Moon family receives Trucker Buddy’s Gary King Memorial Award for 2016

Trucker Buddy International has selected Will Moon and Delia Moon Meier, as well as all the employees for the Iowa 80 Group, to receive the 2016 Gary King Memorial Award. Each year at the Walcott Trucker’s Jamboree in Walcott, Iowa, the award is given to people who have had a positive impact on the trucking industry and Trucker Buddy International.  Presented by Trucker Buddy Executive Director Randy Schwartzenburg, the Gary King Memorial Award is named for the Trucker Buddy founder.

The Moon family has been involved in the trucking industry for many years beginning with Bill Moon who built the original Iowa 80 truck stop in 1964.  Over the years, Iowa 80 has grown into a major player in the industry with the addition of multiple truck stops and the popular Cat Scale system.  The Iowa 80 Group has supported Trucker Buddy not only financially but provided the leadership of Heather DeBaille, the marketing manager at Iowa 80 Group/CAT Scale Company, as a valuable board of directors member for Trucker Buddy.

Delia Moon Meier, Bill Moon’s daughter, was very grateful when accepting the award along with her brother, Will.  “Thank you so much for honoring us with the Gary King Memorial Award!  What a giant surprise for us,” she said. “We’ve always loved the Trucker Buddy program as we think it is important to tell kids about how important truckers and trucking is to each one of us, to explain to kids that the economy is actually them, it isn’t just on TV or just in Washington.  It is also fun.  Every kid wants to be a trucker at some point and the opportunity that Trucker Buddy gives them to actually know a trucker and see an actual semi is just really cool.  One of my favorite things is to show off the Iowa 80 Truckstop.  It is so fun to see their minds change and open up to us, I can only image how rewarding it is for truckers to be able to share their lives with a classroom of kids.  I wish you many more years of success as you continue this important program. Thank you.”

Moon Family’s Announcement with Pictures

Trucker Buddy International

Trucker Buddy International, an independent, non-profit 501(c) (3) organization, often called the number one trucking image campaign in North America, has helped educate schoolchildren and introduce educators to the trucking industry. This gives them the world through the eyes of a professional truck driver. The Trucker Buddy program helps to educate and mentor schoolchildren via a pen pal relationship between professional truck drivers and children in grades K-8 as supervised by their teachers.

After an extensive screening process, the professional truck drivers are matched with a class and as directed by the teacher, drivers share news about their travels with their class. Students write letters and send pictures to their drivers. Students’ skills in reading, writing, geography, mathematics, social studies, and history are enhanced and learning is made fun.

Since 1992, Trucker Buddy International has helped educate over a million schoolchildren and introduced them to caring, compassionate men and women, professional truck drivers. The on-going success of the program is due to driver volunteers, participating teachers and the contributions of sponsors. There is no cost to the drivers or teachers to participate in the program. The Trucker Buddy program is funded entirely by sponsorships and donations. If you would like to make a donation, click here.

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