Ramps on the rise!
On August 29, 2024, Rebuilding Together Kent County (RTKC) gathered a team to help a neighbor in Worton live more safely and comfortably in her home. Site Supervisor Zach Schmidt, Program Coordinator at RTKC, along with eight volunteers Bill Flook, Dudley Bostic, Gale Quist, Joanne Boyle, Joe Riding, John Derricott, Lisa Sasser and Terry Goldzier, spent the morning constructing an aluminum ramp to enable safer access and mobility for a grateful homeowner.
RTKC launched its loaned ramp program in 2023 with funding from the Kent County Health Department and training from Bay Hundred Community Volunteers. Today, thanks to a $70,000 Housing Preservation Grant from the USDA, RTKC, the only nonprofit organization in Kent County that provides repair and home modification services at no cost to qualified homeowners, was able to deliver not only a ramp, but also convert a bathtub to a shower to accommodate a homeowner’s changing mobility needs.
By way of background, RTKC had been installing stick-build wheelchair ramps for area homeowners for many years. Switching to lifetime loaned aluminum ramps was a smart decision for the nonprofit. Aluminum ramps offer a high-quality material with a modular design that allows for flexibility and customization, yet they are durable and require little maintenance. Moreover, when the homeowner no longer needs the ramp, RTKC can retrieve the parts, clean them thoroughly, and reuse them for another neighbor with mobility challenges, truly making this a gift that keeps on giving! We have built a total of 17 Ramps during the past year of 2023.
Also, unlike many repair and/or home modification projects undertaken by RTKC, trained volunteers assemble the aluminum ramps. Volunteer Joanne Boyle offers the following view of the loaned aluminum ramp program: “So much in life is about delayed gratification. .Donating your time or resources can feel insufficient to meet the great need out there. I can think of few instances where caring people can come together for a relatively brief time and create something that will immediately benefit someone’s life. That’s why I choose to volunteer on these projects.”
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer for Rebuilding Together Kent County, contact (410) 778-4544.
