Construction Class Builds Bus Shelter to Protect Student in Wheelchair

Dan McKena's high school construction class has been known to discretely work on charitable projects in the Westerly, Rhode Island community. However, when news got out about a certain project, the secrecy was gone.

The internet uncovered that a group of Mckena's kids came together to build a bus stop for a wheelchair-bound student at one of the elementary schools. "The joke is we've built every picnic table, lifeguard stand that's located in the town of Westerly," McKena told Fox News. "It's just something we kind of do quietly and this story just kind of got put out there on social media and it kind of blew up and took off."

This all started back in September, when the young child's father, Tim Killam, posted on Facebook that his family was seeking a bus stop to replace the makeshift shelter that was composed of a patio umbrella tied to a fence. Tim's son, Ryder was born with Spina Bifida and is completely wheelchair dependent. Tim wanted a structure that would be much sturdier as well as protect Ryder from the cold and nasty New England winters.

The distance from the door to the bus stop is 75 feet, which takes some time to wheel Ryder down to the bus. However, that is not all, it then takes a few minutes for the wheelchair lift to get Ryder into the bus. This required that the bus stop to be a shelter for him as he waited for the lift to be deployed by the bus.

The Facebook post caught the attention of one of the high school guidance counselors who then told Killam to reach out to Mckena. This proved to be perfect timing because at that time McKena was brainstorming with a student on what to do for a senior project. Once he saw this email, he told the student that he'd be building a bus stop.

With the help of 14 students and a month of hard work, the specially designed bus stop to allow Ryder and his parents to be covered from the elements was done. This shelter was constructed to be ADA compliant and came with two windows.

These students came together to help a fellow student in need. We need to use this example as motivation for us to go out and help those in our community.

Be the change you want to see!

Full Article Here: High school construction class builds bus stop shelter to protect student who uses wheelchair | Fox News