School Bus Driver Saves Money to Buy Christmas Gifts for Every Child on His Route

A school bus driver in Dallas, Texas, bought gifts for every student on his route, according to his school district. (Facebook / Lake Highlands School)

A school bus driver in Dallas, Texas, bought gifts for every student on his route, according to his school district.

Curtis Jenkins, a driver for Lake Highlands Elementary School, asked each child what they wanted for Christmas. With his own money and some help from community members, he was able to purchase all the gifts for the children, according to ABC News.

In all, there were 70 gifts for the children. The children found out about the gifts when they were picked up on Dec. 21.

Lake Highlands Elementary posted photos of the gifts and Curtis on its Facebook page, where the post has been shared thousands of times.

“He asked the kids what they wanted for Christmas and kept a list,” Jennifer Wilcox, the school’s PTA president, told ABC. “I believe his motivation was to bless the kids and to put smiles on their faces.”

Jenkins, meanwhile, told ABC that he wanted to buy the gifts to “magnify loving and caring.”

One of the children asked Jenkins if he was Santa Claus.

“Kids these days need to see positivity,” Jenkins said. “If you show a lot of kids a lot of love they will do the same,” he added.

Meanwhile, he said people reached out to donate money for his cause. “So many accounts has been set up on GoFundMe in my name, with my picture,” said Jenkins, NBC DFW reported. “I never set up anything.”

In an email, GoFundMe told NBC DFW: “It’s not uncommon for someone to create a GoFundMe after they see a news story because they simply want to help. When a campaign is created to raise money for another individual they don’t personally know, we place the funds on hold and work with them to transfer the funds directly to the beneficiary. In this case, we are working with all campaign organizers and we guarantee all funds raised will go directly to Mr. Jenkins. He can choose to receive the funds or refund donors.”

Jenkins said he didn’t expect people to donate money. Last Thanksgiving, he said he purchased Thanksgiving turkeys for families in need. “I’m still on that mission from God,” said Jenkins, NBC reported.

“That little time they have with me, it means so much. I’m the first face they see before they get to school in the morning,” he said. “I call my bus a community. We love each and everybody in the community,” Jenkins added.

‘Christmas Miracle’

Meanwhile, a father booked himself on six flights so that he could spend time with his flight attendant daughter over Christmas.

Pierce Vaughan is a flight attendant for Delta Airlines. This year, she was rostered to work over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day on six flights.

Pierce shared in a Facebook post that it was a “Christmas miracle” that her father was able to get a first class seat on one of the flights, which was traveling from Florida to Michigan. “Hal decided he would spend the holiday with her. So, he is flying on each of her flights today and tomorrow around the country to spend time with his daughter for Christmas,” passenger Mike Levy said.

And in South Carolina, Merrit Eggleston set up a tent outside of his home in Rock Hill on Tuesday and offered free hot meals.

He used his $70 in food stamps that he gets each month to buy the food.

“I do everything I can to help anybody I see who needs help,” Eggleston told WSOC-TV. “They say no one else out there is doing this, why do you do it. I say because I want to.”

He said several other people in the community contributed to the meal, including two ministers who contributed $20 each.

Canned tomatoes line the shelves of a pantry at the SF-Marin Food Bank in San Francisco, Calif. on May 1, 2014. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Oklahoma Dealership Gifts Free Car to Mother

A mother in Oklahoma also got a brand new car on Christmas Eve. Sheraiah Crick’s story was one of the hundreds submitted by friends to the Big Red Kia dealership in Norman, Oklahoma. The owner of the car wanted to give it away but wanted to make sure the recipient would really need it.

“That’s what we were actually looking for, looking for someone who actually deserved the car,” sale manager Andrew Faller told KFOR.