Peter Pan Bus Lines: Making a Difference in Our Communities

Peter Pan and the Picknelly family have had a long tradition of community service and philanthropic generosity dating back three generations.

Peter and Melissa are continuing that tradition by establishing the Peter and Melissa Picknelly Charitable Fund, supporting a wide range of causes ranging from shelters for battered women and the homeless … to the United Way, the arts and many other civic causes. Both the Peter and Melissa Picknelly Charitable Fund and the Peter Pan Group of Companies are committed to improving the communities they serve.

 

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Picknelly Charitable Foundation & Penn National Gaming Foundation Aid Square One

The Penn National Gaming Foundation and the Peter and Melissa Picknelly Charitable Fund teamed up to give a $25,000 donation to the Square One Early Education and Care Center.

Santa Clause traveled by Peter Pan red double decker bus on his visit to see the children of Square One to drop off the $25,000 check.

Square One is based in Springfield and experienced damage to one of their day care centers in the June tornado and most recently the November 24th gas explosion that occurred at Worthington and Chestnut streets.

The Picknelly Charitable Fund and Penn National Gaming Foundation wanted to do something in order to help the local daycare and the members of our community as well as put a smile on the faces of the children excited to receive a visit from Santa.

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Peter Pan Supports JUNTOS Adult Basic Education Collaborative

I would like to express my sincere appreciation on behalf of the HALO Program and its students for your generous donation to Link to Libraries.

As you know we are an Adult Education Program located on the third floor in the Picknelly Education Center in Holyoke. Susan Jaye-Kaplan and Link to Libraries have provided us with enough books to stock a small library at our program. This is an invaluable resource for the students. We encourage our adult students to read and to further strengthen their skills and family bonding by reading with their children.

For the most part our students do not have the means to purchase reading materials on their own. Without donations such as yours we would be unable to provide books for our students and their families.

Thank you again for your support in encouraging literacy to families in Holyoke.

Sincerely,
Martha Owen
Director Family/Adult Education Programs
JUNTOS Adult Basic Education Collaborative

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Peter Pan Transports UMass President on Statewide Tour

University of Massachusetts President Robert Caret launches his second annual statewide tour of the UMass five-campus system this week. And once again this year, Peter Pan Bus Lines is proud to have been chosen to transport the President aboard our luxury VIP Coach. We’ll be taking the esteemed educator on a journey of more than 500 miles that begins in Springfield. The tour will include stops in Worcester, Lowell, Gloucester, Boston, Dartmouth, Fall River, New Bedford and Barnstable, among others.

President Caret’s mission is to assess and promote the University of Massachusetts system’s impact and influence on the state. And Peter Pan Bus Lines is proud to lend a hand in that important undertaking.

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Peter Pan Supports Double Decker Dine

Thank you very much for your participation and sponsorship in the 3rd annual Double Decker Dine which took place on August 29, 2012. We appreciate your support of this unique event and your contribution helped make the night a success.

The event went great, people had a wonderful time and there is already a buzz with people looking forward to next year’s event.

We are truly appreciative of the part you played and we look forward to working with you again on next year’s Double Decker Dine!

Sincerely,
Mary Kay Wydra
President
Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau

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Peter Pan’s Robert Schwarz Receives Tourism Award

Peter Pan’s Executive Vice President – Communications, Robert Schwarz, has been selected as a recipient of The Larry D. Meehan Award from the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism for excellence in tourism leadership.  This award honors those in the Massachusetts tourism industry who have achieved legendary status in tourism through an exemplary career. 

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Special Peter Pan Bus Wrap Promotes The Pioneer Valley

Peter Pan Bus Lines has partnered with the Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau on a bus wrap to promote the company’s hometown region. The bus, which will travel primarily between Boston, Hartford and New York City, features images of local attractions such as Six Flags New England, Yankee Candle, the Basketball Hall of Fame and more.

Here’s a look at the new coach as it was introduced to the community:

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$500,000 Raised For Picknelly Education Center

In just two years since its construction, the Picknelly Adult and Family Education Center in Holyoke has served more than 6,000 people. Now Holyoke Community College’s Embrace Education Foundation Campaign has raised more than $500,000 to support the center’s mission.

The Picknelly Adult and Family Education Center offers adult basic education services, tutoring, GED instruction, computer classes, childcare and more for Western Massachusetts residents in need. It is located at the new Holyoke Intermodal Transportation Center on Maple Street.

The late Chairman of Peter Pan Bus Lines, Peter L. Picknelly, conceived the idea for combining an adult education center with a bus station. According to Peter Pan Vice President/Communications, Robert Schwarz, Picknelly was an avid reader who was troubled by illiteracy in the community. So he decided to do something about it. “If Peter Sr. were alive today,” said Schwarz, “he would be very, very proud. His vision is complete.”

Peter Pan is proud of Peter L. Picknelly’s vision for the center, and grateful to HCC’s Embrace Education Campaign and the city of Holyoke for their support of this important community resource.

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Peter Pan Executive VP Bob Schwarz Named To Difference Makers 2012

Peter Pan is proud that Business West has named Bob Schwarz, Executive Vice President – Communications, to its list of “Difference Makers 2012.” With a career in business and community service that has spanned more than 40 years, no one is more deserving of this impressive recognition.

Bob’s commitment to the Western Massachusetts community is as broad as it is longstanding. He had devoted his time to the United Way, the Eastern States Exposition, the New Leadership Charter School and its library, and to the Literacy Works Cabinet of the Regional Employment Board.

But Bob is perhaps proudest of his efforts on behalf of the region’s homeless population. In 2008, he received the Community Champion Award from the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. Then-‘homeless czar’ Philip Mangano praised him for his efforts as part of a nationwide program to end homelessness. For Bob, here in Western Massachusetts it’s not about placing people in shelters. Rather, it’s about finding them permanent housing. And no one has been more tireless in his efforts to achieve that goal.

Bob joined Peter Pan Bus Lines in 1986 and he counts among his many mentors the late Peter L. Picknelly. Today Bob is joined by a third generation of Picknellys, Peter A. Picknelly and his family, who share his unwavering commitment to community service.

The Peter Pan family extends its congratulations to Bob for this much deserved award.

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Peter Pan Employees Bring Holiday Cheer to School Kids

It’s an annual tradition that goes back more than ten years. Peter Pan employees provide holiday gifts for school children in one of the city’s most economically challenged neighborhoods.

Each year, staff members at the Kensington Avenue School provide us with a list of some 50 children along with their holiday gift wishes. Back at Peter Pan headquarters, each child’s list is attached to an ornament on the Sharon Mumley Memorial Giving Tree, named for an employee who was instrumental in the program and who passed away in 2006. Peter Pan employees then select ornaments and buy gifts for the children they’ve chosen.

This year on December 16th, a team of Peter Pan staff boarded the company’s VIP Coach loaded with Christmas presents to deliver to the kids. Below you can see our merry crew as they worked their holiday magic at the school. With the help of principal Margaret Thompson, school nurse Ann Maggio, and the entire staff at the Kensington Avenue School, our employees were able to make it a happy holiday for some very deserving children.

Peter Pan extends our heartfelt gratitude to all the staff members who made this special tradition possible again this year. In addition to all who provided gifts for the children, thanks go out to our team of delivery “elves,” including Maureen Jaconetta, Jay MacNaught, Jessica Hoiberg, Samantha Cote, Matt Brown and Ricky T. Johnson. We’re proud to have them all as part of our Peter Pan family.

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Just A few of the Many Organizations and Causes Recently Supported by Peter Pan Bus Lines

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