‘The Choice Bus’ spreads message of hope to Georgia students

Published 4:00 pm Tuesday, June 21, 2016

AMERICUS — Sumter County Middle School students were able to board The Choice Bus thanks to the collaboration between State Farm and The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation. Students received a first-hand look at what education can bring — at least $1 million over a person’s lifetime if they graduate from college.
The half-prison cell, half-classroom converted school bus, which visually portrays two different life perspectives, visited Sumter Middle School students March 16 and 17. The bus is one of six tools created by the Mattie C. Stewart Foundation devoted to helping reduce the dropout rate in the United States. Since 2008, The Choice Bus has visited more than 2 million students in 21 states.
“When students board The Choice Bus, they get to experience what life is actually like from two different points of view. It helps students dig deep into thinking about their futures based on the decisions they will make. Connecting education to future lifetime earning potential and career goals is what we strive to encourage,” said Sherri Stewart, executive director of The Mattie C. Stewart Foundation.
To learn more about The Mattie C. Foundation and The Choice Bus, visit www.mattiecstewart.org