Водитель школьного автобуса из Парадайс-Вэлли удостоен награды за заботу об учениках с особыми потребностями

PARADISE VALLEY, AZ (AZFamily) — To the kids in the Paradise Valley Unified School District, Chris Duhame is more than just a bus driver—he is their daily dose of joy, a protector, and a community hero. Recently, Arizona’s Family’s Susan Casper caught up with Duhame before his morning classes started. He thought he was being profiled for a story on what it takes to be a school bus driver for students with disabilities at the start of a new school year. But as his morning route ended and he pulled back into the bus depot, he got the surprise of a lifetime courtesy of Arizona’s Family Surprise Squad and your Valley Toyota Dealers. “I have a daughter that is special needs,” Duhame shared with Casper. He got emotional opening up about the heartbreak of losing his first daughter at just 15 months old. After a subsequent miscarriage, Duhame and his wife welcomed their daughter, Alyssa, who has been an absolute blessing in their lives. lyssa’s involvement in community activities like The Miracle League of Arizona and the PV Roadrunners delegation within Special Olympics Arizona opened Duhame’s eyes to the beauty and resilience of the intellectual and developmental disability community. He now brings that same love and protective spirit to his daily bus routes. “If your child is on my bus, your child is my child,” Duhame said. “I will do everything in my power to make sure that they get to and from safely.” His dedication hasn’t gone unnoticed. He was nominated for the Surprise Squad by Jason, who has witnessed his friend’s tireless work firsthand. “I nominated Chris for everything that he does for the special needs community,” Jason said. “He’s always had such a passion. He’s constantly trying to find different resources and every opportunity for the special needs community to experience different things.” Jamie Roberson, the district’s director of transportation who has known Duhame for over a decade, echoed that sentiment, emphasizing the profound impact he has on the students’ days. “He’s very humble,” she said. “It’s just watching him and the joy he has with his job to help our kids, to make our kids’ lives better each day. To welcome them to begin their day, end their day on a great note, and then show interest in their lives, even on the short rides. It’s pretty cool.” When Duhame pulled his bus back into the depot, he was greeted by a crowd of cheering co-workers. See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it. Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.