“I knew I had an idea that could help these people,” Held told CNN.
Held has decided to start building wheelchair ramps for the victims who will need them once they return home. There are at least four ramps needed in the first round, but as victims begin to leave the hospital in the coming months, there will be greater demand.
He called the effort The Untitled Builders Project and decided to build the first with his own money, but the others quickly caught up. Home Depot decided to donate all building materials to the project and several other local businesses are also donating.
“People were so generous that I had enough money to cover the materials,” says Held, and he is telling people to donate elsewhere.
Held has been contacted by a wheelchair ramp company who are willing to donate their products to families who need them.
Held said the project was a no-brainer for him because he was using a talent he already had through his contracting company. He chose an anonymous name so that the focus would be on his mission, not his job.
“I am not trying to beat my company, I have enough work, this is just a project that feels good,” Held said.
“I find myself saying to myself: don’t vent about him on Facebook, don’t complain, don’t worry. I have to do something other than words. I’m really just doing what feels good.”
Held is in the process of making a second ramp for an 8-year-old boy, who will be discharged from the hospital this evening.
“I want the community to come together and do it for free,” he said.
Held hopes to make the project a nationwide effort to help those in need.
6 dead, 62 injured in tragedy
Prosecutors believe Darrell E. Brooks was the driver of the SUV and have charged him with five counts of willful first-degree murder. Brooks, 39, could face a sixth murder charge because a boy died on Tuesday, they said.
Another 62 people were injured, according to a criminal complaint filed with Waukesha County Court.
The Waukesha community has paid tribute to the victims in several candlelit vigils this week, expressing their support for those who have lost loved ones.
And the Waukesha School District said it will provide additional mental health support for its students.
CNN’s Kay Jones, Christina Zdanowicz and Aya Elamroussi contributed to this report.
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