The time and energy that Harvey and Karen Zander put behind their volunteer efforts for Trucker Buddy have earned them the ACS MultiMedia Trucker Buddy Driver of the Month honor for July.
"Harvey and Karen have spent many hours with my students," wrote teacher Pam Halverson in her letter of nomination. "Activities have included trucker log books, road safety discussions (danger zones), tours through the truck and a variety of craft activities."
"If I was his teacher I would give him an A plus," student Shelby said of Harvey.
The Zanders, who joined the Trucker Buddy program in 2000, have been matched with Halverson's fourth grade class at Humphrey Elementary School in Waverly, Minn., for the past two years.
"The Zanders have not only volunteered their time to teach us, but they have also generously donated many gifts - holiday pencils, erasers, posters, prints, pens, pins, shirts, cameras, craft items, treats and toys," Halverson related. "We have received mail and e-mails from them also. We have even talked with Harvey on the phone when he has been on the road."
The students were duly impressed with the Zanders' driving record, an admirable four million accident-free miles, which was mentioned in almost every one of the 22 students' letters that accompanied the nomination.
The students also were wowed by the Zander's well-known and striking show truck, Icy Blu 2, a 2003 International 9900ix Eagle that has won numerous awards in truck beauty contests. Yet it is the other, less known awards the Zanders have received that show the extra mile the couple goes in their commitment to industry and community.
In 1999, Harvey was the recipient of a Jefferson Award for volunteerism. In 2000, he won the National Truck Driver of the Year contest, an annual award given to one of the top five contractors in the United States and Canada by TCA and Overdrive Magazine.
In addition to their Trucker Buddy volunteer work, the Zanders also teach safe driving to a high school drivers education class.
Like many Trucker Buddies, the Zanders teach life lessons as well as practical education, and from them the fourth graders at Humphrey Elementary have learned the value of giving.
"Anyone who gives something gets more back than what they gave," student Rebecca wrote.
"We could not think of a more deserving Trucker Buddy," Halverson said. "Harvey and Karen have been outstanding role models for volunteerism and have greatly touched all of us with their kindness and generosity."
Harvey has been leased to Dart Transit, Eagan, Minn., for more than 20 years. The Zanders make their home in St. Louis Park, Minn.
Each Trucker Buddy Driver of the Month receives a personalized jacket, along with a check for $300 to spend on the class and $200 in Trucker Buddy merchandise, compliments of program sponsor ACS MultiMedia Advertising (www.tmi-multimedia.com), the advertising agency of choice for the trucking industry. They also receive an IdleAire adaptor (www.IdleAire.com), a Koolatron cooler and a complete set of Airtabs for their tractor or trailer (www.airtab.com). Five owner operators have received a set of steer tires from Continental Tire. 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 continent.
The Zanders are among some 3,500 other professional drivers who share their time with elementary classes throughout the world. The only criteria to be a Trucker Buddy is to be a professional truck driver with a CDL who is willing to send a postcard each week to a class in grades two through eight. Drivers and teachers can find out more about the program by visiting www.truckerbuddy.org or calling 1-800-MY-BUDDY.
Trucker Buddy is dependent on corporate sponsors such as ACS MultiMedia Advertising to fund the program. Major contributors include Diamond Level: J.J. Keller & Associates, Inc., plus media partners DAT Services/Transcore, Internet Truckstop, Gears, Guts & Glory and Randall-Reilly Publishing Co. Gold Level sponsors are Delphi, Kenworth, Penray and Wal-Mart, along with media partners American Trucking Associations, American Graphics Group's Driving Force and rpm, America's Truckin' Network, CCJ Magazine, IdleAire Technologies, Mike Ryan Motorsports, The Midnight Trucking Radio Network, Ramp Publishing's Over The Road and Pro Trucker, OTR-Canada Magazine and TruckDriver.com. Silver Level sponsors are ArvinMeritor, Bridgestone/Firestone and Freightliner, along with media partners Drivers 4 Hire, Riggs & Recruits and TruckFlix.com.
Trucker Buddy International is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to helping educate and mentor schoolchildren via a pen pal relationship between professional truck drivers and children in grades two through eight. Trucker Buddy matches classes of students with professional truck drivers, and every week drivers share news about their travels with their class. Once a month, students write letters to their drivers. Students' skills in reading, writing, geography, mathematics, social studies and history are enhanced and learning is fun. Since 1992, Trucker Buddy has helped educate more than a million schoolchildren while introducing them to caring, compassionate men and women who help drive the economy. Trucker Buddy has participants in North America, Australia, Iceland, New Zealand, Africa and India. For more information about Trucker Buddy International, visit www.truckerbuddy.org or call 1-800-MY-BUDDY.
