Trekkers, a Rockland-based nonprofit youth mentoring organization dedicated to helping young people thrive, will be getting a new bus for its programs.

The organization recently purchased the bus to support its year-round youth mentoring programs, which travels around the community and the country. This purchase of the bus is the first major project made possible by Trekkers’ recently completed successful capital campaign, which ended in December 2024. Soon, the organization will be seeking contractors for campus construction scheduled for next year.

The vehicle has been freshly painted by Cyr Bus Lines and is currently being retrofitted by local woodworkers at Appellenzer Cabinetry to transform the former school bus into a Trekkers bus, a “home away from home” equipped to carry students along on transformative adventures across Maine and beyond.

Trekkers invites the community to help name the new bus. The winning name will be featured on the bus’s new design and celebrated at the Bus Reveal Party, which will be open to the public and held Wednesday, Sept. 17, at 4 p.m., at the Thomaston Green.

“The bus is a bit of a canvas – the bus in itself doesn’t foster new relationships and experiences, but it’s the place where all those things happen," said Mitchell DelFrate, program manager who has led the project from proposal to painting. "These seats are filled with memories and stories. When [students] are on the road and travelling around it’s like home - a little sliver of comfort.”

How to Enter

The Trekkers bus naming contest is open to the public and anyone can submit their ideas until August 29. The winner will receive public recognition by being featured in our newsletter and on social media. Find information about contest rules and how to submit your idea at: https://bit.ly/trekkersbusnames.

For over 30 years, the nonprofit organization Trekkers has been dedicated to helping young people thrive. Through its unique 6-year mentoring and expeditionary learning model, research shows Trekkers helps students increase skills in resiliency, an ability to build positive relationships, and develop aspirations for the future. To learn more, visit the website at trekkers.org. For more information, please contact: Teresa Valdepeñas, Communications and Impact Manager, teresa@trekkers.org.