August 11, 2025
Sumter County School Board Transportation Department Donates Two Buses to Youth Center
By Kyle Coppola
Sumter County School Board Transportation Department Donates Two Buses to Youth Center
The Sumter County School Board Transportation Department, led by Transportation Coordinator Jason Mendoza, has donated two school buses to the Sumter Youth Center to help expand youth transportation services throughout the county, including Bushnell, Lake Panasoffkee and Webster.
The donation, approved by the Sumter County School Board, includes buses numbered 2606 and 2706. The Sumter Youth Center will partner with Sumter County Transit to provide safe, reliable transportation for after-school programs, summer camps and educational field trips during the school year and summer months.
“This is about creating opportunities for every child in our community,” Jason says. “By donating these buses, we’re helping ensure that transportation is never a barrier to participation in programs that enrich students’ lives.”
((Jason Mendoza “right” and Della Boushley “left”.)
Superintendent Logan Brown praised Jason and the transportation team for their leadership and dedication.
“Our transportation team goes beyond getting students to and from school, they help connect students to experiences that inspire growth and learning,” Superintendent Brown says.
Della Boushley, representing the Sumter Youth Center, expressed gratitude for the partnership.
“We are happy to partner with the Sumter County School Board on this important initiative,” Della says. “This is a blessing to the whole county, and these buses will not only serve our youth programs but will also be available for emergency use when needed.”
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
