month

Waupaca, WI: Gladdy the Gladstone Bear loves to travel, and so the students in Nancy Mead¹s third grade class sent him on a trip with their Trucker Buddy driver, Gloria Hellard. Gloria, a company driver for Marten Transport, took Gladdy with her and her husband Dan, as she traveled. Gladdy (with the help of Gloria) sent the students cards, letters, brochures and notes of his travels throughout the school year before he returned to his class at Jones Elementary school in Gladstone, Michigan.

Gloria Hellard¹s class may never travel to some of the places Gladdy visits, so they are able to learn about geography through the windshield of their Trucker Buddy¹s truck. ³What a wonderful way for my students to learn about our country and all the states,² writes Ms. Mead in her letter to nominate Gloria as Driver of the Month. This teacher is thankful for the time her driver spends in expanding the children¹s understanding of the country. ³It has been fun, and it has been educational,² states Ms. Mead.

Jeremy, a third grade student, writes, ³I appreciate having Gloria in our classroom, she teaches us about her job and trucking.² Another student, Cody, wrote that he learned that it can be hard to stop a truck when it carries a load of milk!

Gloria, who lives in Post Falls, Idaho is one of nearly 4,000 professional drivers share their time with elementary classes throughout the world. The only criteria to be a Trucker Buddy is to be a truck driver, willing to send a post card each week to a class in grades two through eight. Drivers can apply on line at www.truckerbuddy.org or by calling 1-800-MY BUDDY. There are currently classes still waiting for a Trucker Buddy for this school year.

Gloria will receive a personalized jacket, along with a check for $300 to spend on the class and $200 in Trucker Buddy merchandise, compliments of TMI-MultiMedia (www.tmi-multimedia.com), the advertising agency of choice for the trucking industry. She will be given a copy of ³For the Long Haul² by Donde Publishing. The class will receive a CrossCountry USA game from Ingenuity Works (www.ingenuityworks.com), which will help them learn more about how trucks move freight across the nation.

Trucker Buddy is dependent on corporate sponsors. Major contributors include Platinum level: MANCOMM, Transcore and ProTrucker & Over the Road magazines, Gold Level Sponsors: American Trucking Association, American Graphics Group, Delphi, Kenworth, Midnight Trucking Radio, OOIDA, Truckin¹ Bozo, Mike Ryan Motorsports and Wal-mart, along with Silver Level: ArvinMeritor, Detroit Diesel, OTR-Canada . Interested sponsors can contact Ellen at Trucker Buddy International or by calling 1-800-MY BUDDY.

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