A group of teens from Rhode Island worked together and built a shelter for a 5-year-old boy in a wheelchair after they discovered he often gets wet while waiting for the school bus on rainy days.
The boy, Ryder Killam, from Bradford, Rhode Island, had to go earlier to the bus stop since he feared he might miss the bus due to his disability. Sometimes, he would wait for 15 minutes, and oftentimes, the weather was bad.
When the local students heard about this, they decided to build a shack at the driveway so the boy now waits for the bus protected from rain, snow, and wind.
Heartwarming: Group of Teens Build a Bus Shelter for Wheelchair User
Ryder was born with spina bifida myelomeningocele. This condition happens when the baby’s spinal cord doesn’t develop or doesn’t close adequately in the womb. As a result, he’s unable to walk and has been in a wheelchair since he was two.
Prior to the shelter, the boy would wait under an umbrella in the patio which his dad installed in the hope to provide at least some protection. However, the umbrella didn’t do much and the boy was cold and wet many mornings.
Desperate to find a solution for his boy, his dad Tim shared the problem on Facebook. This post garnered huge attention and one high schooler told him to reach out to the construction class at Westerly High and check if they’re willing to build the boy a hut at the bus stop.
He sent an email to Dan McKena who’s been teaching construction at the high school for almost three decades. He responded “absolutely” and then worked together with his students on the design and also built the hut together.
Home Depot donated around $300 worth of wood while the Kilmans donated $600 of their money to pay for the remaining materials.
The End Result Was Amazing
The professor and his students built a 5×8 feet hut, big enough for the boy to stand under. He’s now warm and dry, no matter the weather. They also added a personalized sign on the top. It says: “Ryder’s bus stop”.
They built it in six weeks and delivered it to the family on the 2nd of November, before winter. The family was shocked since it was much bigger than what they expected and it enables Ryder to be comfortable at all times.
The boy loved it right away. He uses it daily before school.
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