Home Depot Worker Befriends Boy With Special Needs, Then Turns To Mom With 1 Request.

When Aimee Boyle Mcilroy recently brought her son Jack with her to Home Depot, she had no idea their lives would be touched by a very special employee.

Jack and Aimee were looking for supplies to make the boy’s wheelchair into a police car for his Halloween costume. Aimee had asked the store to set aside a large refrigerator box for her, and when she arrived a manager named Valerie stepped up to help.


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“I first knew Valerie was awesome when she got down on the floor to cut the box down for me,” Aimee said on Facebook. “She had beautiful nails and I told her that they weren’t meant for a box cutter, and she said that her vest meant that she was made for whatever I needed!”


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After loading the cardboard into Aimee’s car, Valerie proceeded to help the family brainstorm what else they needed to complete Jack’s costume. Valerie led Jack and Aimee all around the large store, prompting Aimee to call her their “Creative Genius.” But the most extraordinary thing happened when they brought their supplies to the register.

“She took us to the checkout and PAID FOR EVERYTHING HERSELF!” Aimee exclaimed. “I tried to refuse, but she just said that it would bless her greatly.”

Aimee said that beyond the generosity that Valerie showed at the checkout, the most valuable aspect of this experience was the feeling that she wasn’t in this alone. There is always help from the everyday heroes among us.


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“My son may not have understood anything other than she was kind and patient with him, but this special needs mama really, really appreciated this huge act of kindness,” Aimee said. “The biggest blessing for me was the way she treated my son and the way he responded to her.”

As if the day’s blessings weren’t enough, Valerie had one more gift to give Aimee and Jack. During their conversations, Aimee had mentioned that she wished Jack could participate in Home Depot’s Saturday kit workshops, but due to his special needs, attending the events wasn’t feasible.


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Valerie said that “it had been on her heart” for the past few months to include more special needs kids in their programs, so she decided to do something about it right then and there.

“We’ll just bring the workshop to you,” Valerie told her.

Two special needs classrooms in Jack’s schools will receive a special visitor soon, as Home Depot will be bringing their building kits to them. This way kids can participate in mini-workshops from the comfort of their accessible and sensory friendly classrooms.

Aimee summed up her feelings by stating that their new relationship with Valerie is a true blessing.


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“I think one of the most important things that special needs parents need to understand is that it’s OK to let other people in. Sometimes it’s hard to accept help; but when you do refuse help, you stand in the way of letting other people bless you and in turn that blesses them,” Aimee said.

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