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Giving the gift of freedom

The Texas Ramp Project brings together Kiwanians and volunteers to ‘build freedom for the home bound’

Texas Ramp Project volunteers team up to construct the framing for a ramp.

It’s a shame Hank Aaron already nabbed the title I Had a Hammer for his autobiography, because John Laine sure could have used it. If you listen to the stories John has to share, you’ll understand. After hearing how he has led hundreds of volunteers to change the lives of thousands of Texans, you’ll be ready to grab a hammer and head there yourself to smack a few nails.

John is president of the Texas Ramp Project, a nonprofit organization that brings ramps to homebound Texans.

Sure, the stories he shares all have a common thread, but they also are as different as day and night.

“Virtually every day I am touched by some person,” John says. “This past week, I spoke to a lady while she was undergoing dialysis. She had fallen twice on the front steps of her home, and the social worker at the clinic insisted I chat with Clemmie. I visited her home while she was still on dialysis. The ability to respond quickly is a hallmark of the project.

“That same week we received a call from a lady in the panhandle of Texas whose husband’s health is failing with Parkinson’s Disease. The last time he tried to take out the garbage, he fell and his wife was hard pressed to get him back into the house. We will help this family. But it is sad to understand there is so little help available locally. There are thousands of others across the state with similar problems. Our vision statement is that no one in Texas shall lack safe access for financial reasons.”

The Kiwanis Club of Richardson, Texas, started the project in 1985 after members were approached to build a wheelchair ramp for a friend of a member. By the time John joined in 1989, members already had built 20 ramps. And since then, they have built more than 2,000 ramps in the Dallas area. Projects are determined through referrals from healthcare professionals.

The project spread to other cities across the state as well. To set up a city with a new ramp project, Richardson Kiwanians go through three steps. First, they visit each city and talk with people who can identify the amount of need. They then visit other Kiwanis clubs, churches, colleges, and businesses to identify volunteer leaders who can be trained in that city. They also identify funding sources in each city—anyone interested in assisting the program to get it started.

“It is truly heartwarming to see both the volunteers who come into our project and get excited about helping others, as well as the joy our clients express when their ramps are installed,” John says. “It is a personal blessing to be part of this work.”

Clients find it hard to fight back tears when describing the life-changing experience they’ve gone through after having a home ramp installed.

“They came in and basically stopped me from going insane in the house,” says one female client. “They built this beautiful, wonderful ramp for me and basically gave me freedom to come and go. And I do go.”