Why One Retiree Spent Her Life Savings On A School Bus

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/05/estellas-brilliant-bus-retiree-spent-savings_n_6277796.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063

Dec. 5, 2014

At an age when most women are slowing down, 77-year-old Estella Pyfrom is just getting started. The Florida grandmother and retired teacher didn't opt for a quiet retirement that included relaxing on the front porch; rather, she decided to continue devoting herself to education and poured her life savings into a school bus. But it's not just any school bus.

Estella's Brilliant Bus is a mobile learning lab outfitted with more than a dozen computer stations, traveling to local communities to help the children most in need of access to technology and educational training.

"I started Estella's Brilliant Bus because I saw a need. Children that live in under-served neighborhoods don't have access to the Internet, because men of the families have to choose between food on the table and whether they attempt to provide Internet services and a computer," Pyfrom says in the above video. "For this next generation, access to computers is a chance for success."

•••••

The impact of Estella's Brilliant Bus on students is already incredible, having helped more than 60,000 children envision a brighter future for themselves over the last three years. And young lives aren't the only ones who have been touched by her work. Pyfrom's bus also provides computers to the homeless to search for housing and jobs, and brings food to families in the community.

In recognition of all the good Pyfrom does for her community, Oprah's The Life You Want Weekend tour recently honored her as the recipient of the Toyota Standing O-Vation during its stop in Miami. Pyfrom received a $25,000 grant from Toyota, which Oprah then matched with her own funds.

•••••