Rain or snow Ryder’s parents had to keep their wheelchair-bound son outside, exposed to all the elements, so that he could board the school bus.
His Father, Tim Killam tried to use a patio umbrella but it was useless against the wind. In the end, he turned to Facebook to ask if his friends and family had another umbrella he could use, and instead, he got something a whole lot better.
Most mornings start the same for Ryder Kilam, a 5-year-old boy in a wheelchair.
Each weekday that he has school, he goes outside to wait for the bus. After his parents take him outside, the bus then picks him up from the bottom of the sidewalk and takes him to Dunn’s Corners Elementary School. All of this is complicated by the fact that Ryder can’t walk.
Since the house is around 75 feet away from the bottom of the driveway, Ryder had to prematurely go outside or he could miss the bus.
The solution his parents came up with was to just be extra early. Most kids would be able to wait inside until they see the bus coming down the street and run out, but for Ryder, that clearly isn’t an option.
As a result, Ryder is outside at the bottom of the driveway, no matter the weather.
Rain or snow and Ryder is outside! His parents did their best to make it comfortable for him, even going so far as to put out a patio umbrella to keep the rain off. Still, it wasn’t a perfect solution and the tiniest bit of wind was enough to negate the covering of the umbrella.
In the end, he turned to Facebook to ask if his friends and family had another umbrella he could use, and instead, he got something a whole lot better.
Tim’s post was a plea for any help or solution that could solve this problem, and luckily it was seen by the Construction Technology teacher at Westerly High School, Dan McKena.
The teacher pledged to come up with a solution, and fast as the winter months were approaching. Three classes came together to build a small building that Ryder could wait in that was strong enough to withstand the wind and snow.
Home Depot donated wood for the project and the Killam family paid for the rest.
The students got to work and the end result was incredible. The new bus stop was perfect for Ryder, and ADA compliant thanks to the help of his older brother that happened to be in the class. There is a ramp and a sturdy roof to keep the elements away. The little fort even came with a sign that reads “Ryder’s Bus Stop.”
In the end, Ryder got to see how much his community cared for him and the students got to put their skills to good use. Read on to learn more about this touching story.
Ryder and his family couldn’t be happier with the end result.
Tim shared: “He loves it, he actually after school makes us stay out here and hang out now it’s his new fort so he gets home. The community, they’re incredible. It’s unreal how everyone comes together to make things work for everybody.”
Source:apost.com, spotlightstories.co
