“When I was in sixth grade, I helped a kid run away. He came to school, and you could see he was beaten from his hairline down to the top of his calves. It was horrible. I told him, ‘You’re not going home today.’

“He rode the bus home with me. I gave him my BB gun, and I told him to meet me in the barn. A little while later, I brought him some snack cakes.

“That night it was really cold outside. It froze. And he came knocking on my bedroom window, where me and my sister shared a room. I gave him some more clothes, some sweatshirts, and told him to go get in the barn and cover up with hay. I told him that when we left for school in the morning, nobody would be in the house so he should come in through my bedroom window, watch TV, take a bath, and eat what he wants.

“I was so scared. I couldn’t sleep that night. I knew I was in so much trouble, and I was afraid of what was going to happen to him.

“The next day at school, of course, the principal pulled me out of the classroom and asked if I knew where he was. I was going to keep saying no until he said, ‘Well, your sister already said something, and the whole bus saw him get off at your house. Where’s this kid?’

“I finally told him that he’s in the woods by my house. But I made them promise that they wouldn’t make him go home again. So I brought him in, and he lived in foster care after that.

“Years later I ran into the guy again. By then he had a couple of kids, and he was welding. He told me some of the hard stories of what happened in foster care. Then I got to thinking. If the parents had just treated that kid right, he wouldn’t have had to go through all of that. But how do you know?

“That’s why today when I look at some of these kids on the school bus, you just don’t know what they’re going through at home. If they’re acting up, you don’t always know why. I try to give them the benefit of the doubt. There are consequences for their actions. But I try to show them there’s also unconditional love out there.”

— Theresa Cain

Related:

• School bus driver looking to ‘spread the love’
• Motorcycle enthusiast not quitting anytime soon

The post Kids on her school bus get benefit of the doubt appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I like to play. But when I’m at work driving these buses, I’m there. I’m going to do whatever it takes to do a good job. When I decided to get a CDL and I walked in the door at the school district, I told them that my aspiration was to become a master driver.

“I like to be an asset, not a loser. I feel like my real purpose is to spread the love and help people. Pass it on, Joe.

“I’ve driven buses for kids in elementary school, junior high and high school. And let me tell you, it’s a new adventure every single day. But every time I’m behind that wheel, I realize that I have a chance to be a positive influence on these kids. My hope is that I can do something to pass on the good, the true, the love.”

— Theresa Cain

Related:

• Kids on her school bus get benefit of the doubt
• Motorcycle enthusiast not quitting anytime soon

The post School bus driver looking to ‘spread the love’ appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I’ve been riding since I was 5 years old. As a kid I had a bunch of different dirt bikes. As an adult I’ve had two street bikes. The last one, a Harley Sportster, I’ve had for 16 years. Her name is Herbie.

“I’d really like to have another one, but finances keep me patching her up. I’ve wrecked her several times. I’ve been picked up by an ambulance three times. I’ve been transported by Life Flight once. But somehow, Herbie rides again and again. And, evidently, I do, too.

“I feel like I have a purpose here on Earth. God hasn’t let me go. I’ve had so many friends who have been mangled or have died, but here I am still fully functional. No brain injuries; not that I’m aware of, at least.

“I still love riding. I’ve been doing it so long, I don’t think you’ll ever take that out of me.”

— Theresa Cain

Related:

• Kids on her school bus get benefit of the doubt
• School bus driver looking to ‘spread the love’

The post Motorcycle enthusiast not quitting anytime soon appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I was a school bus driver for more than 10 years. Driving, I had no problems. The hardest part was taking care of the kids behind me. Some of them, they get ants in their pants and think they don’t have to sit down. But once I showed them that I was interested in their safety and that I cared for them, I never had any problems. I was the kind of bus driver that said, ‘Good morning. How are you doing today?’ When they left I said, ‘Have a nice day.’ They knew that I cared.

“Years ago, I worked for the State of Indiana as a correctional officer. The key to that job was to treat the inmates like they were human, not like animals. I knew they were in there for a reason. They broke the law and they were paying the price. But the only thing they should lose is their freedom. They shouldn’t lose their dignity.”

Did they respect you?
“Yes they did, because I showed them that I cared. I treated them humanely. And I had inmates who had my back. They told the other inmates, ‘Leave that officer alone. He’s fair.’”

— Terry Nevorski

The post He earns the respect of those he serves appeared first on The Baytown Project.