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Local woman praises Home Depot employees for act of kindness

Posted at 10:54 AM, Jul 19, 2019
and last updated 2019-07-19 12:54:28-04

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    Chandler, AZ (KNXV) — Two Chandler Home Depot employees stunned a Valley woman with a heartwarming act of kindness.

That woman praised the employees in a Facebook post this week. Joycelyn Craft says in 2014 her husband Robert was diagnosed with dementia. Like most, it’s a disease that becomes more difficult by the day.

“Each stage you’ll find you’re hitting the ground running and you learn how to deal with it and you go ok we’re going good, and then the disease gets worse,” said Craft.

Over the years, Craft has learned to adjust to the ups and downs, but for Robert, it’s a battle to understand his limitations.

“He gets fidgety, and he wants to fix things because he was a mechanic for years and years, unfortunately, if he fixes things for real, they break, and it’s expensive, and it can be dangerous,” said Craft.

In order to keep his mind stimulated, Robert’s occupational therapist recommended an activity board. A board that uses a wide variety of common, day-to-day items such as locks, latches, and switches.

“When I went online, they were super expensive, so I had this great brainstorm. I’m going to build my own. I’m a geometry teacher; I can build a board!” said Craft.

Craft went to Home Depot off Chandler Boulevard and Alma School Road, quickly realizing she was out of her element. That’s when a manager named Wendy overheard her asking questions.

“She started talking to her guys and goes I think we can do something here, and she looked at me and goes we’re gonna build the board for you, and we’ll call you when it’s done,” said Craft.

Sure enough, Wendy and a lumber expert named Dan went shopping, snagging wood, knobs, hinges, and everything else free of charge.

“I just started crying, and she goes no, it’s nothing bad, and I said you don’t realize these are tears of joy,” said Craft.

Days later, Dan presented the newly constructed board to the couple. Images from the day paint a picture of the deep gratitude they felt and the impact this act of kindness truly had.

“I would just say Wendy and Dan, thank you, as a caregiver who was struggling, you came along just at a time when I needed someone, you made me feel cared for and loved,” said Craft.

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