The starting of this engine signals a new start for Knowledge Quest.
“Our program model transportation is so key and essential to our program model,” Knowledge Quest executive director Marlon Foster said.
Each weekday about 500 students attend after-school activities at Knowledge Quest campuses. Roughly 300 of those students need transportation to the program sites.
“Transportation is very limited in our neighborhood,” Foster said. “A lot of folks just don’t have cars.”
The cornerstone of Knowledge Quest’s after-school program is called Adventure Learning.
“So if a child is studying urban agriculture, studying plant life, that might result in a trip to the Memphis Botanic Garden,” Foster said.
So in rolls Durham School Services with a gift that keeps giving.
“Transportation can be life changing, so we want to make sure that we’re part of that, part of the community and that we can give back in terms of what we think we do best,” said David Duke, the president and CEO of National Express, which operates the bus service.
Durham not only donated this bus to Knowledge Quest, but it has agreed to provide service and maintenance on the vehicle for the next three years.
“This act of generosity really speaks volumes,” Foster said.
And the students couldn’t be happier.
“I’m 100 percent excited,” student Joseph Russeau said. “And I’m excited because when we have to a walk sometimes, it’s raining and thundering, and I’m glad that now we’ll get a chance to be on the bus.”
“It’s important to me because we have a better chance to go to many places to see how it is in the world and get in a new environment,” another student, Andrew Green, said.
Foster said that’s what Knowledge Quest is about — exposing children to the possibilities and opportunities that are around them.
“We really try to come alongside students, come alongside parents and schools, to make learning fun.”
This bus will mean more fun and more hands-on learning for these deserving students.
