Playing Santa, school bus contractor First Student teamed up with Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) to hold a coat drive to benefit district students in need. Just before the holidays nearly 150 CPS students, who otherwise may have gone without, received warm coats in a city known for freezing temperatures.
First Student employees collected coats at its four Cincinnati-area locations, including its downtown headquarters, for two weeks earlier this month. The company said in a release that it is “proud” to take an active role in the community not only during the holidays but all year long. Owned by FirstGroup plc of Aberdeen, Scotland, the school bus contractor states it is the largest service provider in the U.S.
“First Student is committed to making a difference in the lives of the students and families we serve in Cincinnati,” said company president Dennis Maple. “Every day, our employees work hard to create the best start and finish to the school day. When our team heard there were CPS students in need of winter coats, we wanted to help. Being warm on a cold winter morning certainly makes a difference in how a child’s day begins.”
First Student delivered the coats to the district last Thursday for distribution to five CPS schools: Bond Hill Academy, Cheviot Elementary, Rockdale Academy, Saylor Park School and South Avondale Elementary.
“This is another example of the strong partnership between Cincinnati Public Schools and First Student,” said Mary Ronan, CPS superintendent. “Our winter temperatures can reach dangerous levels. It is good to know that our students will feel not only the warmth of a winter coat, but the warmth that comes in knowing that there are so many people in the community who care about them.”
First Student provides school bus service to more than 16,000 CPS students each school day.
Farther south, the Fayetteville School District in Arkansas runs the Outback program that helps students in need with food and clothing, including coats in the cold winter months. District spokesperson Alan Wilbourn said staff members have been paying close attention to what the students wear, according to KFSM News.
“We’ll be working with our school social workers who are looking for those students who may need some help with winter clothing,” Wilbourn said. “We’re trying to make sure that they are ready to go, prepared in all of those types of situations and our staff members are always looking out for a child who might need a little extra help too.”
While similar stories abound this time of year, it was the school bus drivers of Sikeston R-6 School District who made sure their students would not be left out in the cold this winter. In late November, the district’s dozen or so bus drivers decided each would purchase a coat or two for children who are in need. They also opened the drive to the community, who responded with additional donations.
Last Thursday bus drivers arranged for a school bus to be parked in front of Lee Hunter Elementary, where 33 students came on board, took a wrapped box and returned to their building. Once everyone had a gift in hand, they gathered in the school gym, where they unwrapped their presents of new coats, hats and gloves, reported The Standard-Democrat.
The students all grinned as they tried on their new coats, gloves and hats.
