Treating the children in her care as though they were her own

On a clear, sunny day last September, school bus driver Renita Smith – a member of ACE-AFSCME Local 2250 -- was driving her after-school bus route in College Park when the instrument panel suddenly started beeping. Just as Renita (left) was getting ready to call the problem in to her supervisor, she smelled smoke. She immediately pulled over, seeing flames in her rearview mirror. As the fire intensified, Renita led all 20 children safely off the bus. Then, she went back onto the bus — its windows melting around her — checking every aisle for a sleeping child, making sure all of them had gotten off. “I knew I had to go back on the bus to make sure I got all my babies,” she said.  That’s the “never quit” spirit that AFSCME members bring to their jobs every day, whether they’re bus drivers, first responders or other public service workers. And they do it without expectation of special recognition. “Serving my community means that you’re not being selfish,” says Renita. “You’re thinking of how to do something for others and not expect anything in return.” Read more on the ACE-AFSCME 2250 website.

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