TCA truckers challenged to “pay it forward”

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Fifty-five (and counting) companies belonging to the Truckload Carriers Association are giving money to employees to use for chartable purposes of their own choosing.

At a recent TCA meeting, carrier owners and managers as well as industry suppliers – including Canadian fleets — were issued an unusual challenge: Randomly provide employees with $100 each and ask them to donate it to a charity.

he challenge stemmed from long-time TCA member John Christner, president and CEO of John Christner Trucking in Sapulpa, Okla.

The idea of the "Pay It Forward" program centers on doing a favor for another person, without any expectation of being paid back. The hope is that the recipient will, in turn, help someone else in need.

Immediately after the session ended, 55 people signed up.

Christner told one particularly heartwarming story in which an employee used the seed money to set up a dental appointment for a man who had bad teeth. During the visit, the dentist discovered that the man had oral cancer.

"Because of this one random act of kindness, the cancer was discovered early enough to save his life, and that’s a priceless achievement," Christner said.

Christner provided basic instructions, asking each person to begin by selecting a variety of employees. He suggested that each company present the money about three weeks prior to the Christmas holidays.

Then in January, companies should conduct a meeting during which each participant discloses how the money was spent and how it influenced lives.

TCA Chairman Gary Salisbury believes Christner’s challenge will not only help the needy, but will do wonders to boost the reputation of the trucking industry with the general public.

"The power of an image campaign doesn’t lie solely in multi-million dollar ad campaigns. It’s also at the grass-roots level," Salisbury said.

— via Truckinginfo.com