Newsletter

Volume 6, Issue 2

February 2024

Follow up on Volunteers!

Nearly every day TRP receives a message from someone who would like to volunteer with the Texas Ramp Project. Most of these messages are forwarded to the region coordinator or team leader in the area where the person lives or would like to volunteer.

We urge you to follow up immediately when you have a line on a new volunteer. It may be an individual, a church with several interested members, a local business in your neighborhood, even a corporate inquiry with locations in several parts of the state.

Even if you have a team you are comfortable with and love to build with, new recruits are essential to our ability to serve our clients. They may fill out a small team, they may be trained to form a new team, they may be your future team leaders, even a county or region coordinator. Or they may wish to help in a non-building capacity, such as handling reporting or getting publicity.

TRP has some choices when it comes to volunteers. Either we can continue to build a certain number of ramps every year with our current volunteer force, or we can grow the number of clients served by bringing fresh volunteers into our operation and motivating them to stay.

Last year we received 6,609 referrals and built 2,420 ramps—about 37% of those needing ramps. We can grow that percentage if we grow our volunteer force. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could serve every disabled Texan in need?

Link to TRP Website and Volunteer Form

Thank You for Your Queries

Last fall every coordinator received a query requesting information about their particular region or county of responsibility. We were looking for information about each region’s 2024 goals, volunteers, partners and plans—information vital to preparing a budget for each entity and writing grants in search of funds to support the region’s work. The information was also used in the new regional “health

check” system that has been put in place to identify regions that are doing well and those that might need a boost.

Thank you to all who filled out their query and returned it in good time. We plan to repeat this process on a regular basis so we can keep up with regional activity. Having good data makes a huge difference in managing our organization and serving as many clients as possible.

TRP Completes First Client Survey

Some of TRP’s funding sources have been asking us to document the value of our ramps to clients. During the past year, TRP decided to do just that. We asked Rachel Marchand, one of TRP’s two SMU Board Fellows, to design and set up a survey to measure who is using the ramps TRP builds and how they have affected clients’ lives.

Every month Rachel polled clients who had received a ramp exactly two years earlier. She collected a 10% sample of 2021 clients from across the state. She also captured comments about how clients’ lives had been enhanced.

Results showed that 78% of the ramps were still being used by the original owners, that 23% of the ramps were being used by others as well, and at least 94% of clients had experienced better quality of life. Clients and caregivers commented that they love their ramp, feel safe using it, and were excited to have it.

Here are some sample statements:

“I want you to know that I absolutely love my ramp. I've been actively using it with excitement. It has helped me be able to get in and out of my house with ease. It has improved my quality of life greatly. Thank you so much.” – Almaria G.

“I absolutely love my ramp and it has assisted me and others who have come to visit perfectly. Being able to confidently leave and enter my home safely is a wonderful feeling. Thank you and the Texas Ramp Project for all you do.” – Rhett H.

“Yes, I am still using it. It's helped both myself and husband. On one occasion we had to call 911 for my husband, [and] it was a lot easier for paramedics to transport my husband to the ambulance…. In the long run, having this ramp has been very helpful for us.” – Mary G.

Click here to access the PDF of the survey results

Forging New Frontiers for Texas Ramp Project

By Les Schmalz, Houston Region Coordinator

Always looking for ways to serve more clients who need improved mobility, the Texas Ramp Project took a step in that direction on February 17 in Brazoria County. A team of volunteers from Pearland Lions Club gathered at a client’s home in Columbia. A morning of sawing lumber and driving deck screws resulted in a solid and safe 41-foot ramp, replacing a dangerous existing “ramp.”

A little background. Some months ago, Mark Hinzman of the TRP board had discussions with Lions Club leaders in the Dallas area, who provided Lions contacts in the Houston area. The TRP Houston area coordinator, Les Schmaltz, made contact with Wayne Gorby with Pearland Lions Club. They agreed to do a demonstration build in Brazoria County, an area just south of Houston not currently served by TRP. Contact with a social services organization yielded a referral for a client who uses a walker.

Enthusiastic response by Pearland Lions Club members yielded a capable team of nine volunteers, led by Alan Hayes, who organized prebuilds the week before the build to ensure smooth progress. Based on the success of this build,

Pearland Lions plans to continue with the initial target of one build each month, while seeking additional Lions Club teams to cover other parts of the county. Brazoria County is now in the TRP system; looking forward to future referrals.

Devin Lemon

One additional piece of good news. During the build, the site was visited by Devin Lemon, the district governor for the Lions in South Texas. Based on discussions and what he observed, Devin plans to encourage other Lions Clubs in his area to link with TRP, seeing the value of TRP systems and procedures.

More needed builds to come in Brazoria County!

Watch for AAA Referrals!

TRP gets a lot of referrals from Area Agencies on Aging, and we have contracts for reimbursement with many of them. It’s really important that any AAA referral get immediate review when it arrives and, if possible, get moved to the top of the list.

Following through on AAA referrals is a win-win for everyone. TRP gets a ramp built that is paid for, allows us to use the money that we would have spent on a ramp elsewhere (increasing overall ramp count), and keeps the AAA supportive of TRP for future referrals. If we wait too long to build the AAA referral ramp, they will eventually stop sending us referrals.

Delay in providing the ramp is a comment we have heard from several AAAs around the state. Although they understand, they have other contractors/vendors that will build the ramp quickly, albeit for a higher cost since they are charged for materials and labor. The cost is not a driving force for the AAAs; they want the ramp to be built more quickly. Therefore, we encourage you to watch for those AAA referrals and act as quickly as possible.

Volunteer of the Month: Ron Williams,

Waco North, Hill County

Ron Williams’ grandfather was a carpenter by trade and got his grandson started on a lifelong love of building things. So after a 34-year career in engineering design and construction in the oil industry, Ron went back to building things. Specifically, he started building ramps in the Waco North region’s Hill County, and 10 years later he’s still at it.

Ron is another of those people who followed TRP founder John Laine into the ramp-building business.

At first he was a team member, but it soon became evident that someone was needed to organize the effort. “It seemed a natural continuation of the type things I had been doing in my career,” he says, “so in 2014 I volunteered to step into that role. The rest is history!”

Ron was born in Connecticut and grew up in Oklahoma and Louisiana. After graduating in chemical engineering from Louisiana Polytechnic Institute (now Louisiana Tech), he hired on with Humble Oil in Baytown, spending time in California and Houston. Upon retirement from ExxonMobil in 2002, he and his wife, Carolyn, relocated to Whitney in Hill County.

Most of Ron’s Hill County TRP team comes from White Bluff Chapel in Whitney, where Ron and Carolyn are active members. But each year he tries to involve local high school students and volunteers from Recovered and Free, a halfway house for recovering addicts.

For Ron, the best part of working with TRP is the camaraderie of the team and seeing the results of their efforts, especially the smiles on clients’ faces and their heartfelt thanks. After each build, the team all autograph a Bible and present it to the client.

“Working with TRP has given me a chance to use my God-given talents to be a blessing to others in need and enhance their lives,” he says. The team’s cargo trailer displays a sign that reads, “Lord, here I am. Make me a blessing to someone today.”

Ron and Carolyn have two married daughters and four grandchildren. His oldest grandson helps with builds on occasion. Ron also likes to fish, play golf and travel in their RV.

New TRP Advisory Committee Seeks Regional Input

The Texas Ramp Project is implementing a new Region Coordinator Advisory Committee. The team will be led by six region coordinators across the state. It provides a formal process and structure for key volunteers in the field to share issues and opportunities with the TRP board.

Objectives for this team include sharing and publicizing best practices and success stories, along with developing recommendations to the board that will result in more efficient and streamlined policies and processes. A major focus is to improve the client and customer experience because if we do that, we will build more ramps at a faster pace.

The committee will hold its first meeting in March and will share results in TRP newsletters. Information regarding how to provide recommendations and feedback to the team will be forthcoming.

Thank You, Hilti Corporation

By Gary Stopani, Dallas Region Coordinator

In 2017 Hilti Corporation sought out the Texas Ramp Project to build ramps in the Dallas area. Their senior staff built a ramp with us, bringing tools with them that would be donated. This was a first step, and the early years were focused on the Dallas region for tools and volunteers.

In 2021 Hilti agreed to partner with the Texas Ramp Project as our sole tool provider. Since that time, TRP has received tools valued at $237,281. During 2023, 25 TRP regions received $139,096 worth of tools from the company. Overall, Hilti has supplied tools to 32 regions and sub-regions.

For all their support, we offer a very hearty thank you.

If you are in need of tools for your region, contact Gary Stopani, Dallas region, at glstopani@verizon.net for a request form. We look forward to continued support as we enter 2024.

Recent Grants and Donations

St. David’s Foundation, one of TRP’s most consistent and generous funding sources, has launched a new strategic plan that will guide their work through 2030. So instead of asking TRP to write a grant request, they automatically extended our 2022-23 grant by 18 months to the tune of $162,000. We have just received a notice that the new grant will be extended six months beyond that by another $58,320. TRP is grateful for St. David’s continuing financial support, which applies to five Austin area counties: Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis and Williamson.

Other recent grants and donations include the following:

$25,000 for Dallas from Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation, Inc.
$14,000 for Austin East from Fayette Resale.
$7,500 for Dallas from Sparks Osteopathic Foundation.
$3,425 for NCT East from Golden K Kiwanis Club.
$3,000 for NCT South from Waxahachie Rotary Club.
$1,600 for East Texas Tyler from First Christian Church.
$1,200 for Austin East from Oviedo Chevrolet GMC.
$1,175 for Dallas from Texas Instruments Foundation.
$1,070 for Austin West from The Church at Horseshoe Bay.
$1,000 for San Antonio Northeast from St. John’s Episcopal Church New Braunfels.
$1,000 for Temple/Belton from Temple Founder Lions Club.
$1,000 for Austin East from Fayette County General Fund.
$891 for Waco South from Waco Habitat for Humanity.
$875 for Austin East from Vietnam Veterans of America.
$833 for Dallas from First UMC Richardson.
$675 for Texarkana East from Main Street Education.
$500 for East Texas Marshall from New Destinations.
$500 for Tarrant County from Gateway Church.
$500 for East Texas Jacksonville from Texas Bank Henderson.
$460 for Houston from Good Shepherd Church Cypress.
$350 for Austin West from Hill Country Fellowship.
$175 for Austin East from First UMC La Grange.
$100 for East Texas Tyler from Langen/Wink Bible Class.
$37 for East Texas Tyler from Garden Valley Baptist Church.

Kappa Kappa Gamma Award for Dallas

The Dallas Alumnae Association of Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation, Inc. raises funds every year through a program called Kappa Tablescapes. This year the sorority awarded $265,000 to six nonprofits. The Texas Ramp Project received $25,000 for Dallas operations. Dallas region coordinator Gary Stopani and his wife, Linda, accepted the award at a dinner on February 13.

Ramp of the Month, East Texas Tyler,

Smith County

Mr. Paul S., an 88 year old veteran's RV had the three standard pull down steps and a pipe for a railing. As Paul uses a rollator because he has an unsteady gait navigating the RV's steps was extremely difficult and dangerous. In planning the ramp, there was a concern about enough room for the ramp, but the 11 TRP volunteers were able to engineer this 72 foot ramp in the available space. The volunteers donated 40 hours of labor. The VA Tyler Outpatient Clinic made this referral.

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 sjknutson@texasramps.org.

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