Keeping a Promise

Shelter erected at school bus stop

Posted 11/14/18

Thanks to Gerald Russell and a lot of helping hands, school children in his neighborhood now have a sturdy shelter to keep them out of the wind and rain as they wait for the school bus this …

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Keeping a Promise

Shelter erected at school bus stop

Posted

Thanks to Gerald Russell and a lot of helping hands, school children in his neighborhood now have a sturdy shelter to keep them out of the wind and rain as they wait for the school bus this winter.

Russell, 64, who lives on Baker Street, said he remembered being a kid and standing in the cold, and he empathized with the kids down the street waiting for the school bus.

“When I came out one morning with a glass of orange juice, I noticed them standing in the rain and in the cold, so I came down here,” Russell said.

He could tell the kids were cold.

“I said I’ll tell you what, I’ll see if I can come up with a plan to get you some shelter. And that’s how it basically got started,” Russell explained.

He stayed true to his word and got the ball rolling on the project over the summer. He expects five to eight kids will take advantage of the metal-frame structure, which, he believes, is the only one of its kind in Mineola.

He thanked the following for their help with the project: Jack Jones and the Methodist Men, Pastor Paul Thomasson of First United Methodist Church, Sandy Sampson and the Southside Church of Christ, Pastor Demethrius T. Boyd of St. Paul’s Missionary Baptist Church, Benham & Co., Craig Musgraves at M Prints Printing & Graphics, Mercy Rushing and the city of Mineola, and Hector Construction Co.