How a school bus driver became an 'extra mom' to her whole community
A school bus driver who acts as an "extra mom" to all the students she drives to class was honored on "Good Morning America" on Wednesday for her selflessness and generosity with a special Mother's Day breakfast in bed courtesy of celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse.
Terrie Campbell of Plant City, Florida, is a single mom to three boys. She was nominated for the annual "GMA" tradition by her sister, Margo Lewis, who wrote in a letter that Campbell's "calling was now to take care of other kids" since her own kids were old enough to attend school.
"Terrie, I nominated you because you're amazing," Lewis told Campbell this morning on "GMA." "And I just wanted the world to see how much you do for your students and how caring you are and no one can ask for a better bus driver and sister ."
For a little over two decades now, Campbell has been driving kids in her community to and from Marshall Middle School.
"Miss Campbell is like our extra mom to us," Kalie Stephens, one of Campbell's students, told "GMA."
Daphne Blanton, the school principal, said that by the time the students arrive at school, "They’re already in a good mood because she’s laughing with them."
"She cares about the kid from start to finish," Blanton said of Campbell. "She goes above and beyond."
Lewis said that her sister takes care of all sorts of issues kids on her bus might have.
"Whether its their hygiene, their clothes, their shoes, food, whatever it is, she’s going to address the issue," Lewis told "GMA."
As Samuel Stephens, one of her students, put it, "All the small things she does, it really warms my heart."
Parent Kelly Greco described Campbell's work as "genuine love."
"She loves her students and she wants to make an impact on them," Greco said.
Lewis added that, "She wakes up every single day wanting to make that impact."
Campbell also takes a stance against bullying on her bus. Andrea Vargas, one of her students, recalled a time in which she was being bullied by another girl, then Campbell weighed in.
"I don’t know what she told her but this problem stopped," Andrea said. "Before it gets big, she deals with the problem."
And whatever her students need, they know they can come to Campbell.
Student Karina Charles revealed to "GMA" that when she needed school shoes, she turned to Campbell for help.
"I needed a pair of shoes," Charles said. "And she had noticed, and the next day she’s like, 'Here, this is for you so you can have better shoes to wear at school.'"
Brian Ross, Campbell's son, quipped that his mom has "spent hundreds of dollars on shoes that weren't for any of us...but for her students."
Even when times and finances were tight for Campbell, her sister said she still found a way to be generous and show her love.
"She didn’t have money to buy me a birthday card," Lewis said. "She drew me a birthday card on a piece of paper just to let me know how much she loved me."
Greco said she hopes that Campbell could be her son's "bus driver forever."
