Bus driver organizes toy drive
By EMILY BENNETT DILULLO
ebennett@yourmvi.com
Melody Gazdick will be the first to admit she’s a little shy.
Even after the school bus driver quietly made sure that the entire student population of Charleroi Area Elementary Center and Pre-K received a Christmas gift this year, she remains humble.
“Somehow, something was telling me, you can do this,” she said. “I knew all along, that somehow, I could do it.”
Gazdick has been a driver for the district for nearly 11 years. Along her four routes throughout the day, she gets to have small, meaningful interactions with the students she takes to and from school. These connections empowered her to make a big decision –– to give students a Christmas they would never forget.
“I get to interact with a lot of kids every day. … And it’s just really rewarding for me to see the kids happy,” she said. “I get to see all kinds of children and I know a lot of families don’t have a lot of opportunities, and I wanted to help out.”
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