Thanks to a group of very capable students from Alternative High School, six young men with disabilities will be able to enjoy the sun, picnic luncheons and gardening in their back yard this summer. The students built a special picnic table and customized it to accommodate use with a wheel chair. Earlier this year, they also built raised gardening boxes, so the home’s residents could enjoy planting their own flowers and herbs.
AHS Student Behavioral Assistant Lisa Palumbo, whose son lives at A Home for Anthony, helped connect the two groups of young people. Teachers Chris Kneller and Doug Van Roo worked with the AHS Building Crew — talented student engineers and carpenters Alessio, Alex, Camarin, Darryl, Jermaine, Marquis, Reinaldo, Ricky, Romeo and Shayla — to plan and create the projects.
Three AHS student representatives visited the home in May to help deliver the new picnic table. They were able to meet several residents and saw firsthand the difference their talents and hard work have made to the young men’s quality of life.
Feature photo: “All of our crew members should be proud of the skills they’ve learned and the difference they’ve made in the lives of others,” said teacher Doug Van Roo (l).
Photo this page: Students custom engineered the table to accommodate use by a resident in a wheel chair, so everyone at the house could enjoy meals together.