First Students Fill the Bus" Program Benefits California Wildfire Victims

Jacksonville, Florida (PRWEB) December 5, 2003 -- First Student, Inc., the number one provider in student transportation, is searching out new holiday gifts and cash donations to support the victims of recent California wildfires in San Diego County. Donations will be collected and bused across America from Jacksonville, Florida to San Diego, California by First Students Jacksonville team. Over 2,000 houses were destroyed by the Cedar" fires in San Diego County, and all Fill the Bus" proceeds will go to help the families who lost homes.

The idea for the Fill the Bus" campaign came from First Students Southeast Region Vice President, Lou Rich, after Carey Paster, First Students Chief Operations Officer, sent out a heartfelt message regarding all of the First Student employees in San Diego who had been affected by the fires. First Student has been working with the Salvation Armys San Diego chapter to determine what items are needed most. An overwhelming amount of household items have been collected, and the focus is now on finding holiday gifts to suit 5 to 12 year olds and on raising money for those who are in desperate need. First Student will present the Salvation Army with a check for the funds raised by employees and vendors of the entire corporation at the end of the journey.

The full Fill the Bus" voyage, which takes approximately 5,000 miles round trip, will be made using two of First Students big yellow school buses along with six employee volunteers that will ride across America for the effort. The route taken will keep the buses traveling west on Interstate 10 across the southern United States. The trip is planned to start on Tuesday, December 9, and the expected arrival date in San Diego is Friday, December 12. The entire donation will be made on Saturday, December 13, and the buses will return to Jacksonville on December 18.

The buses will stop in Zachary, Louisiana and Houston, Texas during the journey to collect additional gift and cash donations. Jacksonville, the starting point, is the home of First Students Southeast Regional Office. Zachary is the site of a new First Student operation. First Transit, First Students sister company, has three major operations in Houston. Finally, our San Diego operation will be the final westward stop before the collected items are donated at the San Diego chapter of the Salvation Army.

Please join us to support a very worthy cause. We appreciate your help. Anyone wishing to participate can send checks payable to the Salvation Army at:

   Fill the Bus
   First Student, Inc.
        5836 Richard Street
   Jacksonville, FL 32216
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