This is a tale of selfless volunteers, a bus, and one dramatic renovation.

But forget the sappy music, the bright lights, the movie cameras. Tell Ty Pennington to move over.

Teamsters are the life changers in this story.

They may not be as glamorous as the cast of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” but the impact they made has been just as dramatic.

It all started around Christmas last year. Jack Shaughnessy, head of Shaughnessy & Ahern trucking and rigging company of South Boston, received an unusual request from a longtime friend. Did he know anyone who had a bus?

As a Teamster and member of Local 25 in Boston, Shaughnessy not only knew someone who had a bus, he knew someone who was looking to donate a bus to a charity.

That someone was Sean O’Brien, President of Local 25 and Joint Council 10. The bus O’Brien had to donate was a used 47-passenger Greyhound Bus owned by the local. It was in need of repair, but nothing a little love and hard work couldn’t fix.

So, volunteers from Local 25 spent an entire month renovating the passenger bus, rebuilding it inside and out. They fixed the motor, the transmission and even added a sound system on the inside.

“There was a lot of work and effort put into it,” said John “Porky” Flynn, a 56-year Teamster and member of Joint Council 10 in Manchester, New Hampshire. “We added new tires and brakes to the bus, reupholstered the seats and put a new bathroom in the bus.”

By February the vehicle was ready for donation. But this was no usual Salvation Army drop off. To reach those who needed it, the bus had to be transported to Honduras.

Teamsters Across Borders

Shaughnessy’s friend—the person originally asking around about a bus to be donated—isn’t just a regular Joe; he is the Most Revered Mauro Muldoon, O.F.M., D.D., the bishop of the diocese of Juticalpa.

Juticalpa is an extremely rural, impoverished area in Honduras larger than the state of Massachusetts. There, medical care is difficult to come by.

The bus, renovated and restored for hazardous mountain terrain, is the lifeline that will carry volunteer medical professionals to a new Catholic hospital that will have capacity to accommodate people who live in the vicinity. Volunteer brigades from the Catholic Medical Association provide medical services and equipment to the hospital—all at no cost to the patients.

To get the bus to Honduras, Teamsters once again stepped up to the plate. Shaughnessy donated the flatbed the newly renovated bus was transported on. Teamsters from Joint Council 10 drove the bus to Brownsville, Tex., a border town, where a Mexican driver transported the bus to Honduras.

“It’s a really wonderful thing to be part of something like this,” Flynn said. “I know the time and effort each and every person put into this bus is going to help change some lives.”

It has been six months since the bus was transported to Honduras. In that time, the bus the Teamsters built has helped hundreds receive the medical treatment they need.

“The bishop called me once to tell me that the bus is running beautifully. It works out well for him and the people of Honduras. I’m just glad Teamsters could help,” Flynn said, proving that you don’t need a hit TV show, a zany host or a catchy slogan to change a life. All you need is love.