Community comes together in West Tampa to give back to Scotty Crocker
Click to Watch Video
Click to Watch Video
Photographer: WFTS
Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Posted: 07/13/2012
A community came together in a West Tampa backyard. Each volunteered to do a small job to help a family finish a big project.
"I'm tired. I'm sweaty. But I feel great you know, because it's for a good cause," said Home Depot volunteer Gabino San Emerterio.
PHOTOS: See the community come together for Scotty Crocker. (mobile visit http://bit.ly/NUhGW7)
Most of the Home Depot volunteers don't know Norma Crocker and her 41-year old son, Scotty. They only know that they needed help.
"It's good for the heart when you get out and give back to the community, especially when you don't have to and
you do it at your own free will," said volunteer Natalie Moore.
That's what Scotty Crocker does best. He delivers Meals on Wheels in Tampa in his wheelchair. His mom is 79-years old and Scotty has cerebral palsy. Their bumpy backyard was making volunteering difficult. The Crocker's yard did not have wheelchair access to a back gate where a volunteer van picks-up Scotty for his route.
"Life takes place in the community and he wants to be a part of that and volunteering is very important to him," said Frank De Lucia of the Abilities Foundation.
"People take a lot of things for granted and being the way he is, he has an awesome attitude," said volunteer
Mario De Armas, who spearheaded the makeover effort with San Emerterio.
So ABC Action News took action with the Abilities Foundation, a local non-profit, that applied for a grant.
Home Depot volunteers from stores around Tampa Bay did the rest putting in hundreds of hours and day of work.
"He's going to have a nice smooth ride all the way out," said Home Depot volunteer Pamela McDaniel. McDaniel helped plan and execute the landscaping in the backyard.
"The pavers are going to lead from the porch all the way to the alley where Scotty can be picked up when he does his Meals on Wheels," she said.
"In a very real way, with Home Depot and the Abilities Foundation, and what you all have done has made it possible for Scotty to be independent here," said Steve King, Executive Director Meals on Wheels Tampa.
The makeover will also make it easier on Scotty's mom. Volunteers also replaced flooring in the bedroom and updated a bathroom with new fixtures and flooring.
"The day I'm gone -- it's going to be a long time -- he's going to live here and I want the house as perfect, the yard perfect so he'll, he'll be home," said Norma Crocker.
Each person did their part and their work added-up.
"I don't have a lot of money. This is one of the ways I can give back in the community," said volunteer West Whitman as he sanded and spray-painted the Crocker's porch furniture.
"It's that feeling you get out of a project that can't be explained for so many reasons until you've actually be in the actual event," said volunteer Travis Mendiola.
Today a community came together to help. They got something even better in return.
"It's just a great feeling because you're able to give somebody something that they really, really need," said De Armas.
Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
PRINT
Top Stories
-
Hills. Fire volunteer killed in crash
Hillsborough County deputies say a volunteer firefighter was killed in a motorcycle accident Friday night. It happened around 7 p.m..
-
Deputies open fire on armed suspect
-
USCG concerned about boating safety
-
President remembers veterans
-
Moon Lake brush fires ruled arson
-
FORECAST: Beautiful weather this weekend
