Bus Driver Crochets Toys For Every Student Just To See Them Happy

An elementary school bus driver from Wisconsin went above and beyond for each and every single student on her bus route.

Trudy Serres, 43, crocheted toys for her students on her route to Summit Elementary School in Oconomowoc. It all started when Vincent Lamon, 10, dared Serres to make a crocheted taco after she had taught his older brother to crochet.

“His favorite food is tacos, so finally one day I said, ‘Fine, I’ll try to make it,’ and two days a later I think I had it done,” Serres told ABC News. Once she finished the taco, nearly all of the students on the bus wanted a toy too. So, Serres went down the rows of kids and asked for their special orders.

“I made the taco and gave it to Vincent in the morning, and every student that got on after him — he had to show them, and said, ‘Look what Mrs. Trudy made,’” said Serres. Vincent’s mom, Peggy Lamon said, “It’s just unbelievable. It’s not like she sits around all day, like she has nothing else to do. For her to take this time out for these kids, it shows what kind of woman she is.”

Summit Elementary School principal Brian Stuckey told ABC News, “One day a boy came up to me and said, ‘Mr. Stuckey, look at what my bus driver made me!’ and he showed me his stuffed animal Trudy had created just for him. The boy was so proud and you could tell the pride he had in this little gift. The last few years we have been working to build connections and relationships between our school and our fabulous bus drivers and Trudy has taken that to a whole new level.”

Now that the children are out of school for the summer, parents are telling Serres their kids are sleeping with the crocheted toys, taking them on vacation and even to church. “My kids still sleep with them at night. They definitely love them and enjoy them,” John Londt said of his three kids who each received toys from Serres.

Londt even wrote to the principal telling him how great of a job Serres has done with making every single student smile. “Throughout the year, Trudy has made each of the students that ride her bus a crocheted stuffed animal. She asked each child what character, color, etc. they would like and hand-made each of them an animal,” he wrote. “I cannot imagine how much time this would have taken her, but I know that she has made each child feel very special and loved.”

But, for Serres, the best gift for her is seeing her students smile. “They would gleam when they saw them,” she said. “I love children and to see their faces and their reactions — that’s what makes my day.”