access made easy by ramps

Summer before last, Coleman Wortham and Mike Dowd were sleeping late, playing a lot of golf, and doing some serious hanging out.

“Just being lazy,” said Wortham with a smile.

Somewhere during their respite, though, they became curious about a community service project with which Mike’s father was involved, and suddenly they found direction.

Under the auspices of Elder Homes Inc., Jim Dowd and several of his friends were building wooden access ramps for the homes of folks confined to wheelchairs.

As the boys, then rising juniors at Collegiate, expressed interest, Dowd suggested they investigate metal ramps which would be easier to install and perhaps more functional than the wooden ones.

When their friend Gray Fain returned from Camp Virginia, they got him involved, and RAMPS (Ramp Access Made Possible by Students) was born.

They quickly received the approval of Elder Homes to launch their project.

Through an anonymous gift, they purchased their first metal ramp from the American Ramp Co., assembled it, and installed it at a house near the Richmond International Raceway.

“We heard that there were like 500 names on the Elder Homes list that couldn’t get out of the house easily and couldn’t afford a ramp,” said Wortham.  “We felt that this was a way we could help the community in a drastic way.”

As their organization took shape, the three formulated a plan to pay for the ramps which cost anywhere from $2,000 to $3,000 depending on their complexity (number of turns, height, shape, and length).

They compiled a list of businesses and solicited financial support.  They enlisted their friends who readily embraced the opportunity to work together on weekends to complete the undertaking.

Since the project began, as many as 40 Collegiate students working in groups of about 7 have participated.

Each team is responsible for raising $600 per ramp. Elder Homes chips in $500.  Donations make up the remainder of the cost.  

The labor – and it’s become a labor of love – comes free of charge.

Fourteen ramps later, the crew members have had no problem fulfilling their community service requirement of 15 hours per school year, but their commitment to help others has nothing to do with meeting a quota.

“The amazing thing,” said Jim Dowd, “is that at first, they talked about hours.

“Now, they don’t.  They just ask when they can build the next ramp.”

The efforts of RAMPS have enabled the recipients to become much more self-sufficient and avoid, or at least delay, a move to a group or assisted living facility or a nursing home.

Their new-found independence has helped them maintain their dignity while saving taxpayer dollars.

“I can’t begin to say how much we value our association with these kids,” said Bill Ballas, the executive director of Elder Homes, a non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the living conditions of low-income, older adults and persons with disabilities in Central Virginia.

“Operating their own enterprise is a pretty good accomplishment, and they’ve chosen an enterprise that helps others.”

There’re almost as many stories as there are ramps.

One lady tearfully told her benefactors that she hadn’t been in her yard for three years.

Another said that her grandson, also confined to a wheelchair, had fallen several times from the previous makeshift ramp, nothing more than 2x4’s, as friends helped him into her house.  Now, there would be no more accidents and no more fear.

Others told of missing doctor’s appointments when no one was available to carry them down the front steps.

“I’ve never been involved with something where you make an immediate impact on someone’s life,” said Fain.  “Winning the state football championship was great, but this is another kind of great feeling.”

The RAMPS project will continue this year, and its three founders hope to expand it to other local schools.

Their plan is to leave it in good hands when they graduate in June.

In their way of thinking, the mission is just that important.

“When we help somebody down the ramp for the first time, it’s pretty emotional,” said Mike Dowd.  

“It’s overwhelming for them to see their front yard, touch the grass.  

“It’s a small thing we take for granted, but it means the world to them.”