First Student Partners With Advanced Remarketing Services to Support Special Olympics Through Vehicle Retirement Program

Source: PR Newswire ↗

Proceeds from end-of-life vehicle sales out of First Student’s fleet of more than 48,000 buses will flow to Special Olympics North America under a new partnership with Advanced Remarketing Services (ARS) announced May 14.

The arrangement runs through ARS’s SHiFT Vehicle Retirement Program, which pulls retired vehicles from service and recycles them. A portion of the sale proceeds from each retired unit goes to a charitable beneficiary; Special Olympics North America is the first named under the First Student agreement.

First Student, which completes 865 million student rides annually across North America, operates a dedicated Student Services team focused on special-needs transportation and runs a driver-training program called First Serves, developed with child psychologists and clinical experts. The company said the Special Olympics partnership extends that work beyond the school day.

“At First Student, caring for students and keeping them safe is at the heart of everything we do,” said John Kenning, CEO and President of First Student. “Supporting Special Olympics is a powerful example of how we live our value of Fostering Teamwork – working together with integrity, championing inclusion, and creating safe, welcoming environments where students with special needs feel supported, respected, and empowered, both in school and beyond.”

Special Olympics North America serves more than 800,000 athletes who train and compete in sports, participate in health programming, develop leadership skills and engage in school inclusion programs. The global Special Olympics movement, founded in 1968, counts more than 4.6 million athletes and Unified Sports partners across more than 200 countries and territories, offering more than 30 Olympic-type sports and nearly 60,000 games and competitions each year.

“We are grateful that First Student has selected Special Olympics North America as a beneficiary of this program,” said Greg Epperson, Regional President and Managing Director of Special Olympics North America. “Their commitment to students, including those with intellectual disabilities, is admirable and we look forward to working together to expand access, inclusion, and opportunities through sport.”

“We’re thrilled to partner with First Student to retire their end-of-life vehicles,” said Emily Pochman, Senior Director of Partnerships at Advanced Remarketing Services. “We pride ourselves on operating vehicle donation programs for some of the most respected charities, including Special Olympics North America.”