When I was adopted, I was raised on a farm in the country and every morning throughout elementary and middle school I had to walk to the bus. I was a high energy kid so when I got on the bus I was excited to get away from home to embark on the adventures of the day, learning new things and meeting new people. Throughout those times, I was always met with the same pair of eyes and a smile when I stepped onto that bus. Diane Northern was my bus driver and she had a smile that somehow adjusted my energy levels. She knew how to warn me of a mistake I was about to make on the bus before I recognized it myself; she knew how to cheer me up when I didn’t possess the self-awareness to know I was depressed and to make me smile when things were not going well. She seemed to have a sixth-sense about me and was always there for me. And when I didn’t catch a hint from the warnings….she was prompt to respond and I quickly learned that Mrs. Northern doesn’t play!
When I ran away from home at the age of 15 and became homeless, I didn't see her again until I graduated from high school. After the graduation ceremony, I saw this smile that looked so familiar it made me warm up and smile along with it. She approached, gave me a big bear hug, and started weeping. Then she pulled back, stared at me and said “I was so happy you left home and are now graduating.”
How did she know my guilt, my continual questioning of my decision to run away? How did she know I needed to be reassured that I had made the right decision? I realized at that moment the sixth sense she had and that she genuinely cared. She saw me every day during the week; she saw my pain, my sadness, and my attempts to cover it up. She had a responsibility as a public school system bus driver and was limited to what she could do for me, but she did that the best she could. She cared. I am now 40 years old and my elementary and middle school morning bus driver still leaves an impression on me that is instilled in my soul and one of the reasons I want to create a resource that others can use to refer to when in need of services and assistance.
When I started working with at-risk youth and homeless families, I learned the importance public transportation has on a community. Drivers interact with the homeless, people in need, and victims more than most programs that are designed to do so. Drivers care. Many that I have met and worked with have stated that having a resource to refer a youth or person in need to locate local resources and services in, as well as around, the community would be an asset. It is my objective to team with public transportation systems, school districts and their employees to not only gain support for the CAN Project, but to provide a hand in developing our resource to meet local needs they see first-hand.
Many people have seen the YouTube video of the bus driver pulling over to talk down an individual looking to commit suicide. Some people think this is the only time a transit driver has made a difference. I believe that transit drivers make a difference in the lives of our community members on a daily basis. It may be assisting someone from making a bad decision, a smile that says, “I see you,” or perhaps it is as the authority figure holding a person accountable for his or her actions; showing them they can do better. Our goal is to create the CAN Project with a core support system of individuals and networks that interact with or have an effect on each community as a whole. My belief is that by working with the people that assist in transporting members of our community on a daily basis, we can enhance our resource and develop a solid foundation on which to grow.
When I ran away from home at the age of 15 and became homeless, I didn't see her again until I graduated from high school. After the graduation ceremony, I saw this smile that looked so familiar it made me warm up and smile along with it. She approached, gave me a big bear hug, and started weeping. Then she pulled back, stared at me and said “I was so happy you left home and are now graduating.”
How did she know my guilt, my continual questioning of my decision to run away? How did she know I needed to be reassured that I had made the right decision? I realized at that moment the sixth sense she had and that she genuinely cared. She saw me every day during the week; she saw my pain, my sadness, and my attempts to cover it up. She had a responsibility as a public school system bus driver and was limited to what she could do for me, but she did that the best she could. She cared. I am now 40 years old and my elementary and middle school morning bus driver still leaves an impression on me that is instilled in my soul and one of the reasons I want to create a resource that others can use to refer to when in need of services and assistance.
When I started working with at-risk youth and homeless families, I learned the importance public transportation has on a community. Drivers interact with the homeless, people in need, and victims more than most programs that are designed to do so. Drivers care. Many that I have met and worked with have stated that having a resource to refer a youth or person in need to locate local resources and services in, as well as around, the community would be an asset. It is my objective to team with public transportation systems, school districts and their employees to not only gain support for the CAN Project, but to provide a hand in developing our resource to meet local needs they see first-hand.
Many people have seen the YouTube video of the bus driver pulling over to talk down an individual looking to commit suicide. Some people think this is the only time a transit driver has made a difference. I believe that transit drivers make a difference in the lives of our community members on a daily basis. It may be assisting someone from making a bad decision, a smile that says, “I see you,” or perhaps it is as the authority figure holding a person accountable for his or her actions; showing them they can do better. Our goal is to create the CAN Project with a core support system of individuals and networks that interact with or have an effect on each community as a whole. My belief is that by working with the people that assist in transporting members of our community on a daily basis, we can enhance our resource and develop a solid foundation on which to grow.
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