A group of teenagers turned a simple request for help into something that made a huge difference to a five-year-old boy and his family.

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Ryder Killam, from Bradford, Rhode Island, was born with spina bifida myelomeningocele and has used a wheelchair since he was two years old.

Because his condition meant he was never able to walk, something as routine as waiting for the school bus could become particularly difficult when the weather turned.

Ryder would sometimes spend around 15 minutes outside his family home waiting for his bus in the wet and cold.

His dad, Tim, initially tried to protect him from the elements by putting up a patio umbrella.

However, with the unpredictable New England weather bringing wind as well as rain, the solution wasn’t enough to keep Ryder properly sheltered.

“The problem is, with the wind and fall weather here in New England, it really didn’t accomplish much unless it was just a rainy day with no wind, otherwise he still would get wet and not stay warm,” Mr Killam said, per Good News Network.

Determined to find something more suitable, Tim turned to his local community and put out a request on social media.

“I placed a post on Facebook looking to see if one of my friends or one of their connections might have an old bus hut,” he added.

That Facebook post eventually found its way to exactly the right people.

One of Tim’s friends suggested he contact Dan McKena, a construction technology teacher at Westerly High School.

According to Tim, the response came quickly, with the class saying they would “absolutely” design and build Ryder his very own shelter.

Students from three classes became involved in the project, which was completed using $300 worth of donated materials from Home Depot alongside another $600 provided by the Killam family.

But this wasn’t simply a basic wooden structure.

The students made sure the five-by-eight-foot shelter had wheelchair access, while adding a personalised finishing touch with a sign reading: “Ryder’s bus stop”.

After six weeks of work, the shelter was completed in early November.

And Ryder’s reaction suggested the students had absolutely nailed it.

“Ryder’s first reaction was, ‘Holy Cow’. He loved it and wants to hang out it in all the time,” Tim said, explaining that his son had even started using the shelter like a fort.

Its usefulness has extended beyond Ryder’s wait for the school bus, too, with his nurses also using the shelter when they visit to treat him.

What started with one dad asking whether somebody might have an unwanted bus hut ultimately became a community project involving students, a teacher, donated materials and weeks of work.

For the Killam family, the finished shelter therefore represented considerably more than somewhere for Ryder to escape the rain.

“This project brought out community together a bit, it showed that there is still so much good in this world and town,” Tim said.

Featured image credit: Tim Killam / Facebook