Newsletter

Volume 7, Issue 6

June 2025

Message from Mark Denzin

Texas Ramp Project Executive Director

40 Years of Impact, and Just Getting Started

Dear Friends,

This year marks a milestone unlike any other in the history of our Texas Ramp Project—40 years of service, community, and impact. Four decades ago, a simple yet powerful idea took root: build ramps, restore access, and return independence to those who need it most. Since then, over 30,000 families across Texas have experienced the life-changing difference a few hours, a willing team, and some lumber can make.

But TRP has never just been about ramps. It’s about people. The people who roll down those ramps for the first time, the families who no longer worry about getting a loved one to a doctor appointment or safely outside during a fire alarm, and the volunteers—you—who show up on weekends, in every corner of the state, with tools in hand and hearts wide open.

This 40th anniversary is a moment to pause and reflect, not just on what we’ve accomplished, but who made it possible. From the founding volunteers who launched the very first builds to the current generation who carry the mission forward with the same spirit of service, each of you is part of a powerful, living legacy. The tools may be different and the systems more streamlined, but the heart of the work remains unchanged: people helping people.

To every volunteer, whether you’ve built one ramp or a hundred, I want to say thank you. Your commitment has not only changed lives, it has created a movement rooted in compassion, community, and practical love.

So, as we celebrate 40 years together, let's also look ahead. There are still people in need. There are still stories to be written, ramps to be built, and lives to be lifted. Let’s honor this anniversary by recommitting ourselves not only to what we’ve done, but to what lies ahead. Here’s to the next 40!

And to every single builder, volunteer and supporter who made it all possible, thank you. Keep up the great work!



Mark

Early picture of a Kiwanis Club member and John Laine.

The 40^th anniversary will be celebrated through three different avenues:

• Founder’s Day Builds in regions during October or November. TRP will provide a media release to call attention to the celebration build.
• Special events in three major markets—San Antonio, Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston. These events will invite stakeholders in the area (volunteers, corporate funders, other donors, clients, etc.) to come together to celebrate TRP’s accomplishments in these areas.
• An end-of-year financial appeal by mail or email.

Regions will be hearing more about these events and how our central support teams will be able to assist. The 40^th anniversary event chair is board member Brittany Pratt, vice president of social responsibility at WellMed Medical Management in San Antonio.

More to Celebrate

One of the strong features of the Texas Ramp Project model is that it is highly replicable. Six years ago the New Mexico Ramp Project used the TRP model to begin serving residents in need of a ramp. They have built more than 500 ramps since incorporating in 2019. On July 12 NMRP, which has grown to serve 16 New Mexico counties, will celebrate this anniversary with a banquet and fundraiser.



The first executive director of the New Mexico organization was Dr. Doug Rowley, who had gained four years of experience volunteering with TRP in El Paso. Greg Halstrom now serves as executive director, and Doug remains on the board although he has moved back to El Paso. TRP congratulates the New Mexico Ramp Project board, staff and volunteers for a job well done.

Shipping Container Home Is a First for TRP

The Greenville Golden K Kiwanis team of Hunt County has built the first ramp designed specifically for a client who lives in a converted shipping container. It was a unique experience. Team leader Will Reese and his volunteers had to adjust their building plans to accommodate several obstacles. The 79-year old client, Ms. Rebecca E. of Royce City, was referred by Baylor Scott and White. This new 24-foot ramp will make coming and going from her home so much easier.



This story seems a fitting way to remember TRP's beginnings. The first person to receive a ramp back in 1985 was a fellow member of the Richardson Kiwanis Club.

It took several modifications to finally fit the 4x8 flat module to the doorway. This is the first converted shipping container that has received a TRP ramp.

Ms. E. gets an assist from volunteer Jim Wiggins as she heads to her therapy appointment on the not-quite-completed ramp.

Celebrating the completed ramp are (from left) Peter Vanhorn, Jim Wiggins, Chip Cole, Jim Ward, David Jolley and Paul Jenkins. Not shown taking the photo was Will Reese.

Why wait? You can click right here and the red button will take you to the website where you can make your donation.

Many years ago, three Gateway Church campuses in Tarrant County took on the mission of building wheelchair ramps with the Texas Ramp Project. One of the members involved was Bill Atkins, of the North Fort Worth congregation.

Nine years later, Bill is still at it. At first he was a “mere volunteer helper,” Bill says, but today he is the Gateway NFW/Justin Brigade ramp team leader. Together he and fellow Gateway members from the North Richland Hills and Grand Prairie campuses build up to 50 ramps per year.

For Bill, working with ramps “really brought home the reward of giving back. It is better to give than to receive.” Although it is often challenging to get hold of the people who have submitted referrals, he says, his greatest joy is “seeing the tears of gratitude from people of all ages when they received freedom from their new ramp.”

Bill is a Fort Worth native. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Tarleton State and a master’s degree from the University of North Texas. He is a retired Edward Jones financial advisor.

Bill has been married for 20 years and has two adult children and 15 grandchildren. He says one of his grandsons occasionally volunteers on ramps in Parker County.

When not “ramping,” Bill is active in his church. His active lifestyle includes fishing, racquetball and pickleball. He also loves to travel.

Honda Awards $100,000 Grant 

The Honda USA Foundation has selected TRP to receive a $100,000 grant for use across the state in areas where needed. In providing the award, executive director Bobbie Trittschuh said, “We are pleased to contribute to the meaningful endeavor Texas Ramp Project is making in the field of Mobility and look forward to building our partnership.”



The grant request was submitted last October by board member Mark Hinzman. Mark followed up in January with an online presentation. The funding was received May 7. Many thanks to Mark for his vision and persistence in applying for and winning this grant.

Panhandle AAA Awards Memorial Grant

Recent Grants and Donations

Grants and donations (excluding individuals and government reimbursements) received in the past month include the following:

• $100,000 for statewide use from Honda USA Foundation.
• $58,320 for Austin Central, North and South from St. David’s Foundation.
• $15,000 for Wichita Falls from James N. McCoy Foundation.
• $15,000 for San Angelo from Art & Eva Camuñez Tucker Foundation.
• $10,000 for East Texas Jacksonville (Rusk County) from Henderson Memorial Hospital Foundation.
• $10,000 for East Texas Tyler from The R.W. Fair Foundation.
• $9,615 for Amarillo from United Way of Amarillo & Canyon (for Day of Caring).
• $7,500 for Amarillo from Betenbough Homes LLC.
• $5,000 for Abilene (Brown County) from Thomas B. Shoemake Trust.
• $5,000 for El Paso from Woody & Gayle Hunt Family Foundation.
• $5,000 for Amarillo from Louise Bowers Slentz Foundation.
• $3,250 for NCT East (Hunt County) from Golden K Kiwanis Club.
• $2,189 for Waco South from Waco Habitat for Humanity.
• $2,000 for San Antonio South from New Fountain Methodist Church.
• $2,000 for East Texas Tyler from Hall Family Foundation.
• $1,620 for Dallas from Community Council of Greater Dallas.
• $1,000 for Amarillo from AAA of the Panhandle Melissa Carter Memorial Grant.
• $1,000 for East Texas Tyler from Celebration Class, Green Acres Baptist Church.
• $950 for Austin West from Hill Country Fellowship.
• $881 for Houston North from Montgomery County Habitat for Humanity.
• $617 for East Texas Longview from Camp County Cares God’s Closet.
• $500 for statewide use from U.S. Charitable Gift Trust.
• $417 for Austin West from The Church at Horseshoe Bay.
• $400 for Austin East from Hochheim Prairie Farm Mutual Insurance Association.
• $250 for Austin East from St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church.
• $200 for statewide use from Ally Financial.
• $100 for East Texas Tyler from Langen/Wink Bible Class.
• $100 for Texarkana West from Matkin Health Services LLC.

Building Basics Updates

by Roy Harrington

Thanks to input from several readers, we have some corrections, improvements and updates to the Building Basics document, available at [Link to Building Basics]. The update contains information related to using plank decking. It also includes a new section for surveyors and team leaders covering when to decline a referral/ramp build. (Yes, TRP exists to build wheelchair ramps, but we can choose not to build for a variety of reasons.)

Planks or Plywood?

One Building Basics error identified by several readers has to do with the 5x5 module structure for plank decking. The corrected structure is shown below with one additional support board that was left out of the previous version of the document. Note this is just one of several ways to accomplish the necessary plank support, with the key being a maximum of 16 in. on center support for the 5/4 deck boards.

Other updates are more minor, including clarifications on bolt and screw sizes. Please forward any additional suggestions or corrections to Roy Harrington at texasramps.roy@gmail.com.

Declining a referral (for surveyor or region coordinator)

While a difficult option, the surveyor and/or region coordinator may decline a referral for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to, the following:

1. Client already has a ramp and/or handicap-accessible path to the driveway, parking area or street.
2. Client only wants a ramp to access an area that does not facilitate getting to the driveway, parking area or street.
3. Client lives in an area not currently served by TRP.
4. Insufficient room or other conditions prevent building a safe ramp.
5. Client has no financial need.
6. Dangerous and/or unsanitary site conditions exist, including excessive trash, animals, etc.
7. Ramp installation will require knowledge and/or skills that are beyond what can be expected of volunteers. This can include extensive repairs needed to the existing structure before ramp construction, any part of the ramp deck height more than 6 feet above ground level, unstable ground conditions, issues attaching to existing structure, etc.
8. Client desires an interior ramp.

It is important to note that if the client refuses to approve the surveyor’s proposed, safe design, that situation should be reported as “client refused ramp” since a safe design option was available.

Declining ramp build or last-minute client-requested alterations (for team leader or region coordinator)



The team leader has the option to decline building the ramp at their discretion when arriving on site (for example, if they find the ramp cannot be built safely as designed, the site conditions will not be safe for the volunteers, or there are obstacles such as unmovable vehicles that are blocking the ramp path.) The team leader also can decline any client requests made on-site for unplanned changes that would make the ramp unsafe or too challenging to build with the assembled volunteer team and materials available.

We must keep in mind that our ramps must be safe and we also have to provide a safe volunteer experience and working conditions. These guidelines are intended to help all those in the field that must make the tough choice to say “no” to a client. There is no way to cover all possibilities that surveyors and team leaders may encounter, but this should provide some direction.

If there are critical items you think were left off in these new sections, please send them to Roy Harrington at texasramps.roy@gmail.com so we can continuously update and improve the documentation available to our volunteers.

Ramp of the Month, Titus County

Texarkana West Region

Mount Pleasant Tribune

Changing lives, one ramp at a time across Northeast Texas

By Nicole Kimball Nicole@steelcountrybee.com on Wednesday, June 18, 2025

You are encouraged to use the TRP Media Consent, Waiver and Release form for your builds. To access the form, click here.

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