“They did all the hard work,” said Katy Fisher, a Trenton resident and a 2005 Hamilton High School graduate who is a friend of Kaden’s parents, Amanda and Michael Buck. “I just shared Amanda’s Facebook post because I actually work for Baker Concrete, and I know a lot of guys in the industry.”
Although Kaden cannot speak, he told the volunteers through sign language how he felt about the gift: “He did a lot of ‘thank-yous,’ and a whole lot of hugs,” his mother said. The pfinished Saturday.
Since the project was finished, “At 7 a.m., he’s got shoes in hand and he’s ready to head out,” she said.
“It’s really cool because we’ve always been surrounded by great people,” Amanda Buck said. “Living in a smaller community, if there’s ever anything we need, we know we can count on our community to come through.”
But Amanda Buck never asked for so much help, she said. Instead, she asked if anybody knew trustworthy people who did concrete work. And the contributions began after Katy Fisher shared her post. Several men helped put the concrete pad together, using their own tools and equipment, others pulling up in trucks and realizing their help wasn’t needed, but checking in anyway.
Ryan Pendergest, a Hamilton firefighter, got involved because he suspected from Amanda Buck’s post that Kaden was facing challenges. He called Fisher to learn more about the teen who is non-verbal, but is able to use sign language, texts and other ways to communicate with classmates at Edgewood High School, where he’s a sophomore.
“His older brother had moved away to college, and that was his best friend. He has other siblings, but they’re interested in other things,” Pendergest said. “I told her I wanted to do something, I was hoping to do it as cheap as possible for him. I don’t do concrete work, but I know a handful of guys who do.”
He brought in fellow Hamilton firefighter Toby Howell, who has such experience. Then they decided if they were going to put in a concrete pad, they also should upgrade his portable hoop.
“Ryan had a vision,” Howell said. “He spoke that vision to me and together we brought his vision into reality with the help of a bunch of guys who said they would help and they showed up big time on the day we poured concrete. Alone we can do so little bit together we can accomplish so much.”
When Pendergest told Darren Dooley, the manager of Dick’s Sporting Goods at Bridgewater Falls, about the project, he gave a generous discount for the backboard and hoop. Chiropractor Nick Murtland did a fundraising campaign to raise money for the backboard.
Because Baker Concrete doesn’t do residential work, employees always have to send those jobs elsewhere, Fisher said. One volunteer who works at Ernst Concrete asked his supervisor about it, and the request was passed up the company organization.
On Saturday, Pendergest and Howell played some basketball with Kaden.
“It went well,” Pendergest said. “He’s got some skills. He’s got a pretty good shot.
“It’s been a crappy year for everybody, and I enjoyed sports when I was a kid, and I told Katy, if you see a need, you just try to fill a need, and this is something if we can make it happen, it would be a good cause, and give this kid his own space to do what he enjoys doing. I’m overwhelmed that it worked out the way it did. If it wasn’t for all these other guys coming in and doing what they did, it might have died. It was just a vision.”
Others who helped included Jake Schaffer, Rick Hensler, Carlos Sanchez, Dan Ballinger, Michael Mills, Jeremy Halcomb and Travis Frankenfield.
“In times of uncertainty and hopelessness like many are experiencing right now, people need to see good in this world,” Howell said. “When we can’t see the good in this world we have to go be the good in the world.”
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