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Driver Notices First Grader Crying at the Bus Stop - Jumps Into Action When He Learns the Reason Why
Uplifting News

Driver Notices First Grader Crying at the Bus Stop - Jumps Into Action When He Learns the Reason Why

When you’re a kid, theme days at school are a big deal. They’re a chance to dress up in something special and break from your regular routine, all while showing your classmates a side of your personality that you might not always bring to school. So when you aren’t able to participate in one, it can also be a big deal. That happened to one kid in Kentucky recently, but luckily, his bus driver stepped in to save the day.A Disappointed StudentOne day, a first-grade student named Levi was waiting for the school bus. As the driver, Larry Farrish Jr., approached the stop, he noticed something was different about the boy. “I pulled up to the bus stop, and I saw Levi sitting down by himself with his head down, and it dawned on me, something is wrong,” Farrish told Jefferson County Public School in a blog post. “He’s always happy, but this particular day, he was not happy.”When Farrish asked what was wrong, he noticed Levi was crying. The boy explained that he didn’t have pajamas for pajama day.“It hurt me so bad,” Farrish added. “That just wasn’t my Levi, and I wanted him to have a good day. No child should have to miss out on something as small as pajama day.”Determined to Do Some KindnessFarrish knew he had to do something, so after he dropped Levi off at school and finished the morning bus run, he headed over to the nearby dollar store. There, he grabbed several pairs of pajamas in different sizes and drove back to the school.He asked the office if they could call Levi down, and that’s when both his and Farrish’s days took a major turn.“I saw Levi coming down the hall, and he had a face just as happy as could be,” Farrish recalled. “It really turned the whole Friday around, for him and for me.”As for the first-grader, he was over the moon.“I can tell Mr. Larry is nice and his heart is filled with joy,” Levi said. “I’m usually really happy, but not on pajama day… When he got me the pajamas, I did a happy cry.”More Than a DriverFarris has been a bus driver for about seven years now, but he sees himself as more than a driver. He feels that his position allows him to connect with kids and make a real difference in their lives, and he takes the job pretty seriously.“They become my kids after they leave their parents,” Farrish continued in the blog post. “I make sure they get to and from school safe, but I also try to bring some type of joy to their lives.”That could mean playing games or telling jokes or something like a special handshake between him and the students. Or, in the case of Levi, grabbing some extra pajamas so that all kids have the chance to participate in a theme day.“It feels good knowing I made an impact on a child’s life,” he added.Little Acts of KindnessOne reason this story is so touching is because it reminds us what a big difference a small act can make in someone else’s life. It also reminds us that while we often think of teachers as the ones who impact our children while they’re at school, there is a whole village looking out for them.Lastly, this story reminds us that we’re an essential part of that village, too. Whether we have kids or not, remember to practice kindness and lead with empathy, especially when it comes to kids. Doing so can make a big difference in how they grow up. Not only do kids learn by example, but when they know they’re loved they really do thrive.So make the goofy faces, practice the secret handshakes, or just be a safe space for anyone who needs it. You never know how much it may mean to someone down the line.More from Goalcast:Bus Driver Yanks Boy’s Backpack as He Is Getting off the Bus – Now She’s Hailed as a HeroBus Driver Suddenly Stops While on Her Usual Route – Surprised Passengers Witness the Exchange She Has With an Elderly WomanMom Finds Out Her Son Constantly Gets Into Trouble and Has Befriended the Bus Driver – So She Writes a Letter to the School Board

Bus Driver Yanks Boys Backpack as He Is Getting off the Bus - Now Shes Hailed as a Hero
Uplifting News

Bus Driver Yanks Boys Backpack as He Is Getting off the Bus - Now Shes Hailed as a Hero

As parents, it can be hard to let others take care of your children. After all, no one ever really quite loves your kids and watches out for them the exact way you would. Still, we send them to school and trust that those who are tasked with watching them follow the safety rules and regulations in place — from the teachers to the administrative staff to the bus drivers.That’s why parents across America were shocked when they heard about this woman, who yanked a kid onto her bus one afternoon.A Quick-Thinking DriverApril Wise was going about her regular school bus driving routine in Tecumseh, Ohio, one day in February. A video, which was later posted to the district’s social media page, shows Wise slowing down for a stop. She opens the door and checks the mirrors. That’s when she notices something is wrong.There is a car approaching and it isn’t slowing down. A Grade 7 student is about to step off, so Wise grabs the boy’s backpack and pulls him back hard. Suddenly in the frame, you can see an SUV barreling by, right where the boy would have been."The only thing that went through my brain was to keep him from getting off the bus," Wise, who is a first-year bus driver, told WHIO-TV.“If he would have just got off the bus a little quicker or something, everything might have been different,” Karen Lokai, Tecumseh Schools' transportation supervisor, told an NBC news outlet. “It gives you chills to hear it and see the video and see how close, you know, things happen in such a split second.”Saving a Boy’s LifeOnce the way was clear and the boy exited the vehicle, Wise reported the incident to her bosses. They reviewed the video and couldn’t believe just how close the situation was. At home, the boy told his mother how the driver had saved his life.“The mom reached out to us personally to thank us and thank our team for responding to the accident [and] to thank the bus driver,” Superintendent Paula Crew told the publication. “She’s beyond [thankful that] her son got off the bus and came in the house when he did.”She added that cars often pass the school buses, ignoring the clear “stop” sign that applies to vehicles coming from both directions. Failing to stop could not only result in a $500 fine in that area, but worse: a child could get hurt.Clark County Sheriff’s Office Deputy John Loney says the boy was really lucky after this particular failure to stop. “It’s a miracle that he’s safe,” he said.A Local HeroFollowing the incident, Wise was hailed as a hero. People from the school, law enforcement, and parents gathered to say thank you in a special ceremony in which she was given an award.“This goes far beyond what I imagined to happen, so I am very emotional,” Wise told WCSC. “I don’t deserve it, but I’m glad it’s bringing awareness and stuff. Hopefully, more people will take it into consideration,” she added.“For what she did that day, we definitely appreciate it,” the boy’s father added to the publication.Drive ResponsiblyThis story so clearly demonstrates why it is important to follow traffic laws, and it also reminds us all to slow down behind the wheel — particularly in school zones and on neighborhood streets.Accidents take seconds to happen but can change a life forever. If it weren’t for Wise’s quick thinking, that boy could have been seriously injured or worse.When we’re running late or really excited to get home after a long day at work, it can be tempting to speed up, spend a few seconds less at a stop sign, or ignore a school bus’s signal. But it’s important to take a breath and slow down. Being a few minutes late won’t cost you much, if anything. And there are much worse things that can happen in life.More from Goalcast:Heroic Carnival-Goer Saves Lives After Magic Carpet Ride Spins Out Of Control

Bus Driver Has to Take an Alternate Route Because of Construction - What He Does for A Blind Passenger Is Recorded by a Witness
Uplifting News

Bus Driver Has to Take an Alternate Route Because of Construction - What He Does for A Blind Passenger Is Recorded by a Witness

Traffic and construction are annoyances to the best of us. But imagine you can’t see, and your entire route has been shifted. That was the case for one blind man in Milwaukee, who had a hard time navigating his way around when construction altered his bus route.A Not-So-Routine TripFor 20 years, Gene Hubbard took the same route to and from work every single day, according to CNN. So when construction altered that route, it was suddenly difficult for him to get around. A 28-year-old bus driver named Thaddaus Turner noticed his passenger was having a hard time, so he got out to help him.“The route was barricaded, it was rough for me as a driver, I can only imagine how rough it was for him,” Turner told the publication.A bystander witnessed the kind act and sent it to the Milwaukee County Transit System. They put together a whole post on social media about it, including a video from inside the bus.“Thad Turner didn’t think twice before helping a rider who is blind across the street,” they captioned the post. “But for those who saw it, it was an amazing act of kindness.”Going ViralBefore long, news outlets across the country picked up the story of the kind bus driver helping Hubbard. The attention surprised Turner, who said he never expected anyone to say anything about that day. After all, he was just doing his job.“I was surprised when I saw it in the news,” he told CNN. “I didn’t think I would be here right now over something that is second nature to me and my colleagues.”The "second nature" act meant the world to Hubbard, though.“I just can’t say enough about all the bus drivers,” the 69-year-old said. “If I don’t have a regular locating point to start from, I may as well be in the middle of the ocean.”Small Acts Make a Big Difference This sweet story just goes to show you that doing small but simple things can pack a big punch when those acts are led by kindness. Turner put himself in someone else’s shoes and thought about what he would need in that situation, and his actions were hailed as heroic.It’s a perfect example of an everyday action that is easy enough to execute but helps to make an entire community a better place.In your life, you, too, can perform these small acts. It could be helping someone across the street, holding open a door, or offering to help carry packages to someone’s car or doorstep.The point is to watch for opportunities and to step in whenever help is needed. And above all, lead with kindness. Because once we all do that, the world will certainly be a better place.

13-Year-Old Hero Steers School Bus Full of Students to Safety After Driver Passes Out at the Wheel (VIDEO)
Everyday Heroes

13-Year-Old Hero Steers School Bus Full of Students to Safety After Driver Passes Out at the Wheel (VIDEO)

What started out as an ordinary bus ride home quickly turned into a terrifying ordeal for 60 kids on board when the school driver became lightheaded and lost consciousness. Thankfully, a quick-thinking and heroic 13-year-old took the wheel and saved the day.What Happened When a School Bus Driver Suffered a Medical Emergency Behind the WheelWarren Consolidated Schools/YouTubeThe driver of the bus, who wishes to remain anonymous, was feeling dizzy and was in the midst of radioing for help when she suddenly lost consciousness.As the bus started to veer into oncoming traffic, Dillon Reeves, a 7th grader at Lois E. Carter Middle School in Warren, Michigan, immediately sprang into action.An onboard video camera captured the frightening incident and the footage was later shared at a press conference. The clip shows the driver contacting dispatch to let them know that she wasn't feeling well and needed to pull over. As she was slowing down, she passed out.Reeves, who was sitting five rows back, "jumped up from his seat, threw his backpack down, ran to the front of the bus, grabbed the steering wheel, and brought the bus to a stop in the middle of the road," the school's superintendent Dr. Robert D. Livernois told reporters.Amazingly, while everyone around him was panicking and screaming, our pint-sized hero with the calm of a zen master, somehow managed to simultaneously steer the bus AND reach his foot over to press the brakes. He then yelled for someone to call 9-1-1."In my 35-plus years of education, this was an extraordinary act of courage and maturity on his part," Livernois said. "The actions of the student who helped stop the bus made all the difference today, and I could not be prouder of his efforts."What Happened After the 7th Grader Stopped the BusOnce the middle schooler got the bus to a complete stop, two witnesses — a guy who happened to be walking down the street and a woman driving behind the bus — stepped in to help.A letter posted to Warren Consolidated Schools' Facebook page, revealed that the police and fire crews arrived quickly on the scene. "The Warren Police and Fire Departments responded very quickly, tended to the driver, and the students were safely loaded onto a different bus to make their way home."No injuries to the children on the bus were reported.First responders transported the 40-year-old driver to the hospital. Doctors released her two days later. Livernois stated that the school board hired her in July 2022. She had no previous history of fainting and had passed a mandatory medical exam at the time of hiring.According to a GoFundMe page, the driver is a mother to three young children, aged 8, 7, and 4. Doctors believe she may have suffered a seizure. Under Michigan law, it is illegal for her to operate a vehicle for a minimum of six months. Any money raised will go toward her medical bills, mortgage, and living expenses until she can return to work. So far, $6K of the 20K goal has been raised.The 7th Grader on Being a Hero & Saving the Day Reeves spoke out about his courageous rescue in an interview with Fox2 News. He shared that at the time, he wasn't trying to be a hero, he was just trying to do what was right."I was just thinking just to do the right thing. I just got up and just did what's right."- Dillon ReevesSpoken like a true hero. And while he may not think of himself as a superhero, the rest of the world sure does. The story has gone viral. The family is receiving thousands of messages from people as far away as Berlin, Germany.Reeves also received a mayoral proclamation from the mayor of Warren, Jim Fouts, for his "outstanding leadership skills, alertness and bravery during a crisis." He will also be receiving a commendation from the school board sometime in the near future.Dillon Reeves may only be in the seventh grade, but he is living proof that courage knows no age. And that even in the face of overwhelming adversity, we all have the power to do what's right.