Before leaving office in January, President Obama issued the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award to a pastor and pupil transportation professional from New York.

The award, which recognizes those who contribute more than 4,000 hours of volunteer service in their lifetime, went to the Rev. Dr. James Carter Jr., a pastor, chaplain, and member of the safety department at Educational Bus Transportation in Long Island, New York. The school bus company is a member organization of The Trans Group.

“I have been honored to know James since he joined Educational Bus Transportation in 2004, first as a school bus driver and later as a member of the safety department,” Trans Group President John Corr Jr. said. “He has been a true inspiration to me and to everyone who has had the privilege to work with him. James is deeply devoted to Copiague, where he has lived since 1987, and I am overjoyed that he has received presidential recognition for his years of community service.”

Carter, a pastor at St. John’s Baptist Church in Copiague, is also a member of the Christian International Chaplaincy Association and is responsible for certifying more than 100 men and women as chaplains. It was the chaplain association that nominated him for the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award because of his commitment to pastoring, feeding the hungry, visiting hospitals, and improving the lives of his fellow citizens.

In a letter to Carter that accompanied the award, President Obama wrote, “Congratulations and thank you for helping to address the most pressing needs in your community and our country. Your volunteer service demonstrates the kind of commitment to your community that moves America a step closer to its great promise.”

Corr added that “everyone at The Trans Group family of bus organizations joins me in congratulating James on this great honor. It reflects what we stand for as a company and what we strive for in our dedication to the communities we serve.”

Educational Bus Transportation provides student transportation services to school districts in Nassau and Suffolk counties. The Trans Group employs more than 1,700 people and operates more than 1,200 school and public transit buses in lower New York state and Long Island.