Strangers and friends alike joined forces in North Providence last week to provide two high school students with the memory of a lifetime: a fire truck parade escort to senior prom, which the pair attended for free thanks to donations from the community.
Noth Providence High School senior Tyler Pedro and his date, junior Kaylee Smith, both diagnosed with autism, were driven in a fire truck to Kirkbrae Country Club, in Lincoln, for Pedro’s senior prom last Friday. Pedro, who says he loves the fire department, was also sworn into the N.P. Fire Department as an honorary member and given a helmet and shield with his name on it.
The journey began two weeks earlier on Facebook, when Pedro’s mother, Annmarie Hedden, posted asking for flower shop suggestions for her son’s senior prom. Her friend, Mario Mozzetta, of North Providence, offered a suggestion.