Helping Others...Starting Young

James H., pictured here on the left, has a sharp sense of humor and a laid back way about him. He has a positive attitude and a determination to live well, despite his numerous health problems.

Originally from East Texas and born in 1943, James is a spry soul that spent almost all of his life right here in Dallas. He has some great stories about driving a "wrecker" to and from lots of far-off places like Laredo, Texas, Sacramento, South Carolina and even Monterrey, Mexico to rescue cars - and their owners. James has several family members in the area that call and visit and friends on his block.

James suffered a stroke last September and lives with both diabetes and heart issues. Getting in and out of the house and just around in general is a big challenge for him. His feet are sore and they cause him a lot of pain. Walking has become very difficult which makes it tough for James to get to and from his various doctors appointments.

Though life is not easy for him, he "tries not to give up" - ever. He has been blessed in that home care physician has just recently approved a wheelchair for him. Then, through the City of Dallas, he found out about The Dallas Ramp Project. He called and a few days later a leader from our organization came out to survey his property. Luckily, James' landlord allowed the ramp to be built to accommodate James and a build was scheduled.

So, yesterday, a cold and windy March day veteran ramp team leader Mac and a group of six volunteers from the North Garland High School Beta Club came out to build James a ramp. Katie, Jazmine, Julio, Becky, Gurbans and Austin were all bright eyed and eager to see their ramp come to fruition. The motto of their Club is "helping others in the community to help themselves." I'm not sure school spirit gets any better than that, that's for sure!

Thanks to Mac and our North Garland High volunteers, James is able to live his life to the fullest.

El Paso Ramp Project Gets Busy in February

The El Paso Ramp project was quite ambitious during the month of February. Once they found out that Fort Bliss soldiers were eager to help, they decided that building two ramps would be a piece of cake. That was completely evident on the Friday night before the build. The volunteers showed up ready to work and all that could be done was to stand back and let them get down to business.

Saturday morning was no different. About a dozen soldiers showed up to the first site and within 10 minutes, tools and manpower were divided up between the two sites. Once again, all that could be done was stand back and watch them take the projects into their own capable hands. Their energy, determination and leadership skills were astonishing.

These soldiers are in the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy (USASMA) at Fort Bliss and come from different parts of the nation and all walks of life. All of the soldiers were united in their desire to help other people. Their eagerness to help the community just could not go unnoticed. Not to mention the fact that neither soldier was actually from El Paso.

During their nine month stay at the USASMA in El Paso, they have taken this community under their wings and volunteer in many ways throughout the city: From building ramps to building houses for Habitat for Humanity.

“I think it’s great, offering freedom to people who need help and to their families who assist them every day,” said Master Sgt. Marc Hickey, a USASMA Class 58 student and ramp project committee chairperson at the academy. “Otherwise, these people are restricted to their homes, and that’s just not right.”

The homes in the central area of El Paso were built next to the mountain and during a time when accessibility was not a major concern. They have a traditional look with porches and high steps which make ramp building a challenge. For most of these homes, the El Paso Ramp Project focuses on building the ramps from the back door with an additional small ramp for the front porch. Thanks to these sergeants, two clients in this area were able to receive ramps that helped them immediately.

Maria S., one of our recent clients with diabetes, fell a year ago in her bathroom. She has lived in her home since 1966 and found it difficult to get out of her house after the incident. She found our organization and her ramp was built within a couple of hours. To our amazement when our team returned thirty minutes after the build was finished to pick some of our supplies, we found her sitting in her backyard enjoying the sun. It was truly amazing to find her there because before that morning, it would have been impossible for her to have done something so simple as sitting in her backyard and enjoying the early spring on her own.

Azaela P., another El Paso Ramp Project client, was unable to live with her mother because her home was just plain inaccessible. This young medical assistant experienced three strokes within a two year period which severely affected her mobility. Her strength and noticeable desire to live life to the fullest made this ramp build extremely fulfilling for everyone involved. She was ready to live with her mother and join her out in the world once again.

These families were helped thanks to the generous volunteers we found at Fort Bliss, the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy.