About Us

We are happy to announce we are now a registered 501(c)3 non profit organization. To view our status please click the links below.

irs.gov and melissadata

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

This year will be our 12th year doing the TRUCKERS CHRISTMAS GROUP fund drive to benefit trucking families in need. A little history of how we got started and where we are today.
 
A guy going by the handle of “Wonderful” Wayne Hortman came up with the idea, and posted it on a social media trucking site called CDLofit.com
 (now www.letstruck.com) and the rest is history. Here is his original post…

HEY FOLKS, TELL ME WHATCHA THINK OF MY IDEA??????????

 Posted by wonderful wayne(LAST OF THE GOOD GUYS) on November 15, 2008 at 9:41am

“Got to thinkin about Christmas. I like to help the needy. Thought maybe my fellow truckers might want to join me in setting up a fund right here on CDL for some trucker families that might be in need of having a good Christmas. I’m not good on this computer thing, so I’m asking for your help.

We would need someone to take charge of the money situation. I wouldn’t know how to do that. I will start the contributions by making my donation and we can proceed from there. We would need  someone to be in charge of finding the families. I guess what I am trying to say is getting a committee together. Tell me what you think of this idea. I appreciate all comments pro and con.

If anyone has another idea put it up here and we can talk about it.( NOTE: Thanks to Marie an Maggie for helping me with this!!!!)”

 
Well here it is 12 years after Wonderful Wayne had this idea and we have helped over 154 trucking families in need with over $90,000 that we have raised with all of your support.  Doing a fundraising drive like this is not easy and we would never have been able to do it without a little help.  Over the years we have been known as the cdlofit Christmas Group, the Let’s Truck Christmas Group and most recently the Trucker Charity Christmas Group.  Although we have had many names and partners we always conducted our fundraising drive on our own.
 
The support we have received from Trucking Business and Beyond and Kevin and Leesa Rutherford, OOIDA,OBAC,RedEyeRadio,CanadaCalling,LandlineNow and many other suppliers of truck parts and equipment such as Pittsburgh Power, OPS1,Freedom Air Filters and many more have helped us help the trucking families in need immensely.
 
In July of 2014 our latest partner Trucker Charity informed us that we didn’t really fit in with the mission statement of there organization and that we should go out on our own.  Longtime volunteers Mark and Mary Abraham have stepped up to the plate along with Kerry Mullins and by August had a new corporation and board in place to take over the reigns.  Bringing along with them founding members Maggie Stone, Eldon McFarling and Greg Manchester as board members.
 
Unfortunately we were not able to get our Charitable 501C3 status in time for the 2014 season, and with our years of experience doing this drive, the board decided to not have a 2014 Christmas drive.  We have learned that without the 501C3 it is almost impossible to do any type of banking, issuing of tax reciepts ect… not to mention the thought of your hard earned money that you donate going to government taxes instead of the families in need. Also we will not be relying on others to collect the money and distribute it for us and we will be fully accountable to you all for every penny donated.  We all do this on our own dime and want your donations to go where they belong…. to the families…