The lights
will be shining brightly on the Trucker Buddy program and two
of its participating truckdrivers this morning as CBS'
"The Early Show" plans to air a recent class visit
today at 8:15 a.m. EST.
An Illinois
couple honored last month as Trucker Buddy drivers of the month
for their work with teacher Tracy Gajdos' second and third
grade school classrooms at Lincoln Prairie Elementary in Hoffman
Estates, IL, will be featured.
The CBS
team flew to Chicago to film Ms. Gajdos' as they welcomed
their Trucker Buddy drivers, Tom and Sandy Peters of Oswego,
IL. The Peters' are company drivers with Prager Trucking
in Naperville, IL, an agent for North American Van Lines.
The Peters
were presented with their awards from Annamarie Schoolcraft
of TMI-MultiMedia, giving them a check for $500 to be spent
on the class and two embroidered jackets. Each student was also
given a North American Van Lines miniature truck and stuffed
teddy bear by Jim Puscheck, Prager Trucking operations manager,
who accompanied them to the school.
For the
past seven years, the Peters have been corresponding with Ms.
Gajdos' classes. "The match I received back in 1995 turned
out to be the start of a strong partnership that has also blossomed
into a wonderful friendship," teacher Tracy Gajdos wrote
in her letter to nominate the Peters. "Tom and Sandy care
so much for all the children in my classroom. Each year they
do more and more to get the kids involved in reading, writing,
researching and geography."
Trucker
Buddy is supported solely by donations from sponsors, such as
Platinum level DCSTrucks.com, ProTrucker magazine, TMI-MultiMedia
and Transcore, Gold Level contributors; OOIDA, Delphi and Midnight
Cowboy Trucking Radio Network and Silver Level donors; ArvinMeritor,
J.J. Keller and Associates, Kenworth, TruckDriver.com, Wal-Mart
and TCA. For more information about the program, visit http://www.truckerbuddy.org or call 1-800-MY BUDDY (692-8339).