How’s This for a Yarn? School Bus Driver Crochets a Personalized Toy for Every Student on Her Route
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Like any compelling story, the tale of bus driver Trudy Serres begins with a taco.
Serres, a driver for Oconomowoc Transport Co., which serves Summit Elementary School in Wisconsin, found a way to pass the time while waiting on her route – she started crocheting. The students at the elementary school took notice and one of them challenged Serres to crochet him a taco.
And she accepted the challenge. Serres ended up not only making the taco but also creating 34 personalized crocheted toys, one for each child on her route.
"It all started with a taco, and it ended up being 34 items," Serres wrote on her Facebook page.
The boy who dared her to make the taco, Vincent Lamon, was so impressed by her accomplishment that he proudly showed off his new toy to everyone on the bus. This prompted Serres to realize that she should make toys for all the children on her route, most of whom were fourth-grade students.
She crocheted various items, including dogs, a double-scoop ice cream cone, four Yodas with lightsabers, characters from movies, a chocolate-covered strawberry, and a unicorn. Serres discovered that the children loved their toys and many of them took them to bed, took them to church, or even took them on vacation. She was deeply moved by the fact that these small items meant so much to the children.
One parent, John Londt, praised Serres, saying, "She is truly an incredible bus driver. I can’t believe the amount of time and effort she put into making each child their own stuffed animal. It’s really amazing."
Serres also found joy in seeing the children’s smiles. She shared, "When I finished making their little creature or whatever they wanted, I would place it on my dashboard when I arrived at their stop. They would see it and have a smile on their face all day. They would take it into school and still have that smile when they returned."
Each student was given the opportunity to choose what they wanted Serres to crochet for them. Brian Stuckey, the principal of Summit Elementary School, shared a heartwarming story about one boy proudly showing him the stuffed animal Trudy had created specifically for him. Stuckey said, "The boy was so proud, and you could tell how much it meant to him. Over the past few years, we have been fostering connections and relationships between our school and our incredible bus drivers, and Trudy has taken it to a whole new level."
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