“We always start on a high level, then go downhill and end up in the dirt,” the Rev. Hal Thomas said, laughing in his quiet office at United Faith Presbyterian church, 1616 W. Main St.
On Sunday mornings, Thomas preaches. On Saturday mornings, he gets his hands dirty with a group of local volunteers who help people living with disabilities in Allen County.
They're called the Wheelchair Ramp Builders. Although they have different hobbies and careers, they come together from 7:45 a.m. to noon on Saturdays to construct residential ramps for clients of Turnstone Center for Children and Adults with Disabilities.
“Turnstone services about 2,500-2,600 people per year from infants to seniors,” said David Kelley, Wheelchair Ramp Builders' crew chief. “There's a lot of diabetic amputees, Parkinson's, strokes. The constant need for these ramps is just mentally overwhelming. I don't think the public has a clue as to what the need is in our community for people to have access in and out of their house.”
Starting small
The program began in November 1991 when Kelley was on the East Wayne Street Center board. The director at the time, Ed Elkins, asked for volunteers to build a ramp for a woman coming home from the hospital.
When Kelley attended a quarterly meeting for Presbyterian churches that December, he organized a crew.
“In January 1992, we built a ramp for a young lady, not knowing this would be an ongoing thing,” Kelley said. “We just assumed, ‘We built it, we're done.' Then Ed called and said, “Do you suppose you could build another one?'”
In 1992, the group built 13 ramps. At that time, all the builders were members of the Presbyterian Church. However, as requests for more ramps came in 1993, they began including anyone willing to help.
It's ‘change of pace'
Pastor Thomas joined the group soon after its inception.
“I heard Dave talking about the first ramp that they built (in 1992), and it sounded like something that might be fun,” Thomas said. “It's a change of pace from our professional lives, and in four hours, you see a finished product.” According to Thomas, many people the ramp builders help are receiving dialysis and can no longer be transported up and down stairs for treatments.
“For them, it was either get a ramp or move out of your house,” Thomas said. “That hits home really quick.”
Turnstone director of development and marketing, Jennifer Neher, understands the importance of the ramp builders' work.
“A few small steps are like a mountain to a person who uses a wheelchair,” Neher said. “It's a special moment for the crew when people can leave their homes without assistance for the first time in weeks, months or even years.”
Finding funds
Regardless of weather conditions, the ramp builders construct 30-35 residential ramps a year. However, building two or three ramps every month is costly.
“A lot of the ramps have been built with money from various grants and foundations, but also a lot of donations have come in,” Thomas said. In March 2011, the ramp builders were honored with the Father Tom O'Connor Light of Christ Award for exemplary servant leadership.
“The great part about receiving (the Father O'Connor Award) was that Turnstone got $1,500,” Kelley said. “Through the years, our group has been honored many times. If there's money attached, wonderful. We don't do this for recognition. We do it because we want to do it, but if there isn't any money, we can't build.”
A recent ramp, constructed June 25, was No. 467. It cost $936.15, along with a $50 building permit.
“Over the years, we have spent over $300,000 in material costs,” Kelley said. “It's been a struggle for Turnstone to keep finding money to write the checks. Every time I go get a load of wood, it's $800-$900.” The builders buy enough wood to construct up-to-code ramps with a 1 inch slope per foot.
“It adds to the expense, but it provides for the safety,” Thomas said.
Getting involved
All requests are directed to Turnstone for assessment. Eligible names are sent to Kelley, who accepts projects on a first-come, first-served basis. Once Kelley schedules a project, he forms a crew.
“I have about 20 names that I call from, and hopefully, I can get nine, 10 or 11 to show up,” Kelley said. Although there's a group of regular builders, new volunteers are appreciated.
“It's amazing how quickly a volunteer can get involved and figure out how things are done,” Thomas said. “We've had a number of women who've helped … We've had teenagers, … retirees, and we've got people who are still active in their careers.”
Free at last
After more than 20 years of service, the Wheelchair Ramp Builders have heard many encouraging stories.
“I remember a gentleman who was a double amputee and had not been out of his house for nine months,” Thomas said. “He had a scraggly beard and hair all over the place. He had an electric chair, and when we built the ramp, one of the first things he did was go to the barbershop and get all cleaned up. He started to be able to be out there in the West Central neighborhood and do things.”
The group's next project is scheduled to take place Saturday; they will build a ramp for a young woman with a 10-month-old boy on a ventilator.
“She lives in a mobile home, so you can think how heavy that chair is that she has to put her kid in,” Kelley said. “Getting it down four steps is impossible.”
According to Kelley, the most rewarding aspect of building ramps is seeing the “freedom” they provide.
“I can remember early on — it might have been the first year — we built one down by one of the parks going toward New Haven. The girl had not been out of her house in almost two years. A lot of these people have to get out of their house to go to the doctor, and without the ramp, they can't. We'll keep building as long as the names show up on my computer, and we've got money to do it.”
