What was supposed to be a celebratory journey for the Kankakee Elite Cheer team turned into an unthinkable ordeal when their charter bus failed to arrive, leaving the team stranded at their middle school. After months of fundraising, donations, and sponsorships, the cheer squad and their families found themselves out over $10,000—and left sleeping on the cold floor of a school gym.
The team was headed to Tampa, Florida, to compete in a cheer competition, but their plans unraveled when Dolton-based Samuel Bus Service, owned by Samuel Parks, failed to deliver on their contract. The bus company not only failed to show but left the team scrambling for answers as their calls and texts went ignored.
“This is not a cheap trip,” said Seyborn Billings, President of Kankakee Elite Football and Cheerleading. “These cheerleaders worked so hard to raise the money, only to be let down in such a devastating way.”
Initially, Parks offered multiple excuses, claiming a driver was ill and another had suffered a fatal heart attack. Text messages also cited mechanical issues with the bus. But a deeper investigation revealed that Samuel Bus Service had lost its U.S. Department of Transportation authorization in January 2024 due to an expired insurance policy. The company’s Illinois business license had also been inactive since 2023. Parks provided disconnected numbers for supposed replacement buses and failed to respond to over 100 calls from the team.
The team’s GoFundMe campaign, titled “Stranded Cheerleaders Need Your Support,” was quickly launched to help cover the sudden expense of booking a new bus service. Despite the setback, they managed to raise the funds needed to hire another company, paying an additional $13,000 to get to Tampa just in time for the competition.
