LINCOLN, Nebraska — In another great example of general aviation going the extra mile to help local communities, dozens of employees of Duncan Aviation refurbished an old school bus, converting it into a clothing store on wheels.
The bus was presented to the charity Foster Care Closet on April 20, 2023.
Children and teens from broken homes throughout the state can visit the bus, try on clothes, and take three outfits each season for free when the bus visits their communities.
When Foster Care Closet Executive Director Leigh Esau saw the refurbished bus for the first time, she said she was overwhelmed by how seriously the Duncan Aviation team had taken the project and given it their absolute best.
“It was amazing! When you’re passionate about something, and you see other people who want to help you expand your passion, it’s really beyond expression,” Esau said.
The Duncan Aviation Family Trust, various employees, and Soft Landings, a women’s group at Duncan Aviation, donated funds for the Foster Care Closet Bus project, company officials noted.
Several years ago, Duncan Aviation employee Jason Duhs was asked by a neighbor if he thought Duncan Aviation could help with the old bus.
“There are people in the Lincoln community who know we do incredible things with aircraft and they wondered if we could do the same thing to a vehicle with wheels,” says Duhs.
Duncan Aviation’s Vehicle Maintenance department assessed the condition of the engine in the bus and deemed it roadworthy, and Duhs arranged for hangar space for the ongoing project. A Duncan Aviation engineer and a designer, working with Foster Care Closet’s Esau, drew up specifications for an interior design and exterior paint scheme.
Various Finish Shop employees donated their evenings and weekends removing seats and windows. They installed sheet metal in place of the windows so kids trying on clothes would have privacy. Multiple shops pitched in and installed new steps and a new floor.
Leather was donated, and employees from Upholstery applied a Duncan Aviation logo and added sheepskin covering so the driver’s seat now looks like a pilot’s seat. Employees from Avionics Install wired the interior for lights and audio speakers.
The Paint shop painted the exterior of the bus, and the Interior shop spruced up the interior so it looks brand new again.
Now, fitted with a new rear-view camera and furnished with a hydrodipped pegboard on which to hang clothes, the Foster Care Closet bus is ready to head into communities throughout Nebraska.
“Our project was in the works for more than four years, and now the Foster Care Closet bus can start serving the children and teens in foster care in Nebraska,” says Sales Rep for Government Programs Tracy Bohaboj. “We couldn’t have done this without the generous help and support of the dozens of Duncan Aviation team members who helped in countless ways.”
For more information: DuncanAviation.aero, FosterCareCloset.org