Florida woman turns bus into computer lab for disadvantaged students

(UPI) -- After retiring in 2009, former guidance counselor Estella Pyfrom dipped into her savings to purchase a bus, fill it with computers and create a mobile computer lab for students in Palm Beach County, Florida to use free of charge.

Pyfrom created Estella's Brilliant Bus after noticing that many of the children she worked with didn’t have access to a computer outside of the classroom because their families couldn’t afford one.

"They needed food. They needed to pay their mortgage or their rent," Pyfrom said. "Some of them lost their cars. So I knew it was a serious problem."

Estella's Brilliant Bus, painted with the phrases "Have Knowledge, Will Travel" and "We bring learning to you," has provided free tutoring for thousands of students since 2011.

"If people don't have some knowledge of technology, they're going to be limited," Pyfrom said. "It's absolutely essential that they get involved technologically."

The bus, which travels to schools, shelters and community centers, is equipped with 17 computer stations that access the Internet via a high-speed satellite connection.

"The digital divide is absolutely real," said Pyfrom, 76. "And it didn't just become a reality. It's been there for years, and it's getting bigger and more important. We serve children starting with age 3 all the way through senior citizens, based on what the needs are. We are bringing the learning and the technology to the neighborhoods. They all can benefit from that."

Pyfrom makes it clear that the computers on the bus are for learning purposes; Facebook is not allowed.

"Excuses don't get the job done," she said. "You do whatever it takes to make things happen. That's the only thing that works."

With educational software ranging from interactive elementary to GED and college test prep, Estella's Brilliant Bus provides about 8,000 hours of instruction to at least 500 children a year.