Thomas Mitchell is a full-time mechanic at the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System in Tennessee.
He also fills in as a bus driver for the school district when they are in need.
He loves being there for the children when he can.
So, when Mitchell saw a little girl struggling to be brought out of her home in her wheelchair, he knew he wanted to help out.
Verna Despain says that her 10-year-old daughter Lydia has a seizure disorder that stunted her development and left her wheelchair-bound.
This leaves Despain to struggle every day to get the girl’s wheelchair over a temporary aluminum ramp that covers their stone steps.
“There was just hardly any room for her to maneuver this wheelchair. It just didn’t seem right for somebody to have to struggle like that,” Mitchell told KSBW 8.
He knew that he had to build her a new sturdier ramp that was easier to maneuver.
“The ramp they were using was like a temporary aluminum ramp, like a folding ramp,” Mitchell told TODAY.
“It didn’t go all the way to the top step.”
The only thing was, he had no idea how to build a ramp. He was even sure if he could afford to build one.
So, he reached out for some help.
“I decided to call Lowe’s to see if they would help,” said Mitchell. “I got to the manager, David Adams … he didn’t even bat an eye, he just asked me to get a list together.”
Now that Mitchell had the supplies, he just needed someone to help him build the ramp.
So, he asked his friends.
Fellow vehicle mechanics Mike Green and Anthony Puckett and community members Randall Puckett (Anthony’s brother) and Nicholas Puckett (Anthony’s son) were all too happy to help.
Now, all that was left to do was run the details by DeSpain and build the ramp.
“You know, I wasn’t expecting anyone to just call and volunteer to do that,” DeSpain said.
“After we got off the phone, I was so happy I was just crying happy tears.”
The ramp took less than three hours to build.
Lydia loved her new ramp and that people came together to help.
“I told her, ‘This is all about you,’” DeSpain said. “‘They’re here for you.’ She just gets really excited.”
Not only did they build a new ramp, but they also built a little deck which DeSpain says Lydia will love sitting on in the warmer months since she loves being out in nature.
“Everybody should be helping out their neighbor, and so many people just drive by,” Mitchell said. “So many people comment, you know, that it’s such a great thing. I challenge them to do the same. There’s no greater feeling.”
The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System made a video about the community effort and it ended up going viral.
That same video video below has been viewed more than 47,000 times.
Click the video below to learn more about this heartwarming initiative!
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