Hundreds of school bus stop benches in need of maintenance before school starts

A grassroots effort to keep students safe after Layla Aiken was killed at her bus stop led to benches being placed where kids wait for the bus, all across Lee County.

But some of the benches badly need attention just days before the start of the new school year.

Benches throughout Cape Coral are overgrown with weeds and worn out and homeowners say they’re an eyesore.

The group behind the project, Benches For Our Babes is now asking for your help.

With school starting next week, they say these kids need a safe place to sit.

Cristin Maigi with Benches For Our Babes says, “We’re asking for help. We again are trying our very best, we’re sorry that the overgrown, but we also can’t do all of them in one day.”

Close to 100 benches throughout Cape Coral still need to be adopted, or else the majority of them will end up being overgrown with weeds and grass.

Now, the organization is asking anyone who lives near one of the benches to lend a hand.

They’re supposed to look well kept, and be a safe place for the kids waiting for the bus to sit.

A community initiative parents want homeowners to be more understanding of.

“I want the homeowners that are looking at these and complaining and taking all this time out of their day to complain about these benches, and try to look at it from a parent’s point of view in today’s world, today’s world is very scary.”

Also this Friday the group will be holding a candlelight vigil with a blessing of the upcoming school year. They will also send off a lantern in memory of Layla Aiken and Alana Tamplin.