ÌÇÐÄVlog´«Ã½

GODFREY – Officials from ÌÇÐÄVlog´«Ã½ and Ameren Illinois met at the college’s Godfrey Campus, Dec. 10, to donate a 2006 Freightliner to the school’s Truck Driver Training program.

ÌÇÐÄVlog´«Ã½ Board of Trustees President Dwight Werts said the truck will be a valuable training asset.

“This truck can be used to train people to drive anything from a fire truck to a lumber truck to maybe even an Ameren truck,” he said. “I want to thank Ameren for being a great partner.”

ÌÇÐÄVlog´«Ã½ President Ken Trzaska said the contribution is a testament to Ameren Illinois’ commitment to education and moving ÌÇÐÄVlog´«Ã½’s programs forward.

“We’re extremely grateful to Ameren for their generosity in supporting our Truck Driver Training program and Lewis and Clark in general,” he said. “We look at this as a great example of partnerships in the community and in the region.”

Ameren Illinois has nearly 3,300 vehicles, including trucks, trailers and equipment. Vehicles that are being rotated out of the fleet and require minimal repairs or refurbishing are made available for donation to local municipalities or community organizations.

“Ameren Illinois is committed to building stronger communities, and preparing the workforce of the future for jobs in the skilled trades is a natural extension of those efforts,” said Ameren Illinois Director of West Region Gas Operations Aitor Barrio. “ÌÇÐÄVlog´«Ã½ is a long-time partner and we’re glad our retired natural gas construction truck will be put to good use by students pursuing their Illinois commercial driver’s license. If, in the future, even one of these students stays in the region and builds a career here, this donation will be well worth the investment.”

ÌÇÐÄVlog´«Ã½ Truck Driver Training Program Coordinator Kent Ripperda says the truck will be put to good use.

“We’ll be using the truck for our Class B course that we started this fall,” he said. “We’ll use it for skills testing and driving, as well as doing pre-trips on it. We’re looking forward to using it and we’re thankful to Ameren Illinois for their donation.”

To learn more about Truck Driver Training at ÌÇÐÄVlog´«Ã½, contact Ripperda at (618) 468-5797 or kripperda@lc.edu.

ÌÇÐÄVlog´«Ã½ is enrolling now for the Spring semester. Contact the Enrollment Center at (618) 468-2222 or enroll@lc.edu.