Giving Back: St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund
The team at My20 by Konexial is passionate about improving the trucking industry through supply chain solutions and telematics. We believe if we do the right thing, put others first, create value, and put God first- we will help truckers #DriveLIFE. As part of our DriveLIFE series, we invited Dr. Donna Kennedy, Executive Director at St. Christopher Trucker Relief Fund to highlight how their organization helps truck drivers.
Headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund (SCF) is “Saving Lives and Families. One Driver at a Time.” The SCF has been helping drivers since 2008. In the first year in operation (2008), they helped 28 drivers and have grown exponentially to helping 364 in 2018! Since inception, $2,595,294,12 has been given on behalf of more than 2,400 drivers!
For those who aren’t familiar with SCF history, Dr. John McElligott (“Dr. John”) was operating truck-stop clinics, called Professional Driver Medical Depots, for truck drivers to have easy access to medical care while on the road. During this time, he started doing a radio show on Dave Nemo, “Coffee with the Doc”, where truckers could call in and ask medical questions. The combination of exposure to truck drivers lives and the medical problems they were experiencing, led to a discussion with Dr. John, Dave, and his partner Michael Burns about the need for a charity to help this group of people. Dr. John recalls calling Michael from an airport and asking who the patron saint of travel is: turns out, it’s St. Christopher and hence the name of the organization- we also answer to: St. Christopher Fund, SCF, or St. Christopher Truckers Fund.
St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund Mission:
- Health & Wellness for Truck Drivers: SCF currently focuses on a smoking cessation program (Rigs without Cigs) and flu/shingles/pneumonia vaccines (880 provided so far!) to prevent illnesses for truck drivers.
- Financial Assistance: SCF provides financial assistance with household expenses for over-the-road semi-truck drivers when an illness or injury caused them to be out of work. The household expenses paid for are rent/mortgage, utilities, vehicle and insurance payments.
So, who supports this Truckers Fund?
YOU- the TRUCKERS. The most successful campaign has been the “Band Together” campaign started in 2010 by TA/Petro. This campaign sells rubber wristbands for $1 in all the TA/Petro locations, with 100% of the proceeds going to SCF. In one single month, drivers showed support of each other with $221,125 in giving! This was by far our biggest donation since inception! TA/Petro has continued their support of drivers through the SCF with Band Together, events at the corporate office, and fundraising at shows.
It has truly been an honor to watch this growth in support and awareness. We certainly wish our heroes on the highways were not faced with illnesses and injuries but we are blessed to be here to help them when they are. Truck drivers are often overlooked, but it’s become clear to me that they are generous people that love their jobs, they look out for each other and a vital to our nation.
If you or your trucker friend needs financial assistance or health & wellness support, contact St. Christopher Truckers Fund.