HIGH POINT, N.C. — Thomas Built Buses and its employees are pitching in to benefit local students and those in need in the High Point community, where the school bus manufacturer is based.

Last week, Thomas Built and parent company Daimler Trucks North America pledged $100,000 to support Guilford County Schools in 2017.

The donation is part of the DaimlerCares program, in which the parent company partners with its brands to serve nonprofits in local communities with monetary donations and employee time.

“Throughout the past 100 years, the High Point community has given so much to us at Thomas Built Buses,” said Caley Edgerly, president and CEO of the school bus manufacturer. “Investing locally allows us to not only say thank you, but to also play a key role in the community that [has] been instrumental in our success.”

Thomas Built’s work with Guilford County Schools in recent years has included investing time and money into Oak Hill Elementary School, which helped it become the highest-performing Title 1 school in North Carolina.

In December, Thomas Built and its employees donated 274 bicycles to the students of Oak Hill Elementary, which is in a low-income area of High Point.

“Even today our employees continue to look forward to their time with the Oak Hill students,” Edgerly said. “Expanding our philanthropy across the entire district is something that all of us at Thomas Built Buses are very excited about.”

The $100,000 donation will provide much-needed resources, technology, and educational materials for the students of Guilford County. In addition to the donation, Thomas Built employees will volunteer with the school system throughout the year.

“Thomas Built Buses has been dedicated to Guilford County Schools for years, particularly when it comes to their passionate involvement with Oak Hill Elementary,” said Meg Sheehan, western region superintendent of Guilford County Schools. “We are grateful for their donation and excited to partner with them this year.”

Another recent Thomas Built donation, totaling $300,000, went to the United Way of Greater High Point. Last year, Thomas Built employees raised $150,000 for the United Way, and that amount was matched by Daimler Trucks North America. The money will be distributed to local organizations in need.

“These funds will make a huge impact in our community,” said Bobby Smith, president of United Way of Greater High Point.