A couple who received multiple alerts from their security camera after a young girl kept waiting on their driveway to catch the school bus left her stunned with their response.
On September 1, Maren and David, from Osceola County, Florida, received an alert while David was in hospital receiving cancer treatment, of a kid waiting for the school bus outside their house.
Over the days that followed, the couple watched the girl, who they dubbed “Bus Kid,” keep turning up and standing alone, and so they came up with an idea.
They decided to order her a bench, and over the weekend built it ready for her to use when she returned for school on Monday.
As expected, their security camera then picked up Bus Kid arriving capturing her sweet reaction, and an exchange of notes started, with Maren and David signing off as the “Bench People.”
The note exchanges helped build a bond, and Maren and David then created a miniature library so Bus Kid had books to read while she was waiting.
The couple even left her an umbrella for when it was raining, before one day eventually meeting her father for the first time and finding out more about her daily commute.
They discovered Bus Kid was called Penelope, she lived around a mile down the road, and was dropped off at the end of their driveway because her school is an hour bus ride away, and the GPS coordinates for her pick-up spot couldn’t be changed.
Due to such an out-there place to wait, Penelope was grateful for the additions, loving her very own bus stop and even seeing people resonate with her story online.
When Maren posted about Bus Kid on social media for the first time, the video, and her kindness, received millions of views and an outpouring of love, with viewers asking for more content.
She has since published a Bus Kid book, and said she plans to continue adding little touches to the bus stop to brighten Penelope’s days.
Maren said: “It has been incredibly heartwarming to watch this girl interact with the small gestures of kindness we have left for her.
“Every morning, seeing her run over to the bench, wipe the dew from the seat, and settle in with a book while she waits for her bus has touched our hearts more than we could ever put into words.
“There is something so special about watching her turn a simple bench into a place of comfort, safety, and quiet joy.
“She doesn’t just sit there – she reads, she smiles, and she makes it part of her morning routine.
“Knowing something we did brought her even a little bit of happiness has meant so much to us.
“Then she left her note, those few words told us everything we needed to know.
“You can see the love and values she has been taught in the way she responds to kindness – with kindness of her own.
“We never expected anything in return.
“Watching her enjoy the bench and seeing the joy it has brought her has been the greatest ‘thank you’ we could have received.
“She has an amazing family, and I think that is beautifully reflected in her gestures.”
