Volume 1, Issue 1
Estella’s Brilliant Bus Beacon
DAILY COVERAGE OF THE 2014 TECH INNOVATION BUS RIDE
June 28, 2014
Tech Bus Tour Takes off From West Palm
[JUNE 27] CNN Hero Estella Pyfrom arrived in
West Palm Beach to the
cheerful beat of Faith’s
Drumline and a congratulatory welcome from city
officials. Pyfrom and about
60 students and 40 chaperones from Broward and
Palm Beach counties gathered at Blum Park to kick
off the first leg of the Tech
Innovation Bus Ride, traveling today (June 27) to
July 3 to participate in the
20th Annual Essence Music
Festival’s Technology Village.
They will return to West
Palm Beach on July
7.While learning to code
apps, the students also will
stop along the Freedom
Trail to visit memorable
Civil Rights monuments in
Atlanta, Birmingham, Ala.,
Memphis, Selma, Ala., Jackson, Miss., and
finally New
Orleans.
“The fact that
they are going
to so many difDrumline plays at a send-off at Blum Park in West
ferent cities and Faith
Palm Beach.
Photo by Hakeem Houser
being welcomed by so many digniWHQT-Hot 105’s Kristaries is impressive,” said
ten Kash reported live
West Palm Beach City
from the trip. She joins
Commissioner Sylvia
other embedded jourMoffett. “I’m always imnalists.
pressed by Estella and
Parent Lisa Franklin
what she is doing.”
has three children on
Moffett brought snacks to
the trip.
give to students. The cit“They’ve volunteered
ies of West Palm Beach
with Estella’s Brilliant
and Delray Beach are two
Bus,” said the West
of many financial sponsors of the trip.
Continued on Page 2
Today’s Agenda
Breakfast and a welcome reception is
planned from 7:30-9:30
a.m. at Georgia State
University, 33 Gilmer
Street, Atlanta.
Invited guests include
Mayor Kasim Reed,
Congressman John
Lewis, Senator Donzella James and Nancy
Flake-Johnson from the
Urban League of Greater Atlanta.
Half of the students are
expected to participate
in workshops on campus from 10 a.m. to 4
p.m. while the rest will
Fast Facts About Atlanta
Atlanta is host to well over 16.5 million
visitors each year.
Atlanta has more shopping center
space per capita than any other city
except Chicago.
There are approximately 55 streets with
the name Peachtree in Georgia.
be touring local historical sites.
Among the planned
tours are the MLK Center for Nonviolent Social Change and the
Civil Rights Museum.
Dinner will be back on
campus from 7 to 9
Quote of the day
“This is a special trip and a big
responsibility to make sure you
have a great time.” - Estella
Pyfrom, the retired Palm Beach
County administrator who used
her retirement money to build the
bus to help close the digital divide
in low-opportunity communities.
Tech Bus Tour Continued from Page 1
Palm Beach resident. “The
technology they will be exposed to is unreal.”
South Florida, taking the historical
trip, chimed in.
First stop, Atlanta! The trip got
off to a slow stop with the Brilliant Bus, Pyfrom’s signature
vehicle, a custom built tour bus
completely fitted with computers and state-of-the-art technology, having to be garaged for a
few hours for some mechanical
issues. The $10,000 bill was
unexpected, but safety first.
City of Riviera Beach CRA officials presenting check to help with the trip.
The other two buses, carrying
students and chaperones,
The slow start meant some hungry kids,
forged on. The Brilliant Bus will
so Stevi B’s, a buffet pizza restaurant in
catch up in Atlanta.
Fort Pierce, accommodated the group and
“We shall rejoice and be glad that dished out all you can eat pizza and salad.
the Lord has made this day come
With full bellies, the trip continued.
to fruition,” said Letitia Ruffin,
who helped coordinate the trip.
“I’m looking forward to learning new
“My experience has been once we technology,” said Jamare Bess, 15, of Rivintroduce children to trips like this iera Beach, who attends John F. Kennedy
where they can know their heritMiddle School. “I use coding to build my
age, it causes a life change that
Web sites. I can’t wait to learn more.”
puts them on a path of ‘Yes, we
He’s not alone. Other students from across
can do’ and Yes, I will.”
Ayana Clenance, 16, a junior at
Somerset Arts Conservatory High
School in Pembroke Pines, can’t
wait to visit the places on the Freedom Trail.
Zykra Carter, a seventh grader at
Village Academy in Delray Beach,
got on board because she wants to
travel and learn while she’s doing
it.
“This is a special trip and a big
responsibility to make sure you have a
great time,” said Pyfrom, the retired
Palm Beach County administrator who
used her retirement money to build the
bus to help close the digital divide in low
-opportunity communities.
“This is a historical event: our inaugural
trip; the 50th anniversary of the Freedom
Ride and the 20th anniversary of the Essence Music Festival. This is the first
time they are inviting students to a tech-
The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center
for Nonviolent Social Change is a
national historic site to learn, be
inspired and pay respects to Dr.
King’s legacy and the Civil Rights
Movement.
“The King Center” has been a global destination, resource center and
community institution for more
than a quarter century. Nearly a
million people make pilgrimage
there each year.
Most of the park is self-guided;
therefore, no special arrangements
are needed. However, one must
register to tour the Birth Home of
Dr. King.
Page 2
In 1968, after
King. Dr. & Mrs. King’s crypt
he was assassiis constructed of Georgia marnated, Dr.
ble, a timeless acknowledgeKing was carment of his southern roots.
ried upon a
The Eternal Flame symbolizes
farm wagon
the continuing effort to realize
drawn by
Dr. King’s dream of the
mules to
“Beloved Community,” which
Southview
was his vision for a world of
Cemetery. In
justice, peace and equality for
The Eternal Flame, symbolizes Dr. King’s
1970, his recommitment to eternal hope and truth.
all mankind.
mains were
Portions of the Martin Luther
removed from Southview Cemetery
King, Jr. National Historic Site are manto now what is the current King
aged and operated by the U.S. National
Center campus. His crypt was rePark Service.
built in 2006 to also include the
remains of Mrs. Coretta Scott
E S T E L L A ’ S B R I L L I A NT B U S B E A C O N
Pictures Worth Thousands of Words
CRA Media Group vice president Toni Marshall interviews Commissioner
Sylvia Moffett.
Atlantic High School’s All Star Leadership Academy students poses a moment
for the camera.
Woman Tweets for Help After Cats Lock her in Bedroom
Remember Lux, the cat that had
the cats were meowing and pawing
such a violent meltdown that his
at the door, because they wanted to
family called 911 from their bed-
be let inside.
room, asking for rescue because the
The locksmith finally shows up and
cat would not let them escape?
after much drilling and great ex-
Well, this isn’t quite a copycat case,
pense, Berlinski tweeted that she
but one French woman was tempo-
was free.
rarily inconvenienced when her cats
When asked about the condition of
managed to dismantle her bedroom
the cats, she said they were fine,
door handle.
just a bit miffed that their breakfast
Their mischievous actions left jour- hanger, a nail file and credit card and
nalist Claire Berlinski trapped in
even attempted to kick down the door,
her bedroom for about five hours,
but was unable to free herself. It ap-
but she somehow managed to main- peared that the lock itself was stuck
tain her sense of humor.
and after consulting with her father,
After tweeting her predicament, her Berlinski was forced to call a lockfollowers offered helpful suggessmith.
tions. Berlinski tried using a coat
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
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At one point, Berlinski tweeted that
Page 3
DA I LY C OV E R AG E
O F T H E 2 01 4
Staff
C. Ron Allen
Toni Marshall
Kristen Kash
Tyree Gordon
Phone: 561-665-0151
E-mail: [email protected]
www.cramediagroup.com
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Estella’s Brilliant Bus Shrinking the Digital Divide
Working as a guidance counselor
five years ago in Palm Beach County, Estella Pyfrom noticed that fewer students had access to a computer after school.
The sluggish economy forced many
families to prioritize their money
and use it for more pressing needs.
"They needed food. They needed to
pay their mortgage or their rent,"
said Pyfrom, a former teacher.
"Some of them lost their cars. So I
knew it was a serious problem."
Without a computer at home, or
reliable transportation to get to a
computer, Pyfrom feared that many
of these students would get left behind.
So she bought a bus, filled it with
computers and brought technology
to the kids.
Her mobile computer lab, Estella's
Brilliant
Bus, has
provided
free, computer-based
tutoring for
thousands of
students
since 2011.
The bus
travels
throughout
Palm Beach
County, offering homeEstella Pyfrom's "Brilliant Bus" is a mobile computer lab that provides tutoring for low-income
work help
children and adults.
and computers for underprivileged children to
once they leave school it's not availdo their work and practice for the
able to them."
FCAT
The lifelong educator says she
Pyfrom says, "Most of them have
poured her pension and retirement
the computers at school, but then
money into the $900,000 bus.