Vella Quintana picked up a certificate at The Home Depot in Bedford Park on Saturday, Oct. 3. She had just finished her 100th KIDS Workshop.
Store manager Robert Garcia said she is the first child to reach 100 workshops at the store, 7200 S. Cicero Ave. Along with the certificate of achievement, Vella received a small wooden basket of Home Depot items.
Vella, 10, has come to the monthly workshops with her mother, and her younger brother now joins them.
Her milestone came during the store’s Police and Fire Fighters Appreciation Day, which ran from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bedford Park firefighters and police officers got 20% off their purchases, up to $200. The store’s flyer billed the discount as exclusive to them. The store also offered refreshments for all ages, goodie bags and raffles, including a raffle for coolers.
“We know how hard our first responders work,” Garcia said. He called the event a token of appreciation from the store.
The Bedford Park Fire Department brought a ladder truck, and kids could go inside it. Fire Station 1 was at the store from 10 a.m. to noon, and Station 2 was scheduled to take over from noon to 2 p.m., a firefighter at the event said.
Garcia said the store paired the appreciation day with its workshop because October is fire safety month, which gave residents a chance to see their first responders.
The store holds the KIDS Workshop every month, and children can sign up for a different project each time. Past projects include a penguin mailbox, a leprechaun trap, a rocket game, a witch candy box, a Christmas ornament and a holiday train.
“It’s an exciting day for them kids,” Garcia said.
