Texas Ramp Project October 2022 Newsletter: Creative Ramp Building, Submitting Build Data and much more

October 2022 Newsletter

Volume 4, Issue 10

Message from John Laine

TRP's Executive Director

Dear Friends,

Finally, we have weather that actually is more moderate, allowing us to build in greater comfort. Let’s take advantage of this by seeking new volunteers who can join us in kinder circumstances.

We should be able to have our veteran builders rejoin us AND, thinking to the future, use those veterans to help train new church groups, which are the most reliable source for us. Best action now: Go talk to new groups and start scheduling them for upcoming months. It’s hard to get someone on short notice, but if we look for groups from November through April, it gets much easier to bring them into the fold.

Let those new groups set their own dates, and it will be hard for them not to show up on the dates that they have selected. Don’t start new groups on dates that you set for them.

Other thoughts on recruiting volunteers:

With cooler weather, we no longer need to start super early to avoid the heat.
This is the best time of the year to build at mobile homes, which require those longer ramps.
As soon as new teams are comfortable, get them equipped with tools.
Look for potential team leaders, singly or paired.

While liquids are still important, I would suggest that you bring a case of water bottles to each site rather that bringing coolers.

Have you requested Hilti tools for your teams? The tools are taking a bit longer to be sent out than we expected, so make sure you get them as soon as possible by placing your orders promptly. This has been heavy sledding, and we need to keep pushing on these tools. Let’s not give up on this process.

Most gratefully, John

Prompt Reporting and the Power of Data

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If you think you hear way too much about the importance of reporting every build as soon as possible, think again. We can’t overemphasize why TRP needs to have up-to-date data for a variety of reasons.

The TRP strategic planning committee reviews total builds for each region on a monthly basis. They compare the number of builds with the amount of money spent. It’s not unusual for them to find large expenses for only a few builds. A phone call to that region coordinator usually uncovers a string of builds that have not been reported. A reminder to enter that data promptly is sure to follow.

Why so important? For one thing, the monthly build report is posted on the TRP website. Anyone can go to the website and check how your region is doing. If you have built 20 ramps and the report shows 5, or 7 or 10, you are shortchanging your region in the eyes of the viewer. We also consult the database when we write a grant request or report to a donor. We always want to be sure that we have an accurate build count when we are asking for funds.

Another problem is that although the reporting may be up to date, it may be incomplete. We often consult the database to flesh out our requests and reports. Who is the team leader for each build? Where did the volunteers come from? What was the source of the funding, if known? We can conduct searches to find this information, but we can’t find it if it’s not there.

Critical to our assessments of how regions are doing is the correct number of hours. Remember that you are reporting total man-hours, e.g., six volunteers times 4 hours at the site, or 24 hours total. On average, a typical build takes roughly one man-hour for every foot of ramp. This can vary widely according to the difficulty of construction, other adaptations needed, or experience of the crew.

There is also the reminder to adjust for an overly large crew because not all are working at the same time. In other words, it would not take 80 man-hours for 20 volunteers to build a 28-foot ramp during a four-hour period.

TRP is proud to report that the value of volunteer hours since 2006 is $14.8 million. To date in 2022, that value is over $1 million. These are numbers to be proud of, numbers that we share with our donors.

Lastly, it is possible to attach photos of each build right in the database. Before and after photos are so useful, for both reporting and publicity purposes as well as for documentation.

If you need advice on how to do this, please contact Sandy Knutson at sjkbits@aol.com.

Recent Grants and Donations

Churches continue to be a great source of donations. Even small donations can add up because so many TRP volunteers are churchgoers and can seek out funding from the church, smaller groups and individual members.

For example, King of Glory Lutheran Church in Dallas has an ongoing program called “Faithful Ones.” Each month a ministry partner is designated, and all dollar bills placed in the offering plate on Sundays during that month are forwarded to the ministry. “Faithful Ones” gives all the congregation, especially children, an opportunity to place something in the offering plate each week. The Texas Ramp Project was the designated recipient for the month of August and received a check for $1,017.

Other September grants and donations include the following:

$15,000 for San Antonio Central from Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation.
$10,000 unrestricted from Isla Carroll Turner Friendship Trust.
$8,566 for Dallas from Community Council of Greater Dallas.
$6,000 of a $10,000 grant for Comal County from McKenna Foundation.
$5,000 for El Paso from Woody & Gayle Hunt Family Foundation.
$5,000 for East Texas Emory from Wood County Electric Charitable Foundation.
$5,000 for East Texas Smith County from End-Right Foundation.
$4,270 for Austin East from Fayette County Habitat for Humanity.
$3,000 for Texarkana North from Kiwanis Club of Paris.
$2,464 for Waco South from Waco Habitat for Humanity.
$2,000 for Waco South from Speegleville Baptist Church.
$1,184 for San Antonio Northeast from San Antonio Council on Alcohol and Drug Awareness.
$1,500 for East Texas Tyler from Austin Bank.
$1,500 for San Antonio Central from Oak Hills Church.
$1,250 for Waco South Freestone County from First UMC Fairfield.
$838 for Houston from Good Shepherd UMC.
$500 for Abilene Scurry County from East Side Church of Christ.
$500 for Austin East from the Rudolph Family Foundation.
$250 for Austin West from Hill Country Fellowship.
$250 for Abilene Scurry County from Snyder First Assembly of God.
$200 for Abilene Scurry County from Word is Life Deliverance Church.
$200 for Austin East from KJZT St. Elizabeth Society.
$140 for Dallas from First UMC Richardson.
$100 for San Antonio Central from Somerset UMC United Women in Faith.
$100 for Abilene Scurry County from West Texas State Bank.

Youth Mission Group Ramp Building

This past summer, TRP again partnered with youth mission teams, and based on what has been reported, they completed 29 ramps in five TRP regions. Most of the teams were with U.M. ARMY, which is affiliated with the United Methodist Church, but we also worked directly with a couple of church youth groups.

The regions where ramps were built include Bryan-College Station, East Texas Jacksonville, Lufkin, San Antonio Central and Texarkana North. One of the ramps in Caldwell was 90 feet long and built by a team that traveled from Tulsa. Another highlight was a large group of youth and adults who spent a week in San Antonio doing home repairs as well as completing 17 ramps.

In addition to these teams, we appreciate all the work that regional coordinators contributed, from providing referrals to coordinating resource sharing between TRP and youth groups. Ramps are a very meaningful project for youth, because they can get the immediate feedback from the client when they are done.

They also learn some things about teamwork, tools and construction along the way. Partnering with youth mission groups helps more people get the ramp they need while providing youth with valuable experience.

Below are some pictures of ramps built by youth mission teams in San Antonio and Caldwell this summer.

Volunteer of the Month

Fred Martin

Coordinator for Kendall and East Bandera Counties

San Antonio Northwest Region

Herding cats is what Fred Martin does. But, he says, they are “wonderful, dedicated ‘cats’ who do so much for their community.” He’s referring to Golfers Fore Others, a group of about 20 guys who love to golf but spend Mondays (when golf courses are closed) building ramps and making free home repairs in Kendall and East Bandera counties.

As Fred explains it, he grew up in poverty with a single mother. Newly retired, he recalls, “Here I was sitting in a nice recliner looking out over the 16^th fairway of a golf and country club. I decided I needed to give back, and the vision came to recruit some retired golfers to do free home repair in the Boerne community. We started in 2001 and have done over 850 projects.”

Fred grew up in Maryland. He graduated from the University of Maryland and received a master’s degree from Troy University. He joined the Air Force, working mainly in personnel and IT, and retired after 21 years. Post-service he spent 16 years in San Antonio with USAA, also in IT, and retired in 2001.

Golfers Fore Others was already well established when John Laine came to town in 2012 and recruited Fred and friends for the Texas Ramp Project.

According to fellow GFO member and volunteer Michael McClelland, Fred spends many hours each week coordinating, evaluating and securing materials for upcoming projects. He also does surveys and spends Saturdays preparing modules for a Monday build.

Golfers Fore Others is one of very few TRP teams that will make home repairs along with building ramps.

Fred’s biggest challenge was trying to build a ramp for a mobile home with a high threshold and not enough property to build an ADA ramp. His biggest success came just a few weeks ago, when the team managed to squeeze a 63-foot ramp on just such a lot.

This ramp was built with a 5x11 U-turn and a 22.5 degree turn at the bottom. It took 8 volunteers 61 hours to build.

Fred’s Air Force career took him and Judy, his wife of 59 years, to many places before settling in the San Antonio area. They have lived in Fair Oaks Ranch for 28 years. They have three children, six grandchildren, and three great grandsons. Busy as Fred is with GFO, he tries to squeeze in a weekly round of golf.

Fred has certainly fulfilled his vision to give back. He says, “Being a Christian, it has really given me an opportunity to do what Jesus wants us to do…take care of our brothers and sisters who need help.” It’s that simple, even if Fred has to herd cats to do it.

Social Media News

by Madison Lopez

We have loved seeing everyone's social media photos this past month. Cooler weather and sunshine brought out the smiles and hard work. Check out two of our favorite posts from Houston volunteers and Long Horn Life in Amarillo. Way to go, friends.

Our next shout-out belongs to our most popular post of the month on Facebook. This group from Texas Woman’s University and Houston Christ Memorial Lutheran Church documented their whole process fabulously. Everyone loves watching the process unfold.

As a near-end-of-year reminder, you can contribute to Texas Ramp Project now. And, you can encourage others to give by sharing photos on social media like those here, along with the link to our giving page: https://donorbox.org/texasrampgeneralcampaign

We are so thankful for your commitment to sharing the giving page to friends and followers. Small amounts make a big difference.

Remember to follow us on all our social media platforms and engage with content by liking, commenting and sharing.

Remember to follow us on our main social media pages as well.

Building Basics

by Roy Harrington

Building Basics

Over time and after building many ramps, each team leader will figure out what tools they need to have when heading off to a client’s home. If you are new to building, you either have to figure it out for yourself—over time and after building many ramps—or you learn from others. This month’s article is a chance to learn from others with some suggestions for what to include in your toolbox when getting ready for a build.

Worksite Tools

There is a minimum set of tools needed to build a ramp, but there is also the “might-need-it” list of tools and other supplies and the “nice-if-funds-and-space-allow” list, which we generally have to figure out on our own after building many ramps.

The minimum set:

Miter saw (technically not absolutely necessary but so much better, faster and safer than a circular or reciprocating saw for cutting to lumber length)
Extension cord with built-in 15-amp electrical breaker (better to trip the breaker on the cord than to deal with the client’s breaker box)
Battery-powered drill/drivers (with appropriate bits for your box of screws)
Measuring tape
Pencil
Level
Speed square
Hammer
Circular saw (battery, plug-in or both)
Wrenches and/or sockets for lags and/or carriage bolts
Camera or phone (yes, it’s not absolutely necessary for building the ramp, but pictures are very important for reporting, recruiting and fundraising)

The nice-to-have-available list if space and funds allow:

Battery-powered planer (it’s surprising how valuable this tool can be on a ramp build)
Light socket to outlet adapter
Generator (in some specific cases this may be a necessity, which was hopefully identified in advance by the surveyor)
Metal plates and/or beveled lumber and/or rubber transition ramps in a couple thicknesses and at least 36 inches long to deal with threshold issues not identified by the surveyor
Angle grinder with cutoff and grinding wheel
Jig saw

One option for the “sometimes or rarely needed” type tools is to know which ones can be borrowed from your team members based on survey information, such as the need for a generator or the need to drill into concrete.

The list(s) above still may not cover every situation, and some builders will consider most or all of the listed items to be necessary. Please email ail.com with any suggested additions that may help a fellow ramp builder show up fully prepared every time.

Please send pictures of module and or cutting jigs

If you have a jig for building the modules (or frames) that make up our ramps and/or a jig for repeatedly cutting the pieces of lumber to length, please send pictures and a description of what you like (or don’t like) and anything else that might be helpful to others when building their own jig. Depending on number of pictures and descriptions received, some or all will be used in a future newsletter.

Click on picture below for a printable copy of Worksite Tools.

Do you have other tips or suggestions to share?

A lot of very good ideas are being 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.

Ramp of the Month

Hays County

Austin South Region

Ms. Maria R., 91, uses both a walker and a manual wheelchair to get around. Her home has five steps, so she could not enter or exit without assistance. Five volunteers from the San Marcos Men’s Bible Study group and TRP Team #2 donated 20 hours of labor to build her a 28-foot ramp. Legend Oaks in Kyle saw Maria’s need and made the referral.

The ramp proudly displays our new TRP nameplate.

Pass the Newsletter On to Others

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 sjkbits@aol.com.

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

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