Trucker Buddy

Correspondence enhances classroom lessons

Good news sure travels fast, according to Lynn Schnoor, a first grade teacher at Fir Grove Elementary School in Roseburg, OR. The upcoming group of students in her class is eager to begin writing letters to their Trucker Buddy, Dan Clark, as they have heard stories from their schoolmates about how much fun they have had when writing letters to him.

“Dan goes above and beyond the call of duty to help my first-graders develop a love for writing,” Schnoor says. “His correspondence also ties in with our curriculum, such as our insects or solids units in science and our penguin and farm units.”

One student’s parent is also very much impressed with the efforts of Trucker Buddy Dan. “Thank you for helping my child to become excited about writing,” she writes. “The Trucker Buddy program has made all the difference.”

Other parents are amazed at the enthusiasm their children have for the correspondence with their driver and friend.

Dan Clark is an owner-operator leased to Prime, Inc. of Springfield, MO. Dan lives in Cassville, MO with his wife, Bonnie, who accompanies him when he visits his class each year. They teach the children and their parents about truck safety, and point out the blind spots on Dan’s Freightliner truck. Dan also shares safety tips regarding stopping distances and safe passing for motorists when sharing the road with trucks.

Dan began participating in the Trucker Buddy program in the fall of 2002, and he has been matched with Lynn Schnoor for the past three years. Dan is one of nearly 4,000 professional drivers who share their time and energy with elementary classes throughout the world. The only criteria to be a Trucker Buddy is to be a truck driver who is willing to send at least one 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.

Dan will receive a personalized jacket, along with a check for $300 to spend on his class and $200 in Trucker Buddy merchandise, compliments of MultiMedia. Over the Road and Pro Trucker magazines are proud sponsors of the Trucker Buddy program.