March & April Means More Ramps in El Paso

March and April were busy months for the El Paso ramp project. Many volunteers came together to build safe ramps for those desperately in need of them.

Several UTEP students, assigned to get this project off the ground, have been working hard to make sure that El Paso becomes a permanent home for the Texas Ramp Project. They also recognize that building ramps would not be possible if it were not for the devotion of those volunteers who have been dedicated from the beginning. Thanks to them, the El Paso community continues to benefit by giving their clients the freedom to leave their homes.

A few builds in particular come to mind: Josefina G. is a heartbroken woman who lost her granddaughter in December. Her family had hidden the truth due to her medical conditions and she had just learned the sad news when we visited to survey her mobile home. Her brother and nephew had built her a temporary ramp, but it did not have the angle appropriate for her safety. Josefina had no other way out of her home so she had been using it. We showed up just in time to help bring independence to this lovely lady. She even called us ‘angels’. She said that thanks to people like us, everything was possible. Her tears moved us. The Sergeant Majors once again made independence possible as Mac, one of our devoted volunteers, assisted with this switchback ramp.

Lucy Y. is a sweet lady who is currently sleeping in her living room unable to move comfortably in and out of her home. Lately, the fire department had to assist in transporting her out of her home so she could make her medical appointments. Her family was so grateful to our organization - even her grandson, though he seemed ready to use the ramp for his own skateboarding purposes. Overall, this family was left with smiles of gratitude on their faces. Her ramp was built by psychology students who were taught a great deal by Mac.

Ann C. has spent the past 3 years bound to her bed. Though she has a loving family who support the best they can, for years she could not leave the house due to a stroke. Though her devoted husband built her a cement ramp, getting in and out of the house was still impossible as it was just unsafe. She mentioned feeling afraid each time she had to leave the house and was grateful that we were there to make a safe ramp she and her family could use without any precautions. Her tears said it all.

The El Paso Ramp project surpassed the expected amount of ramp builds during these months. These five builds would have not been possible without the assistance of Mac. Mac showed interest in February and has been to every build since then as a helper, team leader, and teacher.

Mac is a retired Allstate Adjuster and has been providing volunteer time through the AARP for the past 4 years. AARP is a membership organization leading positive social change and delivering value to people age 50 and over through information, advocacy and service. He showed up to help on the first build in March and quickly became a team leader for the following four builds. His innovative ideas have made ramps quicker to build while keeping them safe for the clients.

One of the biggest obstacles we have overcome is having a truck to move the lumber. Mac seemed to arrive from the sky just in the nick of time. Other than being the first to volunteer, his truck is the reason so many ramps are currently up and useful. This project requires more than the will to lend a hand and Mac has met so many of our necessities as a new organization. There are not enough or the right words to express how grateful the El Paso Ramp Project is to have found an angel here on earth, in Mac.

The lives of each of these clients, and our volunteers, were all changed due to this organization - and to Mac in particular. El Paso truly is a better place thanks to his desire to help and make a difference. Thank you, Mac, for making it all possible.