SPOKANE, Wash. — Some bright yellow school buses brought a Spokane County boy an unforgettable experience on Monday’s gloomy evening.
Bundled up in a blanket decorated with school buses, Benji waited with his family and friends at the end of his driveway for a big surprise.
16-year-old Benji lives with medical and developmental challenges and has had some recent health scares. To bring him and his family some much-needed joy, the Wishing Star Foundation, along with Central Valley School District and Spokane Valley Police, organized a school bus parade by Benji’s house.
“He doesn’t always talk about what other people talk about, but he can talk about buses, and if you talk about buses with him, he is all about that,” said Benji’s mother, Becky Keifer.
The big yellow buses rolled down his street as the drivers waived and honked their horns. Family and friends gathered on the sidewalk to watch the parade and share in Benji’s excitement.
Cindy Guthrie Tripp, director of community partners and development for the Wishing Star Foundation, said the event was a way to show support for Benji and his family.
“We thought, what better way to let the family know that we love them, we support them, and we’re here for him,” she said.
As each bus passed, Benji waved enthusiastically.
“It was good to see him engaged and noticing and just loving the moment,” said his mothers, Becky and Jo Anna Keifer. “He’s going to talk about it forever. Now that will be his new talking point—it’s the buses that came by his house.”
This isn’t the first time the community has rallied around Benji. In 2020, Mark Peterson and the 4 News Now Extreme Team, with help from the Wishing Star Foundation, brought a real school bus into Benji’s backyard. Five years later, the bus is still there, and Benji’s family says he uses it every day.
The Keifer family’s journey began in 2016, when Becky transitioned from being Benji’s foster mom to his adoptive mother. Now, with another special memory to cherish, Becky says moments like these mean the world to Benji.
“Stuff like this means a lot to him,” she said.
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