TRP May 2023 Newsletter: Board President Changes as Garner says good-bye & Keith Henderson is elected new president

Newsletter

Volume 5, Issue 5

May 2023

TRP Board President Retires

May 1, 2023, marked the retirement of Garner McNett, TRP board president, after seven years at the helm and over 13 years on the board. In 2010, the year Garner joined TRP, our volunteer forces built 567 ramps. By contrast, in 2022 volunteers built 1,919 ramps—more than tripling output over the 13-year span. Since TRP’s inception in 1985 in Dallas, TRP volunteers have built over 24,500 ramps. Growth has been spectacular.

Garner has overseen many improvements during his tenure. In 2013, TRP transitioned from tracking construction manually to our modern Salesforce database. In 2017, TRP upgraded from spreadsheet financial management to the far more efficient QuickBooks software. Revenue exceeded $1 million in most every year starting in 2015 and reached $2 million in 2021. Numerous corporate partnerships have been added, providing both volunteers and financial sponsorship. Garner also shepherded the organization through the pandemic, a difficult time for all.

A Harvard business graduate and former oil executive, Garner brought unparalleled experience, competence and wisdom to TRP leadership. He was the man of the hour, and TRP has grown and flourished as a result.

Enjoy your retirement, Garner.

A Message from Garner McNett

Greetings Friends,

Please know that I have resigned as board president of the Texas Ramp Project effective May 1, 2023. This is my 13^th year with the Project, my seventh year as board president, and I am in my 85^th year. It is simply time to step aside and let a younger person with new eyes and a fresh approach take over.

Last month the board voted to make Keith Henderson the new board president. We are so lucky to have Keith on the board and willing to step into this position. Keith is a seasoned business executive with an M.B.A. from UTD who recently retired and joined the board. He brings exceptional organizational and IT skills to the position.

For me, this is a bittersweet decision. I have loved my work with TRP. As we approach 25,000 ramps constructed since the Project’s inception, I marvel at the generosity of everyone involved over the years. The direct impact we have had on so many people’s lives is quite astounding—not only the clients, but also the family and friends who support them.

We have made great progress over the past several years, and I sincerely thank each of you for all you do every day to support this wonderful Texas Ramp Project.

I wish you well.

Garner McNett

Retiring TRP president Garner McNett was celebrated by board members at an open house on May 6. Shown with Garner is his wife, Louise. Reflected in the mirror are TRP vice president Peter Heinkel and his wife, Jean, who is sharing her spot with Myron Knudson.

President Henderson Comes on Board

TRP’s new president, elected at the board’s April meeting, is Keith Henderson. A retired telecom executive, Keith got involved with TRP last fall. He immediately took responsibility for TRP’s relationships with the Area Agencies on Aging, which had lagged during the pandemic. He secured contracts with 16 AAAs and is starting negotiations for the upcoming fiscal year.

He also negotiated TRP’s insurance contracts and upgraded TRP’s email systems. He joined the board in February.

Before moving on to TRP, Keith spent four years working with Paul Quinn College in southern Dallas as a business and operations advisor, assisting with business office/finance operations as well as managing campus facilities. A Dallas native, Keith holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Keith has been impressed by the quality and commitment of leadership provided by the board of directors and also by the many key volunteers in the field. He says that being part of a team of leaders and volunteers with an organization that focuses on providing a life-changing service is very exciting.

“The Texas Ramp Project is such a unique mission,” he adds. “The volunteers get to witness almost immediately the joy and appreciation the clients experience the first time they use the ramp and enjoy the freedom they deserve.”

More Retirements

The Texas Ramp Project has seen a spate of other retirements in recent months.

They include Duane Compton, coordinator of TRP’s Texoma region; Greg Hinders, Amarillo region; Tom Lewis, East Texas Emory region; Jerry Gritter, Bryan/College Station region; and George Cronin, East Texas Tyler region.

These volunteers have been with TRP almost from the beginning, and together they oversaw the construction of over 4,000 ramps. We are so lucky to have had them as key volunteers.

Stepping up to lead these regions are Pete Carey and Stephen England in Texoma; Henry and Dinah Wyckoff, Amarillo; Wayne Williams, Emory; Roy Harrington, Bryan/College Station; and Don Dickson, Tyler.

All have been involved in the Texas Ramp Project for many years and know the ropes. We know these regions are in good hands.

Ramp Fashion Statement

This ramp is one of a kind! Seven TRP volunteers from the Waco South region built this 18-foot ramp and painted it a glorious purple at the client’s request. The recipient was a 64-year-old woman with a real sense of color.

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Volunteer of the Month: Ann Ploetz

Talk about diving right in. It was February 2022 when a TRP board member learned that her long-time friend, Ann Ploetz, had retired. Ann was familiar with the Texas Ramp Project through their mutual church, King of Glory in Dallas. So when asked, why not get involved?, Ann said yes.

Lucky for TRP! Ann spent years as a vice president at Chase Bank before moving to senior management positions with EDS and HP. There she provided business direction and oversight for financial-based software systems. Could TRP use her expertise and 40 years of business experience? You bet!

Since coming on board, Ann has taken the lead in developing a Region Health Check System, as well as providing guidance for Salesforce optimization and assisting with other IT initiatives. She also has a healthy respect for the development and use of best practices. She collaborates closely with other key volunteers and a new recruit, fellow EDS retiree Nancy DeLuca, who brings a complementary skill set.

Ann was born and raised in the Milwaukee area and holds an M.B.A. in banking and finance from the University of Wisconsin. She moved to Dallas in 2002. She is active in P.E.O., an organization that provides scholarships and grants for women of all ages. She enjoys hiking, travel, reading, cooking and paper crafts. She spent four years working abroad in Europe and Central America while with EDS.

“I am excited by what has been accomplished by TRP, and I am looking forward to what's ahead,” says Ann. “Determining the right mix of resources in a volunteer world is a new challenge for me, and I hope to contribute in a way that supports the organization while balancing with my life as a retired person.”

Regional Health Check

How Are the Regions Performing?

By Ann Ploetz

It’s hard not to be excited about all the growth in numbers and support for the Texas Ramp Project, which is thanks to you, our volunteers. The TRP board of directors is proud about how in just over 17 years you have grown this organization into a sizable force for the benefit of low-income Texans with disabilities.

With TRP’s increased size and visibility, the board has a more pressing responsibility to monitor the performance of the regions, to anticipate and respond to potential issues. Also, the many foundations and other entities that support TRP’s work look to us for validation that their donated funds are achieving our stated objectives. Finally, we’re interested in identifying success stories at the regional level, so that best practices can be leveraged across the full organization.

To ensure the robust performance of the Texas Ramp Project across the regions, it is important to stay on top of these key indicators:

Staffing for each region – Are there enough teams to keep up with the demand for ramps? Does each region coordinator have the needed resources to recruit, train and support the region’s teams?
Funding – Are there shortfalls in funding that could limit building? Conversely, is the region able to spend all the funds it is allocated? How secure is any funding obtained at a regional level?
Referral Responsiveness – Does the region typically respond to a referral in a timely manner? If building a ramp isn’t the result of the referral, however rare, is Salesforce updated to note the change in the ramp status?
Building Progress – Are ramps being built at a pace that makes sense for the market? Do the volumes continue to move forward?

To understand what’s happening on these four indicators across all 40+ TRP regions is a challenging task. So, the board is developing a tool known as the Region Health Check.

The Health Check will consist of a monthly report that summarizes data from the TRP financial system, Salesforce and field reports to give a concise view of how things are doing in each region. It will identify areas at the regional level that deserve some additional attention, so that the board can provide support and guidance for what is needed for each region to be successful.

Our goal is to maintain active communication with volunteers in the field, providing feedback and offering help and advice as needed. This is one of the many ways in which TRP will be able to become even more effective in serving our fellow Texans.

This new resource is in a pilot stage, with a subset of board members working to finalize it for use at the full board level.

Once implemented, TRP will provide you with more information about the specific measures and what they mean to your region. We will also ask you to provide your insights into the Health Check.

Recent Grants and Donations

TRP received a $25,000 grant in April for Tarrant County from the Ken W. Davis Foundation. Another $25,000 came from the WellMed Charitable Foundation for use in regions WellMed serves and where WellMed employees build ramps. Other April grants and donations included the following:

$5,000 for Austin North from Georgetown Health Foundation.
$4,000 for Texoma from Cooke County United Way.
$4,000 for Lubbock from AMBUCS Caprock Chapter.
$3,000 for Dallas from HCBeck, Ltd.
$2,270 for Waco South from Waco Habitat for Humanity.
$1,000 for Dallas from Texas Instruments Foundation.
$1,000 for San Antonio Northeast from St. John’s Episcopal Church New Braunfels.
$1,000 for Austin North from United Methodist Men.
$854 for Houston from Good Shepherd Church Cypress.
$500 for East Texas Marshall from New Destinations.
$350 for Ellis County from Builders Sunday School Class, FUMC Waxahachie.
$350 for Austin West from Hill Country Fellowship.
$300 for Temple/Belton from Faith Circle LWML.
$250 for East Texas Tyler from Stanley’s Famous Pit BBQ, Inc.
$100 for East Texas Tyler from Langen/Wink Bible Class.

Valued Roles: Volunteer Coordinator

by Roy Harrington

The Volunteer Coordinator is responsible for communicating with and scheduling both individuals and groups that want to help the Texas Ramp Project. This will often be the first contact someone will have with TRP, so it is a critical role well suited for a person who can engage potential volunteers and quickly understand their interests, abilities, and general availability.

Potential volunteers have several ways to get started. They can submit their contact information on the TRP website or contact the Region Coordinator directly, or even be invited by a friend who already builds with us. From there, the Volunteer Coordinator must try to match them up with an upcoming ramp build that needs more hands or with one of the other roles that are necessary for running a Texas Ramp Project region.

In addition, the coordinator might schedule ongoing volunteers to support upcoming builds, survey needs, building of frames/modules, or other needed tasks. The Volunteer Coordinator may also have to help communicate unexpected changes to build teams, such as weather-related cancellations or last-minute changes that necessitate a new build location or a totally canceled build.

Post-activity follow-up with new volunteers can be helpful in learning what they liked and did not like. This information can both help retain volunteers and provide valuable feedback to the region that can further improve volunteer retention.

The Volunteer Coordinator role is a critical one that must be filled by someone in every region. If you have an interest, please contact your region coordinator or any TRP board member.

A Really Big Teardown

A few weeks ago the Golden K Kiwanis team of Huntsville had to replace a really dangerous ramp. It was 3 feet wide with no stanchions or handrails on one side. The client, a 61-year-old Quinlan woman, uses an electric wheelchair. She was fearful that with one wrong move, she and her wheelchair would be over the edge and on the ground. Teardown was a good bit of work, but after the team got started, it went fairly quickly. However, the chainsaw will definitely need a new chain. The old ramp was replaced by a new 44-foot ramp.

Use the hashtags #TexasRampProject or #TRP to share with our community. Tag us in your photos, and follow us here:

Building Basics

by Roy Harrington

Link to May 2023 Building Basics

Did you Know: TRP has built 65 ramps for veterans in 2023?

RAMP OF THE MONTH: Van Zandt County

East Texas Van Zandt Region

Mr. Paul F. is a 71-year-old veteran who uses a wheelchair for ambulation. Adult Protective Services made this referral because Paul’s safety was at risk whenever he tried to navigate the steps leading to his front door. Five volunteers from the TRP Van Zandt team volunteered to build Paul’s 40-foot ramp. They donated 32 hours of their time to provide this ramp for one of our nation’s deserving veterans.

DO: Please Pass the Newsletter On

We hope you enjoy having the newsletter sent to you directly, as it is filled with useful information, building hints and tips, data collection updates and processes, client stories, special announcements and recognitions.

The newsletter only does its job when it is dispersed and shared with all who might be interested. We encourage you to liberally pass it on to others in your region.

Also, do send email addresses of people in your region who should be receiving it, along with their name and TRP region, to Sandy Knutson at sjknutson@texasramps.org.

If you prefer to NOT receive the newsletter, you can unsubscribe by emailing sjknutson@texasramps.org and asking for your name to be removed or use the "Unsubscribe" link below.

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