In recent weeks, little Kaley Wilkerson has stolen the hearts of Brookhaven residents.

Motivated by her heroic struggle against cancer, the community has come together and contributed whatever they can to help.

First, the mayor and city aldermen traveled to Mamie Martin Elementary School and designated Friday, Jan. 24, as “Kaley Wilkerson” day.

Shortly thereafter, the entire class body of the school sang “Happy Birthday” to Kaley in the foyer of the school hallway.

And since that time, students at the Brookhaven Technical Center have been sawing wood and wielding hammers to create a giant playhouse for Kaley.

On Friday, the work crew and others delivered the playhouse to Kaley’s house. Kaley quickly then became an official homeowner, a feat most 6-year-olds might be a little envious of.

The spacious playhouse was constructed in just under two weeks.

That deadline appeared in jeopardy early last week, as the snow momentarily put the playhouse project on hold.

“That was a tough issue to deal with,” said class instructor and project supervisor, Brad Turner. “We already had a very tight deadline. When you take project time away from something already under the crunch, it makes it very difficult to finish on time.”

Fortunately, the crew rolled up their sleeves and with a whole lot of elbow grease, and a ton of sawdust flying in the air, the crew finished their task on time.

Friday morning, Turner was finishing final construction of the playhouse, and was inside it laying carpet.

To Turner and the students, Kaley was all the inspiration they needed to complete the project on time.

“It’s for such a wonderful cause. It has been a pleasure to work on it. I’m sure she’ll enjoy it,” Turner said.

Technical center secretary Pam Herrington and a couple more volunteers enlisted their aid in painting the playhouse.

Roughly the size of a 1,000 Barbie doll houses put together, the playhouse has working outdoor lights, a balcony and an inside staircase leading to a loft. The outside is painted pink with white trim, and the inside is turquoise, also with white trim.

A total of 22 students helped construct the playhouse.