When Emily Chapman was a student at Baylor University she recognized the incredible impact that college students could make on behalf of children who are orphaned. Rather than waiting until there was some sort of steady income to financially support orphan care projects or a family of their own into which they could adopt a child, Emily's dream was that an invitation would be extended to college students to advocate for children void of families.

Years later Emily's dream became a reality when Caleb Chapman, Emily's brother, and Chris Wheeler, Show Hope's Director of Student Initiatives, began to ask this simple question: What can students do to care for orphans while still in school?

They began their discovery process with a few foundational understandings. First, causes come and go on a college campus almost daily. They wanted to create something unique that would distinguish itself from all the noise. Secondly, they wanted to do more than just ask for a one-time donation or sponsorship. Instead, they wanted to give college students tangible and ongoing opportunities to engage with the global orphan crisis and respond in action. Third, they recognized that college students may not have a lot of money, but they do have stuff!

Caleb and Chris, wondering how they could mobilize students to use their stuff to help orphans, stumbled upon the idea of starting some sort of thrift store from which all the proceeds would benefit orphan care and adoption advocacy efforts. Students could donate their stuff or simply shop . . . and in doing so all profits would help show hope to children in need of forever families. The more Chris and Caleb talked, the more excited they got about their idea . . . and eventually there was a BIG dream to somehow obtain a double-decker bus, remodel it into a mobile thrift store, and drive it from one college campus to the next raising awareness about the global orphan crisis and offering a tangible way to respond.

As the dream grew, they brought in a number of experts including college consultant Jeff Trubey of Kyros Entertainment to help them flesh out the millions of details that would have to come together to make it all happen. The three of them together wondered where on earth they'd get a bus. Enter Trent Hemphill of Hemphill Brothers Coach Company in Nashville, TN. Trent, a long time supporter of Show Hope, found a broker who specializes in double-decker busses. So they bought a bus and had it shipped over on a boat from England! The bus was then painted back to its original red color and completely remodeled into a thrift store.

The Red Bus Project launched in Spring of 2012 and thousands of students from 25 colleges throughout the southeast contributed over $21,000 to help provide waiting orphans with forever families through Show Hope adoption grants. In the process, more than 67,000 students were exposed to Show Hope’s Red Bus Project the newly launched orphan care program featuring a British double-decker-bus-turned-rolling-thrift-store.

We have big dreams of where The Red Bus Project will ultimately take students in advocating on behalf of the orphan. The Red Bus itself, the mobile thrift store, is one way in which any and all students can involve themselves in advocating on behalf of these children. It doesn't require any long-term commitment . . . hop on the bus and shop, drop off your stuff . . . help orphans! However, The Red Bus Project's future plans include events and training seminars designed to engage students who have a deeper interest and specific burden in helping shed light on this crisis and engaging their peers to actively respond. These events will be designed to help students discover their own "Red Bus" . . . their unique idea or creative project aimed at raising awareness and giving a voice to the more than 140 million orphans worldwide.