Chester bus driver of 20 years honored with $10,000 check
CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WWBT) - Cheryl Whalon, or better known as ‘Mrs. C’ to her students, has been a fixture in the Chester community for more than 20 years and has now been formally recognized for her service.
Whalon was awarded on Tuesday GoHappy’s “Extraordinary Person of the Year,” entering a room crowded with cheering fans and receiving a $10,000 check.
“I was just so surprised, I thought that I was coming to see my grandson but then there were all of these cameras and faces,” Whalon said. “I’m just blown away right now.”
According to parents, Whalon’s dedication to her riders makes her truly expectational. Every day, Whalon uses the short commute to school as a learning opportunity for her students to learn life lessons along the way.
“My daughter came home and she was already trying to tie her shoe laces, something we never tried to teach her yet,” said Erica Seamster, a Winterpock Elementary School parent. “She’s always doing something, or learning something, that she later tells us is from Mrs. C.”
Whalon already won a monthly award of $1,000 for her work, but she was again nominated by the district and its parents for the grand prize of GoHappy’s “Person of the Year.” It’s part of their “Extraordinary Worker” campaign aimed at honoring individuals who go above and beyond their duty every day.
“Mrs. C completely exemplifies what it means to work every day dedicated to the children,” said Shawn Boyer, CEO of GoHappy. “There are so many wonderful things you have done for the community, and this is just our way of saying thank you for all that you do.”
Whalon plans to immediately use some of her check to throw a party at her house for her students. She promises there will be a water slide, bouncy houses and food for all the people who have made just as big of an impact on her, as she’s had on other people.
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