*** UPDATE *** Hello everyone!!! Within about six hours I already hit my goal. A couple people gifted me money directly, so even though it looks like I'm 150 short of the goal, I'm actually over the top! Thank you all so so so very much. Thank you for being part of this magical gift. I'm so grateful to all of you!

(And don't worry, those of you who didn't get a chance to donate, I'm sure I'll come up with something else you can help with before too long! :) ) You can still read the brief but wonderful story here if you'd like:

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One of my latest bus driving adventures! Three weeks back I subbed on a morning route. We stopped in a trailer park and I watched a mother wheel her daughter out of their home, pick her up and carry her down four steps, prop the daughter up, go back for the wheelchair, carry that down the stairs, and then put her daughter back in it. From there I put her on the lift and the bus.

In the afternoon it's the same thing in reverse, except mom works, so grandma has to get the girl up the stairs! Besides the obvious physical strain and safety issues, the most painful part for me was actually simply that this beautiful girl and her mother and grandmother deserve so much more than that, they deserve to be supported and cherished and celebrated. How is it that this is how our society treats them? Grrrr....

Last Monday I called the building department in that town and told them I wanted to build the family a ramp, but was concerned that might not be allowed, that I might need permits or engineering or who knows what. They got back to me and were really grateful for what I wanted to do. They said if I do it on a weekend, that they don't know anything about it. Which I think was super cool of them. I was so grateful and surprised.

The next morning I called the mom and explained who I was and asked her if it would be okay with her if I came and built them a wheelchair ramp. She just started crying.

After a while she managed to say 'thank you', and 'yes.' I went over that morning for measurements and pictures. I came up with a basic design, ran it by someone I've worked with on some random projects (since he's the head set designer on the plays that Samiha has been in!). I got all the materials together, then spent all day Wednesday and most of Friday putting it together.

Talking with the mom, I found out that she did get a quote on a ramp at one point, but they said it would be $8,000!!! The mom cleans train stations in the Bronx and was away yesterday when I finished, but when she got home last night she got to see it completed and they got to try it out today. They're so grateful and happy.

The materials came to $627. That includes concrete deck bases, gravel, 4x4 posts, 2x6s for structural support, deck wood for the ramp, 2x4s for railing, exterior screws and structural screws, and non-skid deck paint. Plus I need to go back in the spring to waterproof it. So I'm hoping to get to $700 to pay for all these materials.

If everyone I reached out to donates just a little bit, I'll be covered, and you get to be part of something pretty special in supporting this wonderful family. Thank you!