Beginning on August 15^th, children who attend the Urban Hope after school program will be picked up at their schools in a freshly painted bus. This bus isn’t your typical yellow school bus, but rather a hand-painted, brightly colored, and artistically curated, “Urbie the Love Bus”.

The purchase of the bus was made possible by one very generous donation from a local business in 2014 and the bus plays an integral role in Urban Hope’s after school program and summer camp; it transports children from school to Urban Hope and safely home every night. The bus picks up from ten different schools in Chatham County and to further support the children’s pride in attending in Urban Hope programs, the idea to paint the bus came to fruition.

In order to successfully complete the mural, Urban Hope enlisted the work of local artist, Jose Ray to create the bus mural. Jose worked with the Urban Hope children to compose a design for the bus based on their experiences at Urban Hope. From the children’s drawings, Jose created a final work of art to transform the bus. Jose also guided the children in painting the bus, giving them direction on how to use their talents to create the mural.

The Savannah community always plays a large role in Urban Hope’s success and this achievement is no different. Urban Hope received a donation from Moves with a Purpose and a grant from the Emerging Leaders Committee to fund the bus mural. Moves with a Purpose is a local real estate group that donates 10% of its commissions to their clients’ nonprofit of choice and the Emerging Leaders Committee functions under The Savannah Community Foundation.

This bus will be a moving advertisement for the Urban Hope program and serve as an advocate for public art. The goal is to give the children a sense of pride when the bus picks them up from their school and takes them home on a daily basis, hopefully putting smiles on many faces. 

Savannah residents should be on the lookout for Urbie the Love Bus starting August 15^th. And if you do spot the Urbie, please be sure to give the children a friendly wave. They worked very hard to create this moving work of art.