Pembroke, MA Volunteers from Delphi Construction and Paragon Landscape Construction partnered with Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island to make a backyard wish come true for a young boy. Tyler, the wish recipient, is an eleven year old boy who was diagnosed with a serious seizure disorder causing him to have seizures up to 100 times per day, leaving him significantly developmentally delayed and confined to a wheelchair. 
Tyler’s mom, Lynn, shared that he loves to spend time outdoors, but it was getting increasingly difficult to get him outside safely as he has grown. Tyler’s wish was to create an accessible area in the family’s backyard so that he could have access to one of his favorite spots.
“Discovering that Tyler is a curious, fun loving boy who loves bird watching, roasting marshmallows, spending time with his family and friends and being outdoors, Make-A-Wish contacted Delphi, with whom the organization has worked before, to see if they could make this wish come true and provide a space to accommodate all of these activities,” said Laura LeTourneau of Make-A-Wish MA/RI.
Delphi CEO Jake Simmons accepted this latest invitation from Make-A-Wish and called on Tim and Stephanie Reid, owners of Paragon Landscape Construction to join forces with Delphi on this charitable initiative. The Reids were excited about the opportunity to help and readily agreed to be partners in the effort. The companies combined their expertise, donated materials and fielded teams of volunteers to bring the vision to life.
“It was such a great experience to be involved with this project. Our team was excited to be part of making this wish come true for Tyler. We were pleased to be able to use our skills to help out.” Tim Reid said.
The final design included a new concrete pathway leading from the front of the home along the side of the house to a new custom built stone patio with a large rustic stone fire pit as the focal piece. A special handicap accessible swing set was added alongside. New plantings and mulch were added to the front of the house and side pathway with fresh sod integrated around the new patio. Volunteer carpenters installed lattice around an existing porch to help beautify the new outdoor area while other volunteers did general cleanup and beautification around the property. Several children also volunteered and painted wooden birdhouses to gift to Tyler.
“These special projects are intended to benefit the family but they end up touching everyone involved. All of these volunteers from Delphi and Paragon came out on a Saturday because they saw a need and wanted to be of help. But inevitably they walk away feeling like they have been given something themselves. It’s very satisfying to use your skills and labor to do good for someone else,” said Keith Shaw, COO of Delphi.
