It’s a cliché as old as time but this story, even in a place as big as Lucas County, is proof that it truly does take a village.
Last month, the Lucas DD FANs Network got an internal request from a Service & Support Specialist that wanted to help a mom caring for her little one with Spina bifida. Every time they go somewhere, Mom must disassemble and lift a heavy wheelchair in and out of the vehicle multiple times. She had already purchased a hitch kit and cart to make things easier—but couldn’t afford the nearly $500 it would cost to have it installed.
After getting a little more information about the car that the hitch needed to be attached to and knowing absolutely nothing about hitch attachments, Lucas DD Community Connections Trainer Rebecca Thieman did what she always does in leading the FANs Network. She hit the road.
The first stop was a mechanic she knew and trusted at Midas on Reynolds Road. He told her that although they do not deal with hitches, the shop right next door did, and, in his opinion, is a most trustworthy place.
So, she went next door to The Truck Shop and explained the situation to owner Jason Koperski.
“I’ve got a teenage daughter and when she started explaining the non-mobility, my heart and feelings took over,” Koperski said. “I’ve never done that before for anybody so obviously it struck a chord.”
He offered his services at no cost. The mom’s vehicle, however, turned out to be one of the hardest vehicles to install the kind of hitch she needed. Koperski said it took his team about 3 hours of labor to install it. “If it didn’t attack my heart, it would not have made business sense to do this.”
Koperski has worked at The Truck Shop since 1999, the last 3 of which as the owner.
“If I can make an impression or touch someone in their life or help them out,” he said, “I’m all for that. I always have been. Especially someone in her position.”
The Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities created the FANs (Friends, Allies, and Neighbors) Network as a way for community members to help people with disabilities. Thieman said in making those connections, she sees genuine kindness shine through, proof that there is so much goodness left in this world, if only we look in the right places.
“He may not have known when he opened that door that morning that he was going to become a hero to someone he hadn’t even met—but that’s exactly what happened,” Thieman said. “Thank you, Jason, for showing us what community truly means. Your kindness didn’t just lift a wheelchair—it lifted a burden, a heart, and a whole lot of hope.”