Vernell's Build in Action

Hello Readers! This is a very special post because it includes two video clips of our dedicated volunteers in action. Enjoy!

On a sunny Saturday morning in June, seven volunteers came out to southeast Dallas to build Vernell, pictured above with his wife Thelma, a new ramp.

Vernell desperately needed his old ramp replaced because it was truly dangerous. In fact, Vernell had taken a very bad fall off of his motorized wheelchair about 3 years ago because their old ramp was so worn down the middle. Since then, it has been just plain scary for Vernell to get in and out of the house. Like so many of our clients, Vernell has been risking his life on a daily basis just leaving his home.

Just last week he was referred to The Dallas Ramp Project by a social worker at Parkland Hospital. A call was placed to our organization last Thursday and by Saturday, Vernell had a front yard full of talented builders working on his ramp to safety and freedom.

Vernell is a diabetic and is afflicted with several complications stemming from diabetes. Life has presented a set of challenges to Vernell but clearly nothing he can't overcome - that's for sure. In talking to him I could tell that he has a strong mind and a strong will. Like our volunteers, Vernell is a dedicated man. He's a deacon at his church and before that was a long distance truck driver for forty years! He's lived in his house since 1959 - nearly fifty years!

Vernell, and his sweet wife Thelma, are both eternally grateful to our volunteers - this new ramp is going to enable Vernell to get back involved with his church. Not to mention the fact that Vernell and Thelma are newlyweds - they have a lot of life to enjoy - including a honeymoon!

Now a few words on our volunteers. If you played either video you can tell that it's hot out there and our volunteers were working hard. And they really, really do. They get the job done and they manage to have some fun doing it.

This build was made possible because of Bill, our veteran team leader from GE, four volunteers from the Grace Community Church in Plano and several volunteers from the King of Glory church here in Dallas. It's clear from talking to Jim, one of our regular volunteers, that building these ramps is truly fulfilling.

Thank you to all of our volunteers for changing the lives of our clients - one story, one ramp, one build at a time.