Ryder Killam was born with spina bifida. The 5-year-old is completely wheelchair-dependent so his parents push him to the end of their driveway every morning to wait for the bus.
It’s not as simple as it sounds, especially with bad weather.
“With Ryder being in a wheelchair, unfortunately, it’s about 75 feet from our house to the bus. He’s not the typical child that runs out when the bus comes,” said Tim Killam, Ryder’s dad.
His parents used an old patio umbrella that they tied to a fence to shield Ryder from weather, but staying dry when the weather turns nasty was a challenge for the New England family.
Ryder’s mom and dad reached out on Facebook to see if anyone could help but the response they got surpassed their expectations.
A local guidance counselor saw Facebook post. The Killams were directed to Dan McKena, a Construction Technology teacher at Westerly High School.
McKena was with one of his students, Mason Heald, discussing a project when he told his student that he was “designing a bus stop.”
Fourteen other students decided to step up for the initiative.
“We’ve done other projects before,” Dan said. “I think it’s very important for my students to learn not only the aspects of construction but of being involved in the community dealing with people outside of the school environment.”
The group took about a month to finish the shelter with Ryder’s parents paying for the materials needed. Home Depot reached out and donated $300 worth of wood as well.
“It was a learning stretch for me,” Mason said. “I’ve never really done anything like that. I watched videos on how studs make things hollow. I didn’t really know too much about what I was doing.”
The students made sure that Ryder’s hut was Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible so that others would be comfortable inside it as well.
“They all worked together for a common goal and they really enjoyed knowing the end result and knowing where it’s going,” Dan said. “On days when it might’ve been like, ‘I don’t feel like working’ or whatever it may be, they just come in eager, ready to get going and get to work.”
Soon, the community took part in the project as well. Ryder got a heated blanket so he could stay warm, and one of Dan’s former students, volunteered to bring the hut over as soon as it was finished.
Ryder is loving the new bus stop. He’s not getting cold or wet anymore!
“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,” his dad said. “The community, they’re incredible, they’ve come forward a couple of times for Ryder. It’s unreal how everyone comes together to make things work for everybody.”
Tim soon sent Dan a photo of Ryder in his new hut. Dan said the picture “made it all worth it.” His students involved in the project saw the photo as well and they were beaming with pride.
Hit play below and see how Ryder got his own hut!
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