Monday, February 11, 2019

Want to stay connected?

If it looks like we haven't updated our blog in a while....you are correct.  At the end of 2017, we made a decision to post all of our achievements, news, and fun on our 18 Wheels of Christmas Facebook page because it catered to our audience better.  Blogger was a great way to communicate with our audience when we first started, however, the times changed and pages/trends came and went.  Remember Myspace, Google+, Blockbuster or Roger's Video?  These sites and stores were the place to be back in the day.  But over time, other sites and business models changed how we receive our information. Facebook replaced Myspace and the video stores died as Netflix and other video streaming services made it easier to watch movies.

Thank you to everyone who has ever read one of our blogs.  They were fun to create to tell our story.  Unfortunately, our reach to the public on Blogger was limited so we decided to focus on our Facebook page as this was where we have grown our audience and have been able to interact with you better.

You can follow our Facebook page by clicking the link below:

https://www.facebook.com/18wheelsofchristmas/

To Facebook....AND BEYOND!
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Tuesday, November 21, 2017

BRRRRRRR.......BEAUTIFUL JOB DAWSON CREEK !

Once again, Dawson Creek, a community of 12,000 people opened their hearts and wallets and gave like a City of 120,000 ! For three days, November 17th, November 18th and November 19th, our volunteers braved frigid temperatures and heavy snow to collect a record number of donations, making it our largest year yet!






As always, the success of these events depend upon our sponsors, volunteers and Corporate Donations. To that end, I want to sincerely thank United Way, Dawson Creek Co-Op, Arc Resources, Glacier Glass, Apex Distribution, Northern Hotshot, Tiger Stationers, Cat Rentals, Salvation Army, Bethel Network Ministries, The Dawson Creek Fire Dept, Dawson Creek RCMP and BC Ambulance Services (Our Team 911) and of course the staff of Rosenau Transport Ltd. If I missed anyone, chalk it up to old age and frostbite and accept my apologies.



There are many others to thank, and we don't know your names. We only know you by the smiles on your faces, the warmth of your hearts and the strength of your character. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts and as always,


















  We will let the photos speak for the rest..

Friday, November 10, 2017

PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Please see the calendars below for a preliminary schedule of events . Find one near you !



Wednesday, November 8, 2017

2017 Kicks Off !

18 Wheels Of Christmas is entering it's 15th Year of Service ! It is a bittersweet anniversary. While we are excited that we have been able to be part of this worthwhile cause , we are also saddened by the fact that it is still so sorely needed across our country.

We will, as we have in years past, step up to meet the challenge and the need. Stay tuned and we will provide you shortly with a list of dates in communities near you. This can't happen without you and the many generous people who donate to our local Food Banks.

The Magic Begins With You !

Friday, December 23, 2016

Fort St. John Campaign

Fort St. John ran a very successful three day campaign from December 2-4th this year. With the overwhelming support of The United Way Of Northern British Columbia, Safeway, The Bell Media Group, Trojan Safety, Cat Rentals , The Salvation Army and many others, we were able to collect nearly a full trailer of food and a significant amount of cash for The Salvation Army in Fort St. John.

Safeway provided the campaign with specially packaged $5 and $10 bags that were geared towards filling the specific needs of the Food Bank. Safeway Store Manager (Stan The Man) ordered in pallets of these bags and then watched nervously to see how many would be left. He need not have been concerned, By mid day on Sunday, we had sold out the entire stock!

It cannot be stressed enough, how having a solid media partner anchoring the event makes all of the difference! Bell Media with their local stations The Bear 101.5 , CJDC, and Sun Media were on location all through the event doing on location broadcasting, interviews and updates several times an hour. With all of that support , the trailer started filling up fast!

No event can ever be successful with out the volunteers that drive it. To that end, we offer our sincere thanks to Brandi Cage from Rosenau, who toughed it out the entire three days, as well as Niki Hedges from United Way and the Salvation Army Team that were on hand selling bags and providing hot chocolate from their brand new Community Response Unit. We would also like to thank Trojan Safety for sponsoring the Hot dog and Burger by donation stand. They braved the wind and sub zero temperatures to make sure everyone had a full belly with their awesome mobile bbq!. We would also like to thank Cat Rentals for the tent that kept the whole thing covered. We had many other volunteers from Rosenau who in between working their shifts over at the shop came over and helped out as much as they could. Angie, Kelly, Jason, Marcel, Sam, Carol and Cody as well as some of our Family Members.









The Need is still strong in our communities and we thank all of those who stepped up to provide a hand up!






Monday, December 12, 2016

Chetwynd's First 18 Wheels Event!

The Community of Chetwynd saw an unusual sight on November 26th 2016. For the first time ever, 18 Wheels Of Christmas made an appearance there!. In a partnership between Aim Trucking, United Way, Chetwynd IGA, Chetwynd Fire Dept and many other groups, they had a very successful Food and Toy Drive!

Braving cold temperatures, frosty winds and a long day, volunteers were able to fill the floor of the trailer halfway with much needed donations for a Community and area hit hard with the economic slump.

All donations went to the Tansi Friendship Centre where they will be distributed to people from across the area.

We would especially like to thank Peace FM who were strong supporters of the event and braved the elements to help us get the message out.

People who donated were treated to Tim Hortons coffee and hot chocolate, cookie decorating and of course a visit with Santa Claus. Thank you all so much for your committment, time and willingness to make a difference.





Saturday, December 3, 2016

18 Wheels Dawson Creek, More Successful than ever !

Our 18 Wheels Of Christmas Event in Dawson Creek wrapped up on November 19th with our most successful year ever!

The two day event hosted by United Way brought in a total of 18 pallets of food and 4 skids of brand new quality toys as well as over $3,000 in cash donations!

No event on this scale can ever be successful without the support of the community and our partners! This year saw our local Dawson Creek Fire Department out in force as well as the Dawson Creek RCMP, Cat Rentals, United Way staff, Salvation Army volunteers and of course The Dawson Creek Co-Op. A huge helping hand this year from the local area banks as well. North Peace Credit Union, Bank Of Montreal, Royal Bank, TD Canada Trust, South Peace Credit Union and Scotia Bank took part with volunteers as well as activities in their bank branches. Many of the branches sold coupons for pre-packaged food bags! Our Mayor Bumstead even came out and braved the cold for a few hours, waving in the traffic.


As always, our Local Rosenau Staff came out in force! From Santa Claus (aka Blaine M) or Karen G who spent hours out on the street keeping the enthusiasm going or Rachel R who put in dozens of hours handing out flyers, decorating and contributing her time. We had many other staff members come out and help. A very special thanks to Karen B of Rosenau Transport and Emily G of United Way for the countless hours you both put into this event.


Most importantly, we thank the public. Without you and your generosity, these events could not happen, and lives cannot be changed. From the bottom of our hearts, on behalf of United Way, Dawson Creek Co-Op and Rosenau Transport, Thank You!