Over four tours, thousands of students from nearly 60 colleges throughout the Southeast and Midwest have tangibly acted to care for orphans with Show Hope’s Red Bus Project. Through a unique British double-decker-bus-turned-rolling-thrift-store, students have an opportunity to learn about the needs of orphans, sign up to get involved, and even shop for clothes and donate to help provide families for waiting orphans around the world. So far, the Red Bus Project has reached out to more than 220,000 students, sharing the message of advocating for orphans. To continue this powerful mission of impacting students around the U.S., the Red Bus will be visiting Howard Payne University on October 13th. The bus will be visiting 24 schools throughout the fall tour.
The Red Bus Project is a student program started by Show Hope in 2012. Show Hope is a nonprofit organization founded by Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife Mary Beth for the purpose of caring and advocating for millions of orphans worldwide. The Red Bus Project’s mission is to unite and inspire students to help make a difference and speak up for the world’s orphans. The Red Bus Project engages students in a variety of ways from encouraging students to start their own Red Bus Project Advocate teams to shopping on the British double-decker-bus-turned rolling-thrift-store, to donating their gently used clothes to the project and beyond.
Students really care about making a difference in the world. Sometimes they just need someone to point them in the right direction. The Red Bus Project is a way to lead students toward truly making a huge impact in the global orphan crisis through simple steps of action,” said Chris Wheeler, Show Hope’s Director of Student Initiatives, responsible for overseeing the Red Bus Project.
The Red Bus Project is more than just a campus tour. A comprehensive engagement campaign ensures that students continue to be engaged in orphan care activities long after the tour leaves campus. This spring, the Red Bus Project will start several new activities in which students can further their involvement with the project.
“Our goal is not to just swoop on to a campus, have a fun event, then leave and never be heard from again,” comments Wheeler. “We have a very intentional strategy in place to move students progressively towards deeper and deeper engagement in a lifestyle of orphan care. We are asking them ‘What is your Red Bus?’ – a metaphor for specific actions they will take to help the plight of the orphan.”
A key part of the engagement strategy has included starting 52 student-led Red Bus Project campus advocate teams that engage students at the campuses on an ongoing basis.
“Nothing speaks to a student like a student. As campus orphan care advocate teams form, students come out of the woodwork to make their voice count,” Wheeler added.
Advocate team leaders are trained and provided with tools and activities to engage the students on their campus in support of orphan care.
More information is available at Facebook.com/redbusproject or RedBusProject.org. Visit the Red Bus Project website for the Spring Tour schedule.
