How our partnership powers community engagement.
Free college? Check. Service dogs for veterans? You bet. Eyes on the road to help prevent human trafficking? We’re on it. Supporting families through illness? Yep.
At U.S. Xpress, our work to support our employees and our communities covers a lot of ground, and you help us make it happen. Working with you to move your goods powers our ability to put good into our communities. We do that through our pillars of giving, which guide our community efforts into four key groups:
• Education and innovation
• Families and health
• Safety and well-being
• Military veterans’ programs
Within each of these pillars, we’ve partnered with a featured organization. Though our giving isn’t exclusive to them, they’re long-term partners we support through employee payroll deductions, regular volunteering, service projects, and more.
So, who are these partners?
Full Ride – Education and innovation
If they’re with our family of brands, drivers, technicians, and their families can go to college for free with our Full Ride program. Our team members get free tuition through the University of Arizona’s Global Campus, whether they’re studying for a bachelor’s or master’s degree. Investing in our community means taking care of our own and making sure our team has everything they need to further their education.
Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer – Families and health
The Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer supports families through the difficulties of pediatric cancer. From diagnosis to rehabilitation, Austin Hatcher supports families through occupational, art, and music therapy, counseling, neuro-cognitive testing, and more, all at no cost to the family.
“It’s important that these families are supported during what’s an incredibly difficult time,” said Amy Jo Osborn, President and CEO of Austin Hatcher. “Because of strong partnerships like ours with U.S. Xpress, we’re able to create a robust safety net for families navigating childhood cancer, all at no cost.”
Truckers Against Trafficking – Safety and well-being
We’ve partnered with Truckers Against Trafficking so our drivers are certified to spot the signs of human trafficking. At any given time, an estimated 40 million people are trapped in labor or commercial sex, and trafficking networks often cross paths with our professional drivers’ routes and stops. Those who are trafficking others frequent motels, truck stops, rest stops, and restaurants. Truckers Against Trafficking trains professional drivers to spot the signs of human trafficking and report what they see to authorities.
Warrior Freedom Service Dogs – Military veterans’ programs
It’s estimated that up to 30% of military veterans experience post-traumatic stress following their service. For many, service dogs can help them regain control of their life. Warrior Freedom Service Dogs is dedicated to pairing veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress to trained service dogs. The dogs are rescued from shelters and provided to the veterans at no cost.
“We see so many of our military veterans come home with brain injuries or PTSD,” Adam Keith, Warrior Freedom Service Dog’s CEO and co-founder, said. “When partnered with a specially trained dog, the veterans regain a bit of their freedom and confidence, and most end up finding a community with us. With the support of U.S. Xpress, we’re able to train even more dogs that support our military veterans.”
Getting involved
You can see all this and more in our 2021 Corporate Responsibility Report. This report outlines goals regarding sustainability, community giving, and programs impacting our workforce. As part of this report, we announced a goal of doubling our community engagement by 2025 and established the above four key pillars of giving.
April is National Volunteer Month, a time to reflect on the importance of giving your time and energy to others. If you’re having trouble finding reputable charities to give your effort or money to, consider Warrior Freedom Service Dogs, Truckers Against Trafficking, or Austin Hatcher Pediatric Cancer Foundation.
