Red Bus Project to visit DePauw Thursday

Over three tours, thousands of students from nearly 60 colleges throughout the Southeast have tangibly acted to care for orphans with Show Hope's Red Bus Project, which will be coming to DePauw University on Thursday, May 1 from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the corner of Locust and Hanna streets.

Through a unique British double-decker bus-turned rolling-thrift-store, students have an opportunity to learn about the needs of orphans, sign up to get involved and even shop for clothes and donate to help provide families waiting for orphans around the world.

So far, more than 177,000 students have been exposed to the Red Bus Project, and they have contributed nearly $50,000 to help provide orphans with families through Show Hope's adoption grants.

The Red Bus project is a student program started by Show Hope in 2012. Show Hope is a nonprofit organization founded by Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife Mary Beth for the purpose of caring and advocating for millions of orphans worldwide. The Red Bus project engages students in a variety of ways from encouraging students to start their own Red Bus Project Advocate teams to shopping on the British double-decker-bus-turned-rolling-thrift-store, to donating their gently used clothes to the project and beyond.

"Students really care about making a difference in the world. Sometimes they just need someone to point them in the right direction," Show Hope's Director of Student Initiatives, Chris Wheeler said. "The Red Bus project is a way to lead students toward truly making a huge impact in the global orphan crisis through simple steps of action."

The Red Bus Project is more than just a campus tour. A comprehensive engagement campaign ensures that students continue to be engaged in orphan care activities long after the tour leaves campus. This spring, the Red Bus Project will start several new activities In which students can further their involvement with the project.

"Our goal is not to just swoop on to a campus, have a fun event, then leave and never e heard from again," Wheeler explained. "We have a very intentional strategy in place to move students progressively toward deeper and deeper engagement in a lifestyle of orphan care. We are asking them, 'Whit is your Red Bus?' -- a metaphor for specific actions they will take to help the plight of the orphan."

A key part of the engagement strategy has included starting 52 student-led Red Bus Project campus advocate teams that engage students at the campuses on an ongoing basis.

"Nothing speaks to a student like a student," Wheeler added. "As campus orphan care advocate teams form, students come out of the woodwork to make their voice count."

Advocate team leaders are trained and provided with tools and activities to engage the students on their campus in support of orphan care.

More information including the spring tour schedule is available at www.facebook.com/redbusproject or www.redbusproject.org.