Paula Strickland and her business partner, Shelbey Dutter, have a heart for terminally ill children. Strickland and a group of volunteers traveled some 600 miles from Kalispell, Mont., to Puyallup over Thanksgiving weekend to redo a bedroom for Remington Chute, a 7-year-old who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in February 2009.

Strickland and Dutter believe sick children need a special place where they can be surrounded by things that make them smile.

“Some place they can live in when they are ill, outside of the hospital room,” Strickland said. “It is so cathartic to the child and the parents.”

That’s why Strickland founded The Flatbed Valley affiliate of Special Spaces this year in Montana. The nonprofit organization is based in Knoxville, Tenn., and was created in 2005. Its mission is to create dream bedrooms for children who fight life-threatening illnesses.

Strickland and Dutter believe in hope, joy and a healing environment, and they work for free.

Chute, a second-grader at Firgrove Elementary School in Puyallup, was receiving treatment at a Spokane hospital when he became best friends with Katelyn Roker, a 6-year-old girl who had been battling Neuroblastoma for two years.

At that time, the Special Spaces crew members were working on Roker’s bedroom. They took on that job when they learned she had four to six weeks left to live, and they completed the project in five days.

“Traditionally, it takes 45 to 60 days to design and execute a total makeover,” Strickland said.

Kenya Chute, Remington’s mom, said her son has been in treatment for almost three years. When she met Roker’s family in Spokane, they told her about the room makeover, and Kenya wondered if the same thing could be done for Remington.

Strickland and Dutter started the groundwork from Kalispell.

Remington currently receives some of his treatment at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma, and has chemotherapy treatment every day at home.

Kenya said Remington has his ups and downs.

“We’re always on the watch,” she said. “He doesn’t get to do a lot of things other kids do, and we have to make sure everything is always clean. It is challenging, but three years into it, this is all we know.”

Kenya said when they first moved to Puyallup, Remington avoided his bedroom and slept in other parts of the house until she bought him a Harley-Davidson fleece blanket. He moved back into his bedroom that day, and he told his mom he wanted a Harley bed set, too.

“He went straight from SpongeBob to Harley-Davidson,” Kenya said.

Strickland and Dutter wanted to create a Harley-Davidson-style bedroom for Remington. They scrambled to get local donations, then loaded everything into their vehicles on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

“Coming to Puyallup is way out of the realm of what we would do and what our guidelines would be,” Strickland said, “but we wanted to do it because Remington and Katelyn were such good friends.”

The Chute family moved out of their home for the five days it took to complete the project, and Strickland and her crew moved in. The project took place in the downstairs area, with volunteers working nearly around the clock on three rooms — Remington’s bedroom, a small family room and an adjoining kitchen.

Furniture was moved out, the walls of Remington’s bedroom were painted a bright orange and blue, bookcases and entertainment centers were constructed, new furniture was purchased and the area buzzed with activity.

A special spot was chosen to hang a string of Remington’s beads. Each one represents a medical treatment that Remington has undergone since his diagnosis. The string measures 18 feet and is prominently displayed along one wall of his new bedroom. The downstairs area will serve as a haven for Remington and his family.

“It is a long staircase to go upstairs for a little guy when you are not feeling good,” Strickland said. “Our goal is to make this a living area for the whole family to enjoy.”

Strickland was blown away by the volunteers’ generosity.

“They are here, working for the love of a child they don’t even know,” she said. “This restores one’s faith in people.”

Remington’s second-grade teacher brought a meal for the work group, and local restaurants pitched in with food donations as well.

On Nov. 29, nine members of the Tacoma Hogs, a Harley-riding group, met at Remington’s school to escort him back home, where the rooms were unveiled. Remington and his classmates were thrilled when the bikers strolled into the room, all decked out in their leathers.

“We have a good relationship with Destination Harley-Davidson in Fife, and when we were contacted about this, we said ‘OK!’ ” said Chuck Marsh, director of the Tacoma Hogs chapter.

Mona Hering, a Harley rider since 1974, said she was excited about meeting Remington.

“Whatever we can do to help kids,” she said.

Volunteer Dave Barnett and his wife came from Kalispell to help with the renovation, and he brought a pint-sized leather jacket for Remington, a donation from Montana Harley-Davidson.

The jacket fit perfectly, and Remington couldn’t wait to put it on, amid the chants of his classmates, “put it on, put it on!”

Remington’s new room sports a trundle bed to save space. A Harley-Davidson bedspread with matching pillows topped it off, and the entire room was decorated in the Harley theme.

A Harley tire with a fender atop served as a nightstand, and a pair of Harley handlebars were displayed along one wall.

Firgrove Elementary Principal Lisa Russell-Nolan said she thought it was “incredibly delightful that people would be so giving and so kind.”

Remington’s teacher, Amanda Edmonds, said Remington was clearly excited about the makeover.

“He came in every day with a countdown to his new room,” she said. “He is a very special kid. Strong and mature for his age. You would not even know he has been sick.”

Joan Cronk is a freelance reporter for The Herald.