Team Depot transforms yard to make girl happy
SLIPPERY ROCK TWP — The plan was just to get 10-year-old Cassidy McCune, who loves to swing, a simple swing set. But after two days of work by a group of nearly a dozen volunteers, the Slippery Rock area girl and her family have gotten much more than that.
Cassidy is much like any other 10-year-old girl. She loves the outdoors and wants to hang out with her peers and be social. But unlike most 10-year-olds, Cassidy suffers from an as-yet-undiagnosed seizure disorder and developmental delays associated with her condition, which began in infancy. Cassidy is non-verbal, communicating mostly through hand gestures, facial expressions and noises. She also has problems with larger groups of people and needs constant supervision and care.
“She's my angel,” said Nicole McCune, Cassidy's mother and a field leader for Rite-Aid's Pittsburgh region. “She looks pretty normal on the outside, but makes life quite difficult at times.”
Life may not have gotten easier starting Saturday, but it did get better, McCune said. That's the day members of Team Depot, a charity arm of national retailer Home Depot, came to the family's home on Parklane Drive and began a project to transform their backyard.
The work centered on a new, modified clubhouse and play area for Cassidy but also included general upkeep work and outdoor home repairs. Behind it all was a friend of Nicole McCune, who had written Team Depot about Cassidy and her family, and asked them to pitch in on the project.
McCune's boyfriend, David Loch, said Cassidy might not be able to speak, but he sees her reacting with joy to the group's work.
“I see a smile that is endless,” Loch said.
Work on the clubhouse started Saturday, and by Monday members of the team were putting the finishing touches on a project McCune said she still can't believe has come to pass.
“I can't even express my gratitude,” McCune said. “This gives her a world where she can play and be safe in her own way.”
Members of the team have also donated smaller items such as outdoor toys and a baseball swing-away to be built into Cassidy's clubhouse, so her brother, 13-year-old Colin, can share in her new play area. The group has also donated a grill, planted butterfly bushes to attract one of Cassidy's favorite things, performed yard work and repaired the family's backyard deck and gate.
Jill Boyd, team manager, said the group worked more than two days to complete the upgrades to the backyard, and has spent nearly $2,500 on the project. But money isn't an object to the volunteers.
“Our budget here? It's 'until we make that little girl happy.'” Boyd said.
