BROADVIEW HEIGHTS, Ohio — You never know the difference you'll make in just one person's day. That's the motto John Korfhage lives by.
As a bus driver for Brecksville-Broadview Heights School District, he has an important job: Keeping the kids safe and happy each and every day.
A typical day for John starts with safety checks on the bus. Then, it's all aboard for the kids, treated to his jokes, daily.
"It's time for the joke of the day!" John tells the bus.
Being with the students, makes him smile.
"I just have a good time with the kids," he said.
But it's not just about a fun ride for the students. Without knowing it, John is making a difference in their lives with pure kindness.
A few weeks ago, 3News received an email from Dianne Maddox. Her grandson Tristan is in kindergarten and rides with bus driver John every day.
"The bus went down the street where my mom and dad live due to some local construction. My grandson noticed he went by his great grandma and great grandpa's house, so he told me. I asked the driver the next day the route he was taking, and yes, they went past my mom and dad's house," Dianne said in her email. "After bus driver John figured out which house, he started honking and all the kids wave (I think he makes an announcement to the students on the bus) at my grandson's great grandma and great grandpa every morning."
"We go by the house every day, so I always tell the kids ... I honk and they wave," John said.
"I’m sure he could go a different route but bus driver John makes sure every day they all wave to them as they stand on the porch and wave. It brings such joy to my parents and my grandson," Dianne wrote.
The thoughtful gesture does more for Tristan's great grandparents than John realizes.
"It takes nothing for a smile," he said.
"John is a special guy. He smiles every day he comes in, loves what he does, and loves the kids. And that's what I think makes him a special guy. He loves the kids," said Fonzie Culver, transportation director for Brecksville-Broadview Heights.
John says, it's about doing what he loves with the kids that make his day each morning.
"Driving the bus is easy. I was in the trucking industry for 40 years and I was with people every day. All kinds of people. And the kids, you know, the kids are extension of my own kids. I have two boys and they're grown. So this part's easy. I just have fun with the kids," John said.
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