Newsletter

Volume 7, Issue 11

November 2025

Message from Mark Denzin

Texas Ramp Project Executive Director

Thank You for Making Our 40th Anniversary Year Extraordinary

As we close out this milestone year, I want to express my deepest gratitude to every member of our field teams, volunteers, partners, and supporters who helped make the Texas Ramp Project’s 40th Anniversary truly remarkable.

This year’s expanded focus allowed us to serve more families than ever before, providing safe home access, renewed independence, and peace of mind to older adults and neighbors with disabilities across Texas. Each ramp built is a testament to your hard work, your compassion, and your commitment to serving those who rely on us most.

We also saw an incredible wave of media engagement and public support, shining a bright light on the work you do every week in communities across the state. This visibility not only honored your efforts, but also helped elevate the importance of accessible housing and community-driven care.

Our 40th year brought strong organizational alignment around our mission, connecting field teams, referral partners, board leadership, and central support in new and meaningful ways. Thanks to your willingness to collaborate, adapt, and elevate our processes, we are entering the next decade of TRP with renewed clarity and shared purpose.

We are especially grateful for the new teams, volunteers, and partners who joined us this year. Their dedication and fresh energy have already expanded our capacity and deepened our ability to serve a larger number of people across Texas. Every new ramp, every new family reached, reflects the strength of this growing network.

Above all, thank you for your courage to stand up and step out in support of our mission. Whether you build, coordinate, advocate, fund raise, or spread the word, you are the reason TRP continues to transform lives.



Here’s to the next 40 years—and to each of you who make this work possible.

Mark

More Media Coverage for 40^th!

Widespread media coverage continued during the past month, resulting in more than a dozen articles in several corners of Texas. This November 10 article from The Banner Press in Brenham featured a ramp built in Washington County. The full article is here.

Volunteers from St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brenham, Burton Bridge Ministry and the Brenham Young Men’s Service League complete a 30-foot wheelchair ramp for Washington County resident Mary Whitley. The project was part of the Texas Ramp Project’s 40^th anniversary campaign to improve accessibility for residents with limited mobility.                                       —Photo by Phil Fenton

TRP Builds Ramp for Injured Firefighter 

Giving Tuesday will double your gift thanks to a $10,000 match.

As you’re aware, the Texas Ramp Project will be participating in the global day of caring, known as “Giving Tuesday,” and we have an exciting announcement to share with you. Several generous supporters of our organization have pledged a $10,000 challenge to help further our mission of eliminating access barriers for Texans facing mobility challenges.

This means your Giving Tuesday gift will have double the impact! Every dollar you give (up to $10,000) will be matched, allowing us to build even more ramps and bring independence and safety to those who need it most.

So, please don’t wait. You can donate now through Tuesday, December 2 to make your contribution go twice as far. Together, we can change lives and build a more accessible Texas.

Thank you for your ongoing support and generosity!

DONOR LINK HERE

Volunteer of the Month: Lee Harris,

Deep East Texas Region

It all started with a feature story in Texas Co-op Power magazine just one year ago. The article highlighted the Texas Ramp Project and our partnerships with several electric cooperatives across Texas. Lee Harris’s wife handed him the article and said, “’This looks like something you may want to be involved in,’” says Lee. “As usual, she was right.”

He emailed TRP’s volunteer info line and a few days later got a call from board member Mark Hinzman. “I told him I was not bashful and would give it a try,” Lee says. And that’s how, almost overnight, Lee Harris became region coordinator of the Deep East Texas region, serving Angelina and Nacogdoches counties.

Starting up a region isn’t the easiest thing to do, but Lee has made remarkable progress. Dallas volunteer Kelly Gant drove in for three training builds, and then Lee was on his own. Since January he and his volunteers have built almost two dozen ramps in the two counties. He has two build leaders in training and is establishing relationships with companies and organizations that are providing volunteers. It’s a textbook startup.

Working with Texas Ramps appealed to Lee’s desire to serve people in need. He’s also drawn to the work itself. “I love to share the mission of TRP with everyone and ‘swinging a hammer’ (building),” he says.

Lee grew up in Longview and graduated from East Texas State University Commerce with an accounting degree. His career with several companies encompassed accounting, software development, system design, project planning and management. He retired in 2018.

Lee and Laurie, his wife of 50 years, are parents of three sons (one of whom is deceased) and an adult grandson. They have been active in Presbyterian churches, and Lee has served on the board of a Presbyterian youth camp in central Texas. He enjoys hunting, fishing and woodworking in his shop.

One of his true joys has been working with a large number of central support people and fellow volunteers. “Everyone I have met and talked with has been supportive and more than willing to help a rookie (me),” he declares. The spirit of the Texas Ramp Project is alive and well in Deep East Texas.

We'd love to hear from you. If you would like to nominate a volunteer to be featured as the Volunteer of the Month, send your nomination to Sandra Knutson, sjknutson@texasramps.org, and she'll follow up with you for the details.

Recent Grants and Donations

The Texas Ramp Project has received a $50,000 grant from the Hillcrest Foundation of Dallas, to be used in 11 Dallas/Fort Worth/Arlington MSA counties. This would include both Dallas and Tarrant counties plus the nine surrounding counties. The Hillcrest Foundation provided a similar grant for $35,000 in 2023 and has awarded funds to the Dallas region in prior years.

In fact, when the Texas Ramp Project incorporated as a statewide nonprofit in 2006, Hillcrest was one of the first funding sources they turned to for help—and one of the first donors to give, entrusting the newborn effort with $25,000 for materials. Texas Ramp volunteers built 42 ramps outside of Dallas that year. The Hillcrest Foundation continues to support our work, and for that we are most grateful.

Other Grants and Donations

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

• $50,000 for D/FW Metroplex from Hillcrest Foundation.
• $10,000 for Texoma Grayson County from R.D. Beirne Trust.
• $10,000 for Tarrant County from James & Dorothy Doss Foundation.
• $10,000 for East Texas Tyler from individual donor.
• $5,000 for Statewide from the David & Betty Turman Family Giving Fund.
• $5,000 for Bryan/College Station from Eugene Edge III Charitable Trust.
• $5,000 for Statewide use from Florence Foundation.
• $5,000 for Amarillo from The Don & Sybil Harrington Regional Medical Center Fund.
• $3,152 for NCT East Hunt County from Golden K Kiwanis Club.
• $3,000 for Waco North Hill County from HILCO Electric Trust.
• $2,616 for Waco South from Waco Habitat for Humanity.
• $2,500 for Waco South from Heart of Texas Electric Cooperative.
• $2,468 for Amarillo from GrayCares Living at Home, Inc.
• $2,000 for NCT South Ellis County from First UMC Waxahachie.
• $2,000 for Tarrant and Dallas from Burns & McDonnell Foundation.
• $1,500 for Dallas from Texas Instruments Foundation.
• $1,000 for Waco South Freestone & Limestone counties from Limestone Project Employees’ Fund.
• $1,000 for Texoma from Kiwanis Club of Gainesville.
• $1,000 for Bryan/College Station from Chilifest, Inc.
• $900 for Austin West from Hill Country Fellowship.
• $750 for San Antonio Northeast from St. John’s Episcopal Church New Braunfels.
• $700 for Abilene Scurry County from Big Country Electric Cooperative Trust.
• $568 for Amarillo from Amarillo Habitat for Humanity.
• $500 for Austin East from St. James Episcopal Church La Grange.
• $500 for East Texas Emory from Helping Because We Care at Holly Lake Ranch.
• $417 for Austin West from The Church at Horseshoe Bay.
• $300 for Temple/Belton from Immanuel Lutheran church of Temple.
• $250 for East Texas Jacksonville from United Way of Rusk County.
• $250 for Texoma from Second Time Around Thrift Shop Gainesville.
• $250 for Austin East from St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church La Grange.
• $250 for East Texas Jacksonville from Jacksonville Rotary Club.
• $150 for San Angelo from Daedalian Study Club.
• $100 for East Texas Tyler from Celebration Class.
• $100 for East Texas Jacksonville from Apex Construction.
• $100 for East Texas Tyler from Langen/Wink Bible Class.

TRP Gains from Target Circle



Target provides nonprofit donations through its Target Circle program. Target Circle members earn a vote for each Target store trip and can direct their votes to support nonprofits in their community. For 90 days this summer, Target customers had the chance to vote for the Texas Ramp Project. In September votes were tallied, and TRP received a generous award of $16,596. Thanks, Target shoppers!

Unsung Hero: Nancy DeLuca, Central Support

It was meant to be. A chance meeting on a Saturday morning in a Plano recreation center led Nancy DeLuca to her present volunteer position—the information portal, or infocenter, for the Texas Ramp Project. It was the only time Nancy had ever been to the rec center, but she spotted a person wearing a University of Wisconsin T-shirt and just had to inquire.

“The lady was Kay Champagne, and we discovered that we had a lot in common [including both being from the Milwaukee area],” says Nancy. “Kay and I discussed TRP, and I was very curious about a ‘grass roots’ organization providing mobility to the homebound.”

The upshot of the conversation was that Nancy began gathering annual regional query information from the field for budgeting and grant writing. Her work with TRP has escalated substantially since then. Nancy is now responsible for monitoring incoming phone, email and fax, handling client referral activities, entering build reports, supporting regional teams and working with external organizations.

Nancy was born and raised in Milwaukee. She received her bachelor’s degree in business management and professional communications from Alverno College and her master’s in business administration from Our Lady of the Lake University. She eventually landed at Electronic Data Systems in Plano, where she spent 20+ years as a support manager for various global client accounts.

Nancy says working with TRP has opened her eyes to the needs of homebound people. “Prior to joining TRP, I was not fully aware of the depth of mobility issues many people face and the inability it causes to live a full life,” she says. “The project has shown me the critical importance of ensuring that everyone has the mobility and ability to move freely.

“It is a wonderful feeling to see the results of our work and the mobility it accomplishes for these individuals,” she adds.



When not doing TRP work, Nancy enjoys traveling, cooking, gardening, and spending time with family, friends, and her cats, Boo and Rascal. She has volunteered at Frisco Family Services for the past 13 years.

Ramp of the Month, Harrison County

East Texas Marshall Region

Seventy-four-year-old Mr. Hershel S. of Longview uses a wheelchair. He needed a caregiver’s help to push the wheelchair over the tree roots and dirt in his yard. When his caregiver was hospitalized, he tried walking short distances. But the uneven ground put him at risk of falling. Nine volunteers from First United Methodist Church in Hallsville donated 12 hours of labor to build Mr. S. an 8-foot ramp. He now has a safe way to exit his home. The referral for this ramp came from Hallsville Outreach Center.

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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