Studio goes mobile: Company giving gift of bus to reach more young musicians

As Student Transportation Inc. wraps up its three-year sponsorship of the PGA Nationwide Tour Championship, it will be leaving its mark on aspiring young musicians in the Charleston area.

The company, through its nonprofit education foundation, plans to hand over the keys tonight to a bus that's been converted into a mobile recording studio for underprivileged kids in the area.

The donation benefits Carolina Studios, a 10-year-old media arts group chaired by guitarist Mark Bryan of Hootie & The Blowfish. The Charleston-based organization works with students between 8 and 18 to help them write, produce and record their own music.

The $40,000 gift is structured as a five-year renewable lease. It stems from Denis J. Gallagher's decision to get involved in the Ralston Course event in 2009, after making Daniel Island his full-time home.

Gallagher, the founder and chief executive of New Jersey-based Student Transportation, which operates bus systems for about 200 U.S. and Canadian public school districts, agreed to make his company's philanthropic arm the charity sponsor.

"We still don't have any business or revenue per se in South Carolina, but we do have our foundation, so it became the host organization," he said last week. "As host organization, you're responsible for literally putting on the event and covering the purse."

Gallagher said his company's Student Transportation of America Education Foundation focused on helping Carolina Studios after meeting Bryan, who has been involved in the nonprofit arts group for years.

"It was something I was fascinated with because it was an after-school program," Gallagher said. "We're in the education business -- transporting kids to their education -- so we liked for it to be part of our foundation."

Gallagher said he suggested to Bryan that Carolina Studios, which operates from the Shaw Community Center on Mary Street, could extend its reach and effectiveness by taking its programs on the road.

"This way you can get to the kids. He said, 'Great. Where can I get a bus?' " Gallagher said.

Bryan didn't have to look far.

"We know something about getting buses," Gallagher said of his company.

The vehicle will be handed over at a benefit concert for Carolina Studios, which could not be reached for comment Monday. The bus will be on display at the Nationwide Tour Championship, which runs Thursday to Sunday.

Reach John McDermott at 937-5572.