Metro News Release

For immediate release: August 22, 2003

Metrobus employees to provide Back-to-School supplies for children in Southeast Washington, D.C.

Justn time for children returning to school in the District of Columbia, Metrobus employees at the Southeastern Bus Division will provide back-to-school supplies for Southeast neighborhood children at a giveaway event on August 29, 2003, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Anacostia Metrorail station, on Shannon Place between M.L. King, Jr. and Firth Sterling avenues, S.E. The Southeastern Bus Division will target the school supply giveaway for approximately 500 students in pre-kindergarten through grade 5. The operators will display a large banner at the Anacostia Metrorail station to announce the upcoming giveaway to the community. The employees are providing the free supplies through funds they each donated. The list of supplies includes pencils, paper, markers, book covers, dividers, folders, rulers, composition books, scissors, glue, color blocks, and crayons. "We believe in giving back to the community that has supported us by riding Metrobus. Some of us are now carrying the children of parents who once rode our buses as children. This school supply event shows our appreciation for that continuing support," stated Herbert Stroman, a Metrobus operator at the Southeastern Bus Division. Deborah Blue, Brenda Wooten, and Mr. Stroman were among the originators of this event 13 years ago. (This year, the event is in honor of Ms. Wooten who died three years ago of a brain tumor at the age of 39.) Throughout the year, this bus division sponsors a variety of community-related events for students and senior citizens. For the past several years, they have sponsored the Halloween treat for neighborhood kids called the "Boo Bus" at the Anacostia station. Around the holidays, they cook and serve meals for seniors at a nearby senior citizen center, providing the entertainment and gifts for the seniors. This school year, the bus operators, office clerks, and mechanics at the division will make a decision about adopting a school in their neighborhood to provide mentoring opportunities for girls and boys throughout the year. "In this way, we hope to provide guidance to children who may not have two parents in the home. We see boys at a particular need for this kind of interaction, especially from strong male role models, who may not have a father in the home," said Mr. Stroman.

News release issued on August 22, 2003.