It happened in the blink of an eye. The date was Saturday, November 17, 2018, when Sky Mendoza’s life would be forever changed. A tragic car accident claimed the life of her pregnant stepmother and left her paralyzed from the neck down. After spending eighteen months in a rehabilitation facility, Sky is now a stage four paraplegic and lives in an apartment with her father, Orlando, as well as her sister and brother in Middletown, New York.

Answering the Mendoza family’s desperate cry for help, originally was Kevin O’Reilly, owner of Satin Fine Foods in Chester, New York, of which Orlando is a 13-year employee. Kevin reached out to the town of Middletown, which resulted in a donation of 0.15 acre of land to build a home. Kevin also talked to Paulette Laurenzi of the Spring Lake Toys Foundation to help manage fundraising and support for Sky and her family. To assist with this goodwill project, Paulette enlisted the local community’s help by setting up a family fun day. The goal will be to raise enough money to complete Sky Mendoza’s new home that will require handicap-accessible rooms and a wheelchair-accessible entrance. The Build a Home for Sky event will take place on June 11 at The Castle Fun Center in Chester. Each $50 ticket will offer three hours of unlimited rides and attractions, along with a $10 arcade card.

If you would like to help make Sky’s dream a reality, the Spring Lake Toys Foundation is also accepting building materials as well as labor for: carpentry, construction, electrical work, and many other services.