PHOTO BY JULIANNA LEOPOLD

ATLANTA—A new era of transportation services has rolled onto the campus of Immaculate Heart of Mary School. Through last year’s #iGiveCatholic campaign, the Atlanta school acquired a bus for use by the students and church community.  

“Safety and service are very important to us,” said Laura Cichanski, principal. “We’re very excited to have the opportunity to expand the two with the new bus.” 

Laura Cichanski, principal of Immaculate Heart of Mary school, steps onto the new bus for the first time. The bus was acquired through last year’s #iGiveCatholic campaign and will be used by both the school and parish. Photo by Julianna Leopold

Painted bright white, the new bus seats 14 people and displays the school’s name and logo, alongside the church’s name.  

The bus will be a shared resource between the school and church, said Father Carlos Ortega, pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church. The community will use the vehicle for ministry and school service projects. 

“I’m looking forward to seeing our students have their own bus that they can identify with,” said Father Ortega.  

Immaculate Heart of Mary School raised $75,000 in total through the #iGiveCatholic campaign. The school budgeted $60,000 for the bus and $15,000 for design, maintenance and incidentals.  

Celebrated annually on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, #iGiveCatholic is the U.S. Catholic Church’s Giving Day that kicks off the charitable season. The Catholic Foundation of North Georgia coordinates the giving day in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. 

Ali Barton, the school’s director of advancement, marketed the campaign and shared the bus was needed for not only transportation, but for community outreach and visibility.  

“Any opportunity we can have to get our name out there is key,” Barton said. “We want the community to know that we’re out there doing good things.”  

With the new bus, more students can join local service projects, including visiting nursing homes, St. Martin de Porres Food Bank or shelters for the homeless, through shuttling. The bus will transport the students to the location from the school, back and forth as needed.  

Additionally, parishioners of Immaculate Heart of Mary can attend retreats, faith formation events and summer service trips.  

Enhancing safety for students on trips and eliminating stress for parents were two main goals of the project, said Cichanski. With the bus, students will be able to grow beyond academics by having wider access to service opportunities.  

For years, Immaculate Heart of Mary School faced logistical challenges in offering transportation services to its 500 students.  

Lisa Rhodes, business manager of the school, said that with bus rentals being costly and often needing multiple rentals for one event, planning off-campus experiences meant working around tight budgets or cancelling trips altogether.  

Having a dedicated bus has been a personal mission for Rhodes for nearly 25 years. Immaculate Heart of Mary School has always prided itself on its community service, said Rhodes, and with the new bus, “our world is opening even more for all kinds of different projects.”  

“I can finally check it off my to-do list,” shared Rhodes. “Having the bus to expand who we are as Catholics and serving our community is going to help us tremendously.”