Mercedes-Benz Credit Corp. (MBCC) has announced a sponsorship deal with Trucker Buddy International Inc. (TBI). MBCC’s Freightliner Financial Services Division will be the first Platinum Level sponsor for TBI, which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping educate and mentor schoolchildren via a pen-pal relationship between professional truck drivers and children in Grades 2-8.

The support provided by MBCC will give TBI increased exposure on an international level, TBI said. In addition to providing advertising, direct mail, networking and Internet advertising, MBCC will be hosting and assisting in the development of TBI’s web site.

“The benefits Mercedes-Benz Credit will bring to our organization will be immeasurable as they assist us in promoting our program at a higher level, allowing us to expand our message outside the industry,” said TBI executive director, Ellen Voie.

There are about 5,000 classrooms world wide that correspond with Trucker Buddy drivers, who volunteer their time and effort to enhance the students’ writing, math, and geography skills, Voie said.

On a weekly basis, Trucker Buddy drivers share news about their travels with their assigned classes, and provide a format for the enhancement of the grade school curriculum in reading, writing, geography, mathematics, social studies, and history.