Bus Driver Donates Time for Kids in Haiti
Cleves, May 2018 – You often hear of people in education going the distance to do what is best for kids. A Three Rivers Local School District bus driver is taking that saying literally to provide a bus for students in Haiti, who otherwise might not have the luxury of a ride to school. With the average temperature in Haiti hovering around eighty degrees, this is certainly a need. Lance Whitehurst has been a bus driver for Three Rivers for four years and enjoys starting and ending his days safely commuting students to and from school. He also enjoys volunteering and does so every summer in Puerto Rico.
Recently, the transportation department at Three Rivers Local School District needed to sell one of their buses that had reached the end of its life in Cleves. Coincidently, the organization that purchased it, although operating out of Nashville, Tennessee, is located in Haiti. The coincidence did not go unnoticed when Mr. Whitehurst realized the proximity to his annual summer work in Puerto Rico. Without hesitation, as the conversation about the cost of shipping the bus occurred, Mr. Whitehurst volunteered to personally drive the bus to Miami where it will then be taken by boat to students in the Joseph School in Haiti.
The Joseph School is a primary and secondary school providing Haitian children and orphans with an opportunity to receive a world-class education. The School, whose core values are service and leadership, is certainly being shown the true meaning of both by Mr. Whitehurst’s generosity. When asked about his upcoming bus ride to Miami, Lance commented, “Having served in third world countries before I am thrilled to be able to use my bus driving skills to help bring a school bus to the children in Haiti. Hopefully by having a bus to ride to school the children of Haiti will be able to get ahead in life through education.”