Texas Ramp Project Newsletter
Volume 3, Issue 7
July, 2021
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Greetings from the Texas Ramp Project Executive Director
I start this column with a request from the San Angelo region for tools. That region is particularly widespread geographically and has been growing steadily in widely separated counties. This separation makes it difficult to move tools around efficiently. If you have some tools that are not being utilized, please contact Robert Newman at r.d.newman07@gmail.com and he will arrange the transfer. Thanks!
Mercifully, lumber prices have been dropping, and it is becoming a bit easier to get our pressure-treated lumber. I am requesting some feedback here letting me know what you are experiencing in your areas. For example, what are you now paying for a sheet of ¾-inch pressure-treated plywood, a 2x4x8-foot PT and a 2x6x8-foot PT? And are you finding any significant differences between suppliers? I have been out of state for a week, having some time off with family, and have tried to stay away from the project a bit but now I am back onboard.
Lastly, I would like to reiterate that prioritizing referrals is still desirable. Let’s get those 5-star disasters taken care of as quickly as you can. It is up to you to identify them. A referral marked a having a dangerous existing ramp could certainly be a red flag. Please check those out promptly, keeping in mind that not every referral source will have the same understanding of that phrase. That is up to you to confirm (or not).
Stay cool, keep hydrated, and use those enclosures. Thanks to all of you for what you are doing to help our aging and disabled neighbors.
John Laine
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Kronkosky Charitable Foundation Challenge Grant
The Kronkosky Charitable Foundation of San Antonio has awarded the Texas Ramp Project a challenge grant of $60,000 for use in Bandera, Bexar, Comal and Kendall counties. This is an amazing opportunity to raise funds for as many as 120 ramps. However, to access this award, we need to raise $60,000 in new money—that is, from donors who did not give in 2020.
We know this is a challenge, hence the name. We're all aware that local fundraising is more important than ever, especially in the COVID environment. Fortunately, we are well on our way to raising these funds. The UM ARMY will be building in San Antonio Central this summer and helping pay for them. At the board level, we are working hard as well. This is truly a team effort.
To let you know it can be done, this spring the five East Texas regions met a $25,000 challenge from the Carl C. Sr. & Marie Jo Anderson Charitable Foundation in less than three months. In fact, they exceeded the amount needed for the grant. We know you can do that in these San Antonio counties as well.
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Very soon, a new Kronkosky Match Challenge donor button will be available on our website, in our newsletters, and on our social media pages. This should help make the process easier and quicker for potential donors.
Meanwhile, you can use the regular Donor button as well and write Kronkosky in the comment section of the donor form. Checks are also welcome.
All donors will receive confirmation for their tax records along with our deep appreciation for their generosity. Watch for future emails and newsletters as we'll keep you posted on how much in matching funds have been raised. .
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Use the Donate Button, it's quick and easy.
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Other Local Funding Initiatives
There are many other regions and counties in the TRP service area that need a boost in local funding. Remind potential donors that the Texas Ramp Project provides a safe way for people with mobility issues to remain in their own homes, aging in place. A $1,000 ramp from TRP can save taxpayers up to $80,000 a year if a person must enter a nursing facility because of lack of safe access at home.
The cost of lumber is a great selling point when doing your local fundraising. Consider using this cost comparison chart when you visit with potential funding sources.
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Volunteer Spotlight
Larry Baird: Coordinator, Austin North Region
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Larry Baird is a man on a mission, whether it’s building houses in Guatemala or furniture in Honduras, distributing wheelchairs in Peru, co-managing temporary homeless shelters in Chicago, or delivering Meals on Wheels in Georgetown. And building ramps in Williamson County for the Texas Ramp Project.
A Texas Tech engineering graduate, Larry retired as a research principal for Kraft Foods in Chicago in 2004. As he puts it, “failing at retirement,” he worked for a pharmaceutical firm in Chicago and Austin.
He landed in Georgetown, where he became involved with the local Palace Theatre, joined the board of the Caring Place, built with Habitat for Humanity, and led mission trips for First United Methodist Church of Georgetown.
One day in 2012, he heard John Laine’s TRP presentation to his local Rotary Club. The next day he showed up for a build. He soon realized that with TRP, unlike many other nonprofits, every client had a need.
“At this point, I knew ramp building was more exciting than building sets for theater performances, and this is what I wanted to do,” says Larry. In other words, he was hooked.
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Larry agreed to lead a Rotary Club of Georgetown ramp build team. This has since expanded to five teams that have built over 450 ramps. Some of his team members have participated in as many as 60 ramps, and they have developed social and work relationships together that they all enjoy.
Last year, Williamson County split off from the Austin Central region, becoming its own Austin North region. This was because there were so many organizations within the community that were willing to donate to specifically benefit residents of the Georgetown area. By separating from Travis and Bastrop counties, Larry gained more control in tracking donations and spending.
Larry’s wife of 52 years, Sue, often joins him on their church’s mission ventures. He and Sue also love to travel, having visited 39 counties and four continents. They have two adult children and two grandsons, aged 10 and 12. Larry’s special hobby has been mountain climbing with friends. They have climbed numerous 14,000-foot peaks in the U.S. and Switzerland.
“TRP enables me to achieve my passion of helping others,” Larry says. “As I have been blessed with good fortune through my career, I feel it important to pay back by helping those not so fortunate.” Which he has been doing in many, many ways.
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The Texas Ramp Project has received a $30,000 grant from the WellMed Charitable Foundation, to be divided among several TRP regions where WellMed has a presence. WellMed has been an outstanding supporter of the Texas Ramp Project since 2018, and its employees actively build ramps in several of our regions.
WellMed is a network of doctors, specialists and other medical professionals that specialize in providing care for older adults, with over 16,000 doctors’ offices in Texas and Florida. Its headquarters is in San Antonio. WellMed Charitable Foundation is an independent nonprofit organization that supports seniors and caregivers in the communities served by WellMed. Funding is raised by community donors and WellMed employee contributions.
Other recent grants and donations include:
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$20,000 for San Antonio Central/Bexar County from The Greehey Family Foundation.
- $15,000 for El Paso from the Rotary Club of El Paso Foundation.
- $10,000 for Tarrant County from the James and Dorothy Doss Foundation.
- $10,000 for the Abilene region from two anonymous foundations.
- $5,000 for Hunt County from the Golden K Kiwanis Club.
- $3,250 for San Antonio Central from Northwest Hills United Methodist Church.
- $2,500 for North Central Texas South region from the Waxahachie Rotary Club.
- $2,500 for Waco South from Michael Harbern Jewelers.
- $1,500 for Dallas from the Rotary Club of Grand Prairie.
- $1,000 for the Austin Central region from the Austin Community Foundation.
- $1,000 for Bryan/College Station from the United Way of the Brazos Valley Youth Leadership Cabinet, who will help build a ramp.
- $750 for San Antonio South from the South Texas Electric Cooperative.
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Giving Through Social Media
By Madison Lopez, Social Media Editor
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In July we celebrated freedom and independence. Look across TRP’s social media and you will see just how we celebrate both freedom and independence year-round by building freedom one ramp at a time.
One of the ways we have been able to support mobility independence through ramp-building is by receiving support from people committed to the Texas Ramp Project’s vision. Small donations make a big difference here at TRP, and we have just made it easier for you to give.
On our social media pages, you will now find a brand-new, convenient link to give.
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This link is found at the top of our social media pages in our “bio.” Click it, and you will find yourself at an easy-to-use page to make any size gift. Share and promote this link across your own social media to create a ripple of change-making giving.
Remember to give us a follow and to share your Texas Ramp Project photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #TexasRampProject.
Follow us here:
Facebook: Texas Ramp Project
LinkedIn: Texas Ramp Project
Instagram: @tx_ramp_project
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Building Basics
Building the Ramp
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Building Basics
Two months ago, we covered the survey process. Then last month was building the modules. Now, in our third installment of Building Basics, we will be building the ramp. As in the previous articles, this will not be comprehensive, but it will cover the basics. I welcome any feedback you may have as we search for best practices to share with all our build teams. Send any questions or comments to Roy Harrington at royh85@verizon.net.
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Click on image below for "Let's Build a Ramp." |
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TRP Partners with UM ARMY
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United Methodist Action Reach-out Mission by Youth, or UM ARMY for short, has come back strong this summer, with about 33 youth mission camps planned across the state. They also host youth mission trips in a few other states. Each camp can be up to 200 total youth and their adult leaders, who all stay in a host church. They sleep on air mattresses or cots for a week while doing home repair tasks, including building wheelchair ramps.
TRP has partnered with UM ARMY for many years. That relationship continues this year in at least the following 14 locations: Bonham, Brownsville, Bryan, Caldwell, Corpus Christi, Denton, Frisco, Gainesville, Livingston, Longview, Orange, San Antonio, Katy and Whitehouse. A large UM ARMY group will be in San Antonio later this month, where they plan to build at least 10 ramps for us, along with a lot of other home repair projects.
Ramps are a very meaningful project for youth. They can get the immediate feedback from the client when they complete a ramp. They also learn some things about teamwork, tools and construction along the way.
We are glad to have the opportunity to work with UM ARMY again this summer. We look forward to many more years of connecting their youth teams with our referrals to “Build Freedom for the Homebound.”
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RAMP OF THE MONTH: Titus County, Texarkana West
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Mr. Tommy P., 68, of Mount Pleasant has neuropathy in both his hands and feet, COPD and several other severe disabling conditions that have greatly restricted his ability to get around. Tommy uses a cane, but the five steps leading to his home were unsafe and extremely difficult to navigate. Tommy now has a new 40-foot ramp built by five volunteers from the Tennison United Methodist and Assembly of God churches. The volunteers donated 25 hours of labor so Tommy has a safe way to enter and exit his home.
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What a difference this ramp will make for Tommy's ability to safely come and go. |
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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 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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