BURLINGTON, N.J. – More than 80 fourth-grade students at Union Valley Elementary School in Sicklerville, N.J., just completed their second Discover America® adventure -- a “trip” to Boston, Mass., and New York, N.Y., after their first “trip” to St. Louis and Chicago via “Driver Dave,” a fictitious United Van Lines’ van operator. In coming weeks, students will receive mystery postcards from Driver Dave from locations he has visited on his journey, as well as other various postcards, a picture book, pencils and other souvenir items from the St. Louis, Chicago, Boston and New York areas.
Courtesy of McCollister’s Transportation headquartered in Burlington, N.J., an agent of United Van Lines, approximately 100 students at Union Valley Elementary school are involved with Discover America -- a program which enables children nationwide to “tour” and study the geography and history of various U.S. cities throughout the school year.
After the St. Louis–Chicago–New York “trip” the students will receive a package each month from the other cities, which include Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco. In addition to the letter received each month, students have the opportunity to log on to Driver Dave’s Web page, www.unitedvanlines.com/ uvl/driverdave, and read about additional U.S. sites and attractions as they follow his route across the country. Students are also able to keep track of Driver Dave’s side trips by logging on to the Web site.
Locally, the Discover America program had its kickoff for the 2007-08 school year, and earlier this month McCollister’s Transportation sent one of its drivers to Union Valley Elementary School. Introduced to the students as Driver Dave, the van operator explained the Discover America program and invited the children to an exciting tour his truck.
“United’s Discover America® program has generated a lot of positive response from both the students and teachers,” says Russ DiBella. “The kids are being given the opportunity to study cities in the United States they might never get to visit. We hope to have many more schools from Burlington County and surrounding areas, involved in this richly rewarding program in years to come.”
United Van Lines, the nation’s largest household goods transportation company, transports electronic equipment, trade show exhibits and displays, works of art, and specialized freight, in addition to household goods. United, with headquarters located in suburban St. Louis, maintains a network of 1,000 affiliated agencies in 135 countries around the world. More information about United and its services can be obtained through the company’s Web site at www.unitedvanlines.com.
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