Home Depot Legends: Shawn, Delaware

Taking care of special needs in the face of a hurricane: Hundreds of families were preparing their homes for Hurricane Irene’s arrival when Assistant Store Manager Shawn Cameron of Store 6843 in Middletown, Del., took a call from a customer looking for a generator. The store had sold through their stock, but when the customer explained that a power outage could cause respiratory failure in her young son, Shawn knew this was a problem that had to be solved immediately.

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Riding mower gets a customized touch: Steve & Paul – Biddeford, Maine

When a customer needed a tractor with an easy-to-maneuver steering wheel, Steve , garden associate, at  Store 2405 in Biddeford, Maine, had the perfect model in mind. “The customer has rheumatoid arthritis,” Steve said. “I have an aunt with that, so I knew exactly what her manual limitations were.”

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More TLC in NYC for Ground Zero Museum – New York, NY

Store 6175 in Manhattan remains intimately involved with the Ground Zero Museum Workshop.

In addition to focusing on the tragedy of Sept. 11, the museum highlights the astonishing courage, love, brotherhood and strength of the human spirit. The Ground Zero Museum Workshop is the third-most popular tour in New York, and keeping the building and grounds in good shape is a work in progress.

Team Depot Captain Al of Store 6175 is heading back to the museum this week with a group of volunteers for a special project connected to the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11.

Last year, Al and a Team Depot crew completed an extensive interior renovation. This year, Team Depot is heading outside to paint, repair and build a garden area. They will plant flowers, lay grass turf carpet and hang American flags.

“We are able to undertake this project at no cost to the museum because many of our vendors are donating everything we need,” Al said. “Behr is donating the paint, and KurtWeiss Greenhouses is donating the plants.”

The museum director plans to visit the store with members of the New York Fire Department and New York Police Department during a morning rally following the Team Depot project.

“We feel honored and humbled to be able to go and upgrade the museum, knowing that in a way we are helping with the healing process to our nation and countless people who suffered on Sept. 11,” Al said.

Home Depot Legend: Luis – Oviedo, Florida

Fast flooring install welcomes hospital patient home

A group of customers approached Front End Supervisor Luis at Store 287 in Oviedo, Fla., and explained they were in desperate need of help installing some flooring. The customers were friends and neighbors of a family whose young son was due to come home from a hospital where he had spent six months recovering from a bone marrow transplant. The boy needed a near-sterile environment, and the flooring was the last piece of the home’s preparation. The customers already had the product, but they had come up short finding someone to install the tile and hardwood.

Luis got the OK from Store Manager Tracie Blakey and assured the customers that The Home Depot would be happy to help. “My next question was, ‘When do you want this done?’ They said, ‘Tomorrow!’ ” Luis said.

Luis hopped on the phone and sent several emails. It wasn’t long before he had a group of associates and managers lined up, including Chris , Alex , Ryan , Brian and Erin .

The next morning, armed with an arsenal of tools, the group got to work. By the end of the day, they had installed 1,500 square feet of laminate wood floor and 400 square feet of ceramic tile.

The family was ecstatic. “I was a Home Depot customer before, but now I’m a lifetime customer,” the mother said.

“I had great partners who sprang into action on this project. It’s awesome that this Company allows us to make a difference in someone’s life,” Luis said.

Home Depot Legends: Luis – Oviedo, Florida – August 2011