MENU
SEARCHBus driver Mike Hoekstra received a touching surprise when he was treated to a hot air balloon ride. His colleagues arranged their school buses into an encouraging message that he could see from the sky.
It took 28 buses and 50 people, but the love was not in short supply for this Michigan driver fighting cancer.
Photos courtesy Brandon Van Strien/Hudsonville Public Schools/Canva
In a story that traveled across the country, one Michigan school bus driver has been honored by his peers in a touching message of love and encouragement earlier this month.
Mike Hoekstra has been a driver for almost 10 years for Hudsonville Public Schools. Now, he faces stage-four colon cancer, according to an MLive article.
Hoekstra believed he was just going to take a hot air balloon ride to tick it off his bucket list. But then he saw the surprise laid out below in the form of the school’s buses. About 50 of the district’s drivers, mechanics, and school staff gathered together to share how much they love him.
Twenty-eight of the school’s buses were arranged to spell out “we love you.”
“I was really, really struck by that," Hoekstra said in a Fox17 post.
In a Facebook post in a private school bus driver’s group, district mechanic Brandon Van Strien wrote: “Showing one of our drivers who’s fighting for life with cancer our love and support. The first picture is from him while taking a ride in a hot air balloon with seeing this as a surprise and the other one is a drone view.”
The team arranged the bus display at the Hudsonville Community Fairgrounds and used a drone to check their work prior to the balloon flight.
It’s not the first time the school showed up in a public display of support for one of their own. Two years ago when another driver died unexpectedly of cancer, the other drivers held a parade past their home.
The loving display is a reminder of how much the support of one’s colleagues can mean to a single individual.
Stop bidding everything and try a simpler way. Here's how cooperative purchasing can streamline purchases while maintaining compliance. Sourcewell breaks down the process in this episode of The Route, sponsored by IC Bus.
Read More →
The alternative transportation company expands its services to traditional yellow buses with the launch of a new division focused on helping school districts optimize their routes.
Read More →
Roberts, 35, serves as the lead IT application engineer for vehicle electrification at First Student, where he helps shape scalable, real-world EV infrastructure to support student transportation.
Read More →
Swazer, 29, serves as director of transportation at Puyallup School District, where he champions student wellbeing and inspires the next generation of industry leaders.
Read More →
Dubas, 38, serves as sales manager and safety advocate at IMMI, where she advances school bus occupant protection through industry education, OEM collaboration, and proactive safety policy efforts.
Read More →
Kramlick, 30, runs operations for TransPar in Hawaii, where he also showed dedication while helping Maui recover from the recent wildfires.
Read More →
Moore, 32, grew up around the school bus, leading him to the classroom and eventually inspiring high-performing teams while bringing operations in house (twice).
Read More →
Baran, 38, serves as transportation supervisor at Odyssey Charter School in Delaware, where he leads daily operations with a focus on safety and professional growth.
Read More →
Maybee, 36, leads transportation operations for Denver Public Schools, where he is advancing equity, efficiency, and cross-department collaboration to improve student access.
Read More →
Higgins, 38, serves as director of industry engagement at TAT (Truckers Against Trafficking), where she equips school transportation professionals with the tools to recognize and report human trafficking.
Read More →
