Getting on the bus in the morning is a lot more enjoyable for a Rhode Island boy, thanks to the kindness of a construction class. Ryder Kilam uses a wheelchair and waits outside for his bus to pick him up for school, but the five-year-old now has an ADA-accessible shelter to wait in that was built by students in the Construction Technology class at Westerly High School.
Ryder’s dad,Tim Kilam, says they tried using an old patio umbrella to keep Ryder dry out there, but it didn’t work with the wind blowing. So they reached out to the community to see if anyone had something that would work better and the request reached Dan McKena, who’s been teaching that construction class for 27 years. His students volunteered to use their skills to build a bus hut for Ryder, Home Depot donated about $300 worth of wood and the Kilam family pitched in the rest.
McKena says knowing where their project would end up helped to keep his students motivated and they were eager to get it finished for him. The class built the bus hut with a window and a light and made it large enough so Ryder and his dad or nurses could fit comfortably inside. The bus hut has been completed and installed and now the guest of honor likes it so much, his dad says he uses it like a fort and hangs out there even when he’s not waiting for the bus. Kilam says. “It’s a great thing they did for Ryder and it’ll be here for years to come.”
Source:Turn to 10
Photo: Getty Images