Newsletter
Volume 5, Issue 10
October 2023

Retirement Reception Honoring
John Laine

Founder and Executive Director
Texas Ramp Project
 
Sunday, November 5, 2023
2 to 4 p.m.
King of Glory Lutheran Church
6411 LBJ Freeway, Dallas, TX 75240
 
All are welcome!

John Laine to Retire as
TRP's Executive Director
John Laine, the Texas Ramp Project’s founder and executive director since 2006, will retire at the end of this year. A reception in his honor will be held on Sunday, November 5, from 2 to 4 p.m. at King of Glory Church, 6411 LBJ Freeway in Dallas.
 
John has been the heart and soul of ramp construction for low-income Texans, first in Dallas and then across the state, for nearly 40 years. In 1985, members of the Richardson Kiwanis were asked to build a wheelchair ramp for a friend. That initial effort, and the next, and the next, resulted in the Dallas Ramp Project and development of a system for providing wheelchair ramps to low-income people with disabilities in Dallas County, at no cost to the recipient.
 
Twenty years after that first ramp, the Dallas Ramp Project had built over 1,400 ramps, with John serving as volunteer manager. Agencies and organizations across Texas were taking note and asking how to participate. It became obvious to John that the entire state could benefit from this volunteer ramp-building model.
 
As a result, in 2006 John founded the Texas Ramp Project and started working beyond Dallas. Initial forays were made into large population centers such as Austin and San Antonio, but eventually smaller population centers were included. In 2012, the Dallas Ramp Project folded into the Texas Ramp Project. Today, TRP has a presence in over 40 regions and last year built more than 1,900 ramps in 123 Texas counties.
 
John grew up on a farm in Putnam County, New York, and graduated in a high school class of 89 students. After receiving a bachelor’s degree from St. Lawrence University and Army service, John returned to New York to work for a company called HeliCoil.
 
In 1977, the company sent him to the Dallas area as Southeast regional manager. Opening up the region for his company provided valuable experience for what was to come. John spent over 36 years in sales and management for industrial and aerospace products, including 20 years in his own business. He retired to found TRP.
 
John brought a combination of vision, mission and hard work to the TRP startup. His vision was that every Texan who needed safe access should have it regardless of financial status. His mission was to build an organization that would deliver safe access to these people. Hard work meant many days each week on the road, visiting churches and civic organizations in search of volunteers who could bring both vision and mission to fruition.
 
John used to say he would drive into a city or town and look for a church spire. He’d go in and talk to the pastor. If the pastor was willing, John would make a presentation to members. More often than not, several volunteers would emerge who became the bedrock of the local Ramp Project.
 
The proof of success came in July 2023, when the combined Dallas and Texas Ramp Projects built their 25,000th ramp. Over the years more than 3,500 volunteers have turned out to serve as region coordinators, surveyors, data managers, build team leaders, and build day volunteers. Processes have been streamlined to the point where a build crew can show up at a site and four or so hours later leave for home knowing they have transformed a person’s life.
 
In the process, TRP has grown from a $100,000 entity in 2006 to the $1.8 million organization it is today. After surviving the COVID downturn, TRP is back and stronger than ever. Next year’s budget of over $1.8 million will provide for at least 2,100 ramps, maybe more. All thanks to a visionary who made it happen.
 
So THANK YOU, John Laine. You have laid the foundation for a strong and successful organization that will continue serving low-income Texans with disabilities for years to come. That is a true legacy.
Thank you letter captures TRP's essence
The following letter beautifully captures the essence of what the Texas Ramp Project is all about. To say that the client’s quality of life is greatly improved because of this 76-foot ramp is almost an understatement. On the day of construction, nine Fayette County volunteers and the client's sons teamed up to build the ramp. The client’s wife sent the following letter to TRP expressing their thanks. 

Dear Texas Ramp Project,

I am writing today to say thank you for the incredible ramp you built for my husband. His health and his mindset have improved dramatically since you left here last Tuesday. He was getting worried when he started noticing his muscles shrinking from lying in bed so much and his outlook was beginning to deteriorate. Now, he gets out of bed much more often and looks forward to getting on his ramp to get some “exercise” safely and without fear of falling.
Volunteer of the Month:
Mike Fenton
North Central Texas South, Ellis County

Using his God-given talents to help others. That has been the credo for Mike Fenton of Waxahachie, who spent 16 years building with Habitat for Humanity, then another 13 now with the Texas Ramp Project.

He has been responsible for some 200 ramps for clients in Waxahachie and Ellis County.
Originally from Oklahoma City, Mike graduated from Oklahoma State University in civil engineering and hired on at Conoco, working his way up from pipeline engineer to general manager of marketing. He relocated from Houston to Waxahachie in 2001. He worked with Habitat in both Harris and Ellis counties until being recruited to TRP in 2010.
 
When executive director John Laine visited Mike’s church, First United Methodist in Waxahachie, Mike was ready for a change. John came down to coordinate and supervise their first ramp (in the mud). After a second training ramp, they were off and running. Mike has been Ellis County coordinator ever since.
 
“Working with both Habitat and Texas Ramps has made me realize even more that we are all in this life together and we need to help each other as much as we can,” Mike says. “The best part of working with Texas Ramps is seeing clients being able to get into and out of their house without assistance after (in some cases) being trapped inside for months.”
 
Mike’s biggest challenge is trying to build all the ramps that are requested, although he admits they will probably not be able to get to all of them. He is currently trying to put together a second build team. He has about 30 volunteers.
 
Mike and Nancy, his wife of 59 years, have two children and six grandchildren, the youngest of whom are almost out of college. They have been active in a Methodist church wherever they have lived; Mike has taught senior high Sunday school for 35 years. Mike has also been a Rotary Club member in both Houston and Waxahachie.
 
The Fentons have been fortunate to travel much of the world, including China, Russia and Israel before it became more difficult to travel there. Mike also has a shop at home where he builds toys and furniture.
 
Which brings us back to those God-given talents, which Mike has generously shared: “The biggest rewards, of course, are seeing the smiles and gratitude of our clients.”
Giving Time Is Coming. You Can Help.
 
Thanksgiving and Christmas are just ahead. This is the season for generosity, as many people time their giving around the holidays or before the end of the year.
 
So now is a good time to remind your church or civic club or local businesses to include the Texas Ramp Project in their year-end giving or in their 2024 budget planning. This also applies to your family and friends, who know how much you value your work with TRP and how much it benefits our clients.
 
And here’s another thought for those practical folks who want to give with maximum benefit. Often TRP volunteers build a ramp that allows the client, especially an older adult, to remain in their home, aging in place rather than having to enter a care facility to achieve safe access. A $1,000 ramp from TRP can save taxpayers up to $80,000 a year for an uninsured client to live in a facility. And none of us likes to pay taxes!
 
So let’s figure out ways to secure local donations at this holiday time. Any funding raised in your community remains in your community, where you put it to work building even more ramps for your neighbors in need.
 
Happy holidays!
Recent Grants and Donations
Steve Jackson of Waco (above) receives a $2,500 check from the Heart of Texas Electric Cooperative at a presentation on September 27. HOTEC is a long-time supporter of the Texas Ramp Project.

Electric cooperatives remain a strong source of funding for the Texas Ramp Project. Over the past six weeks TRP received a total of $15,750 from four cooperatives. They are HOTEC (above) for McLennon and Falls counties, TVEC Charitable Foundation for Van Zandt and Kaufman counties, and (reported last month) Wood County Electric Charitable Foundation for Wood and Rains counties and Colorado Valley Cooperative for Austin East. Most of the cooperatives get their funding from Operation Roundup, a program in which customers are encouraged to round up their bills every month as a charitable contribution.
 
Other grants and donations include the following:
  • $25,000 for San Antonio regions from the San Antonio Area Foundation.
  • $20,000 for Amarillo from Louise Bowers Slentz Foundation.
  • $15,000 for Abilene from Dian Graves Owen Foundation.
  • $10,000 for Bryan/College Station from TDI Brooks International in honor of Peter Hitchcock.
  • $10,000 for Amarillo from CNS Pantex.
  • $7,500 for Van Zandt and Kaufman counties from TVEC Charitable Foundation.
  • $5,000 for Lubbock from Betenbough Homes, LLC.
  • $5,000 for Texarkana North from Kiwanis Club of Paris.
  • $5,000 for Abilene from Greathouse Foundation.
  • $2,500 for Dallas from Kiwanis Club of McKinney.
  • $2,500 for Waco South from Heart of Texas Electric Cooperative.
  • $1,250 for Texarkana East from Cass County Farm Bureau.
  • $1,128 for Waco South from Waco Habitat for Humanity.
  • $1,047 for San Antonio Central from Elgin Methodist Church.
  • $1,002 for Amarillo from Amarillo Habitat for Humanity.
  • $1,000 for San Antonio Central from Zachry Corp.
  • $1,000 for Statewide from Ash Grove Charitable Foundation.
  • $643 for Houston from Good Shepherd Church Cypress.
  • $500 for Abilene Scurry County from Snyder Wheels.
  • $378 for Austin West from The Church at Horseshoe Bay.
  • $350 for Austin West from Hill Country Fellowship.
  • $300 for East Texas Marshall from East Texas Professional Credit Union.
  • $250 for Austin East from Schulenburg Lions Club.
Challenge Grants
Regions raised over $5,000 within 3 months

This past summer may have been almost too hot to build, but four regions were on fire with fundraising to meet the dollar-for-dollar Carl C. Anderson, Jr. and Marie Jo Anderson Charitable Foundation’s challenge grant of up to $5,000 each. In fact, all four regions exceeded their goal!

The following regions met their regional goal and doubled their first $5,000 of donations:

  • East Texas Jacksonville, Anderson, Cherokee, and Rusk Counties, Jerry Halpain, coordinator
  • East Texas Marshall, Panola County, Wayne Wimberley, coordinator
  • East Texas Marshall, Harrison County, Lindsey Shields, coordinator
  • Texarkana East for Cass and Morris Counties, Pete Schroeder, coordinator
 
To be eligible for the match, the donations needed to be from a new funding source or a dollar amount from a previous donor that was increased as a result of the challenge. The timeline to raise the funding was three months. TRP chose the timeline so if a region was not able to meet the match, the funding could be offered to another region. TRP had a year to raise the matching funds, but the timeline helped us get the funding sooner. The purpose of the challenge grant is to provide a tool to help increase our donor base and/or our total contributions.
 
If your region would like to accept a challenge grant when the next ones become available, contact, Sandy Knutson, sjknutson@texasramps.org.
New SMU Fellow: Carl Firch
It’s a long way from a little farm town near Chicago to the bustle of Dallas, but Carlson Firch came loaded with energy and ideas. Since coming to Southern Methodist University last year, Carl has served as public relations coordinator for Folsom Real Estate, joined SMU’s Hegi Career Leaders, and established a campus real estate competition group in collaboration with experts from Dallas real estate firms. He is a man with a mission.
 
When Carl decided to apply to SMU’s Board Fellows Program, the work of the Texas Ramp Project resonated deeply. His grandfather struggled with Parkinson’s, and Carl saw how a ramp transformed his quality of life. Carl joins fellow Board Fellow Rachel Marchand, who has signed up for a second year as a TRP Fellow. Carl and Rachel attend board meetings as ex officio members.
 
Carl’s first TRP board meeting was October 8, and he came away impressed. “Witnessing the unwavering commitment of TRP board members to their mission of constructing ramps and assisting those in need filled me with excitement and motivation to contribute.” He’ll get more of a taste on October 21 when he joins a Dallas crew to build his first ramp.
 
Just as Rachel has launched a client feedback research program for TRP, Carl will take on a much-needed project as well. He is tentatively planning to use his business and computer skills to set up an online fulfillment center for TRP merchandise. Volunteers in the field will be able to order shirts, caps and other items directly online without having to call Dallas.
 
If it sounds like Carl is a man with plans, you would be correct. He plans to spend five years working in real estate private equity in New York City and then launch his own investment fund with his colleagues. Meanwhile, he hopes that his Board Fellowship with TRP will result in a deeper understanding of working collaboratively toward a shared goal.

Building Basics
by Roy Harrington

How is that new ramp going to age?

While designing and building our ramps, it is important to consider how the materials will age due to exposure to the elements. The primary concerns are rotting (usually the plywood) along with shrinkage and warping, as these forces are strong enough to pull the joints apart. 
In addition, the handrails generally get rougher over time as the grain gets more pronounced and the lumber may split, creating sharp points and edges.

When building the ramp, minimizing the number of joints can reduce future problems. In the picture below, replacing the two vertical 2x4 boards with a single 2x6 is a better long-term solution vs. using the short 2x4 to tie things together.
Summary
We cannot stop the ramps we build from weathering over time, but we can do some things to minimize the effects and maximize the service life for the recipient. When designing and building ramps, try to find better but still cost-effective solutions to balance the cost and volunteer time with the service life of the ramp.
 
Do you have other tips or suggestions to share?
There are a lot of very good ideas developed by ramp builders across the state. Please send any questions, comments, or potential ramp construction topics to texasramps.roy@gmail.com to help others build ramps better, stronger and faster.  
Valued Roles- Painting Team
by Roy Harrington
It is important that ramps decked with plywood get painted with anti-slip paint, which is available as a pre-mixed product, or any exterior deck/porch paint can be used when mixed with play sand. However, it can be challenging to go back a couple months after building each ramp to get it painted. To avoid this need, some teams paint the plywood before the ramp is built, which is a great approach that leaves the ramp safe and protected from the time it is built. In either case, a dedicated Painting Team is a very good way to get this task done and to use volunteers that might otherwise not be involved with TRP.

Likely candidates for the Painting Team include a couple or maybe a family that wants to help with ramps but is not inclined or able to do construction. Painting can also be done by a junior high age youth group at a church or Scouts.
 Painting is a safer task than building but is very important to providing a safe ramp. Generally, a small group of two to four members can do the job easily. Using primer is recommended with treated lumber. A good plan is to identify two or three ramps near each other and apply primer to each, then repeat the visits to apply the anti-slip paint.

Volunteers often wear many TRP hats, but having a team dedicated to painting the plywood decking is a great way to complete a ramp. Anti-slip paint is important for both safety and to extend the life of the plywood. Maybe you don’t want to build ramps, but you, or someone you know, may still want to help. Contact your region coordinator or info@texasramps.org for more information or to volunteer to help with painting or one of the many other needed roles in every TRP region.
RAMP OF THE MONTH: Cooke County
Texoma Region
Ms. M. is 75 years old with a history of slipping and falling when using the steps to her home. With her new 46-foot ramp, both she, her older sister, and their beloved dogs can safely enter and exit their home. The referral for Ms. M.’s ramp was made by the social worker from NTMC Hospital. Twelve volunteers from the Gainesville Kiwanis Club, the Methodist Church of Gainesville and Toyota Insurance Management Solutions worked as a team by donating 60 hours of labor to build this ramp. 
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.

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