As a bus mechanic for a fleet of buses in Clarksville, Tennessee, Thomas Mitchell often finds himself filling in as a substitute bus driver. He loves chauffeuring all of the kids around, but says that some just have a way of making his day a little brighter, and filling his life with a sense of purpose.
“It warms my heart more to do the elementary and the special needs [kids] because it seems like you provide more of a service to them than the kids that are just wrapped up in their normal life and don’t even notice the driver in the seat.”
In a recent shift as a substitute bus driver, Thomas had the pleasure of picking up special needs students. It was on that day when he noticed Verna DeSpain struggling to get her 10-year-old daughter out the door.
“This mother was coming out and her daughter has a full-size wheelchair, and as she’s coming out of the door, there’s just hardly any room to maneuver this wheelchair.”
His heart broke for this family, and Thomas felt compelled to help them—not just out the door that morning, but in a way that Verna DeSpain never expected.
Verna’s daughter, Lydia, was born with a disorder that causes her to have seizures, and stunts her development. The mother said she had bought a ramp to assist in getting her wheelchair-bound daughter in and out of the house, but it was difficult to use.
Having seen their struggle, and driving Lydia to and from school, Thomas made a phone call to Verna.
“[He] just called and said, ‘I was wondering if it was OK with you if we could build your daughter a ramp.’”
It took nearly two months to design and plan, but Thomas set out to do just what he’d hoped.
On January 15, the substitute bus driver showed up to the DeSpain house with tools and hardware donated from Lowe’s and a group of eager volunteers including some of Thomas’ co-workers, Mike Green, Anthony Puckett, Puckett’s son and Puckett’s brother.