Bus drivers collect and donate hundreds of books to Phoenix schools

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - Jermaine Bethea is a driving force behind a love for reading.

"We started with 200 books and me and a couple of other drivers got together and said we are going to give out to our kids and they were so excited so we started doing it every year," said Bethea.

Bethea used to be a school bus driver. He sits behind the wheel of a Metro bus now.

Together with fellow drivers, he collected thousands of books.

This week, he pulled his bus up to Curry Elementary in Tempe to hand out 600 books.

"It's a chance for our kids to celebrate the love of literacy and just a shining example of what community business partners and public schools are doing together every day to make a difference in the lives of our kids," said Principal Ken White.

White says the books will keep the kids enthusiastic about learning over summer break, the very purpose Bethea got involved.

"I actually have two daughters. I have a nine-year-old, she goes to an elementary and she is a big reader so she was, I guess, you know one of my greatest inspirations for doing this and I love that school because their theme is no excuses," said Bethea. "This is just a small way that I could help and this small thing kind of turned into a big thing.

The thing is that the smile on the faces, the excitement about turning the next page, reading the next chapter and sharing a story with a friend.