Students build bus stop shelter for boy with wheelchair

• Ryder Kilam’s parents have to push him in a wheelchair down the driveway every morning when the school bus arrives.
• When the local high school learned that they needed a shed, they went to work for weeks to build one.
• The students learned so much as they worked together toward a common goal for the community.

When a Rhode Island high school learned about the needs of a 5-year-old boy in a wheelchair, the students worked together to build a bus stop shelter for him.

Every morning when the school bus comes, Ryder Kilam’s parents have to push him in a wheelchair about 75 feet from their house to the end of the driveway.

They initially made a makeshift shelter for Ryder to wait in, but they only had an old patio umbrella. It was not enough to keep him dry or warm.

So they reached out to the community in the hopes of finding someone who had a shed they were no longer using.

The request reached Dan McKena, who has been teaching the Construction Technology class at Westerly High School for 27 years.

Having done other projects before, he enlisted his students’ help to create the shed.

About $300 worth of wood was donated by Home Depot, and the Kilam family bought the rest.

For weeks, three classes teamed up to work on the project.

One student, Mason Heald, made it his senior project. He shared that he learned so much after putting his knowledge and skills to practical use.

Dan shared that the students were eager to work, knowing that they were all working together for a common goal.

One of Ryder’s older brothers was also part of the class. He made sure to make the shelter ADA accessible so that anyone can accompany Ryder comfortably.

The family shared photos of the completed project, as well as Ryder in it.

Seeing Ryder’s grin was “priceless,” said Dan. “That one photo that the family sent me made it all worth it and I shared it with the students that were involved in the construction.”

Mason said that the whole experience was “extra special,” since they all worked closely together to help out someone in need.

Source: Tank’s Good News