(Seguin) – For one special group of volunteers, the common Christmas refrain, “Goodwill toward men” is a description of their efforts not only around the holidays but all year long. Thanks to a handful of volunteers, one local resident welcomed the construction and installation of a new ramp outside his home.
Robin Roark, who works to coordinate the construction of ramps in Guadalupe County, says this latest ramp built in the 900 block of Liberty Ave. was the final ramp to be built in 2022.
“The Texas Ramp Project started in Dallas actually it was the Dallas Ramp Project when it initially started about 50 years ago and they quickly realized that this could be a statewide project so it’s now a statewide project. It covers almost every county in the state. They build handicap ramps for low-income families be it older folks, younger folks. We’ve done several here in Guadalupe County for regretfully young folks need a ramp to get into their house and it provides a way for somebody that is maybe homebound and can’t get out their front door a way to safely get out of their door, get to their car, get to their sidewalk, whatever,” said Roark.
Roark says his ensemble of volunteers is a talented group of individuals who work to provide families not only ramps at no cost but a safe way for them to enter and exit their homes.
“We’ve got four groups that build ramps out of Guadalupe County. We’ve got one group, the Garden Ridge Lions Club that does this in the Schertz area and then we’ve got three teams here in Seguin – Friedens Church, First Baptist Church and First United Methodist Church that build here and for the year, out of those four groups, we’ve built 44 ramps for Guadalupe County, said
More importantly, Roark says the ramp project is a great way to provide freedom for families who otherwise are often stuck at home.
“It does vary. This gentleman that we built this ramp for today uses a walker. He’s got one of those mobile walkers, but he just has very bad knees, arthritis so he can’t move very well so getting out that two inch lift out of the door and it (ended) up being about an 11 inch drop off of his front porch (and it) just kept him from being able to move in and out comfortably,” said Roark.
The ramp project on Liberty began on a Monday and was completed by that Friday when volunteers installed two small ramps at the home — one on the porch of the door and the other to help get the resident, Miguel Castro, off the porch and over onto the sidewalk.
As it closes out another successful year, the project hopes to garner even more referrals for the construction of a ramp. Roark says referrals are required for the program and hopes that more doctors, physical therapists and/or community leaders will help provide those referrals as a new year begins. He says awareness on the ramp program is key to continuing the project.
The Texas Ramps project is completely volunteer. Other than a required bookkeeper, there are no paid employees. Donations are accepted year-round with 100 percent of donations going toward the build.
Roark says donations are a critical part of ensuring that ramps are built as often as possible.
“These ramps do get expensive. I want to say right now, the average ramp with the cost of lumber being what it is, the average ramp cost about $1,000 in lumber. Plywood is expensive, the boards are expensive. It’s not a cheap endeavor but certainly one that is worth it’s weight in gold when it comes to helping the families,” said Roark.
Donations can be made online at Texasramps.org or they can be mailed to The Texas Ramp Project P.O. Box 832065 Ricardson, TX 75083. No experience is required for anyone wishing to volunteer their time. Information on the programs can be obtained from any of the participating churches here in Seguin.