Ouachita Stories

The Red Bus Project is rolling into Ouachita Baptist University on Wednesday, Oct. 22. The project is an initiative of the Show Hope nonprofit organization founded by Christian musician Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, to help students learn about the needs of orphans and get personally involved.

The Ouachita event is being sponsored by the Campus Activities office and the Ouachita chapter of the International Justice Mission with assistance from the Campus Activities Board and Henderson State University’s Baptist Campus Ministries.

According to Hillary Hill, Campus Activities assistant director, the Red Bus Project will “provide students with a high-quality event, contribute to an important cause and raise awareness for a reality that often is absent from our daily thought. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to participate in this endeavor with Ouachita students and the Red Bus Project.”

Over four tours, thousands of students from nearly 60 colleges throughout the Southeast and Midwest have participated in the Red Bus Project. Through a unique British double-decker-bus-turned-rolling-thrift-store, students have the opportunity to learn about the needs of orphans, sign up to get involved and even shop for clothes and donate to help provide families for waiting orphans around the world.

So far, the Red Bus Project has reached out to more than 220,000 students, sharing the message of advocating for orphans. The bus will be visiting 24 schools throughout the fall tour.

The Red Bus Project is a student program started by Show Hope in 2012. The project’s mission is to unite and inspire students to help make a difference and speak up for the millions of orphans worldwide.

“Students really care about making a difference in the world. Sometimes they just need someone to point them in the right direction,” said Chris Wheeler, Show Hope’s director of student initiatives. “The Red Bus Project is a way to lead students toward truly making a huge impact in the global orphan crisis through simple steps of action.”

The Red Bus Project is more than just a campus tour. A comprehensive engagement campaign ensures that students continue to be engaged in orphan care activities long after the tour leaves campus.

“Our goal is not to just swoop on to a campus, have a fun event, then leave and never be heard from again,” Wheeler explained. “We have a very intentional strategy in place to move students progressively toward deeper and deeper engagement in a lifestyle of orphan care. We are asking them ‘What is your Red Bus?’ – a metaphor for specific actions they will take to help the plight of the orphan.”

A key part of the engagement strategy has included starting 52 student-led Red Bus Project campus advocate teams that engage students on an ongoing basis. For more information, visit RedBusProject.org or contact the OBU Campus Activities office at 870-245-5539.