Monark Provides 'Santa' Driver, Buses for Stuff-A-Bus Toy Collection at PRHS

Dressed as Santa Claus, veteran Monark bus driver Jerry Nikalus recently led a caravan of school buses that were filled with toys by the Pine-Richland community to a Toys for Tots drop-off site.

Students from Pine-Richland High School, Pine-Richland Middle School and Eden Hall Upper Elementary School joined forces to collect enough toys to fill five buses—a PR record—and delivered them to 96.1 KISS FM Morning Freak Show DJs Mikey and Big Bob on Nov. 30 at Miracle Mile Shopping Center in Monroeville.

The Morning Freak Show sponsors a yearly "Stuff A Bus" drive to collect for Toys for Tots.

The buses then took the toys to the U.S. Marines storage facility in the Strip District for unloading.

For the fifth year in a row, Gibsonia-based Monark Student Transportation Corp. donated school buses to the Pine-Richland High School Student Government for its annual “Stuff-A-Bus” program.

In addition to the donation of buses for the weeklong event, Monark Student Transportation provided bus drivers to transport the toys—"Santa", Tom Gierl, Bill Peabody, Dave Dolgos and Lee Holleran.

Monark school bus drivers alone donated over $325 toward the purchase of new toys and sporting equipment for the “Stuff-A-Bus” program.

“Monark Student Transportation is always willing to support the school districts and communities it serves—which is why for the past five years we have been honored to be a part of a project that genuinely benefits needy children in our area”, says Mark D. Schmitt, president and owner of Monark Student Transportation.

”Our goal is to stuff 10 buses in honor of the 10th anniversary of Stuff-A-Bus next year! What an accomplishment that would be!”

This information was provided by Lisa Marie Kendrick, director of marketing and communications for Blue Bird Bus Sales of Pittsburgh Inc.

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