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Newsletter
Volume 6, Issue 4
April 2024
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Mark Your Calendars:
TRP Statewide Conference Set for August 9-10
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It’s hard to believe it’s been over two years since TRP’s last statewide conference. Many of you have been asking if we going to hold one this year. Well, the good news is yes. TRP will host the conference in Dallas on Friday and Saturday, August 9 and 10, 2024.
Region coordinators and key volunteers from across the state are invited to attend. The meeting will focus on nuts and bolts issues of creating healthy regions, finding funding, optimizing the organization, and building better ramps.
In May, regions will receive a letter detailing conference logistics, registration, hotel accommodations and a draft agenda. We welcome your questions and ideas. We hope to make this conference relevant and helpful to support you and the work you are doing for so many people.
The 2024 conference is being planned to incorporate reflections from the 2022 conference. Attendees then gave the conference high marks, citing the quality of content, peer-to-peer information exchange, high level of enthusiasm, and opportunity to meet both board members and volunteers from other regions. Frequently, we heard comments such as "Loved the enthusiasm. Terrific information to implement for improving our region's TRP experience. Plenty of time to visit and learn from others."
The conference planning committee is working hard to meet and exceed these expectations. Committee members are Sandy Knutson, chair and executive director; Kay Champagne, board member; Roy Harrington, board member and region coordinator, Bryan/College Station; Molli Harris, TRP secretary; Jerry Halpain, region coordinator, East Texas Jacksonville; Mark Hinzman, TRP board member for corporate relations; and Keith Henderson, president, board of directors.
We’re really looking forward to seeing everyone face to face, without a computer screen between us. Much has transpired and improved for the Texas Ramp Project since last we met, as evidenced in our record builds and revenues in 2023. TRP’s volunteers are the best in the world. That may be a tiny stretch, but hands down you are the best in Texas.
Please feel free to contact your TRP region or county coordinator or email Sandy Knutson at sjknutson@texasramps.org with your questions and ideas so they can be discussed at the conference.
Sandy Knutson
Executive Director
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A brief reminder: As summer approaches, remember to take care of your teams with water, cooling towels and canopies. Dehydration can be deadly, and it takes so little to keep everyone hydrated. If you don’t have a canopy(ies) for your teams, please purchase what you need to be sure your volunteers are protected during the hot days to come.
P.S. Canopies work well on cold and wet days too.
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Thank You, Gary Gatzlaff; Hello, Nancy DeLuca | |
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This month brings a change in the critical role of responding to the many phone calls and emails that come to the Texas Ramp Project every day. The position, created to take a load off the executive director, has involved answering unending questions and routing people to get the assistance they need. It is really the front line of contact for information about our services.
Board member Gary Gatzlaff took on this position five years ago. Since then he has essentially become the front door to the Texas Ramp Project. An average day could bring up to 30 inquiries, requiring a massive amount of time, diligence and, notably, patience.
Gary has opted to retire from this volunteer position and deserves a huge thank you for his years of service in guiding people to the resources where they could get a needed ramp. He is also leaving the TRP board.
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TRP’s new front-line contact is Nancy DeLuca. Nancy volunteered with TRP just over a year ago and is well positioned to continue this effort. She spent much of her time sending queries to all the region coordinators—gathering vital information needed to create regional budgets and request funding from foundations and other donors. She has corresponded or spoken with many in the field and gained valuable insights into TRP’s regional operations.
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Contact Information for Nancy DeLuca and info@texasramps.org
Nancy is responding to inquiries coming in on TRP's main phone number, 214-558-0339, and email, info@texasramps.org. She fields routine questions and will forward inquiries to region coordinators and others in the field.
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As a reminder: to order more nameplates send an email to Sandy Knutson at: sjknutson@texasramps.org. Let her know how many you need. | | |
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Media Release Form
TRP loves to have photos of ramp builds posted to Facebook, Instagram and other social media. We also welcome these photos for the website. But please remember, before posting any photo that contains a client, you must obtain a signed media release form allowing us to use the photo for publicity purposes.
This is even more important if the client is a child, in which case the parent must sign. Many team leaders just get a signed release as a matter of course if the client is photographed. Please be sure to get a release to ensure TRP does not publish a photo without permission. Click on this Text Link for a copy of the release form.
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Volunteer of the Month: Robin Roark, Coordinator
San Antonio Northeast, Guadalupe County
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Robin Roark was a Texas boy who grew up on a cattle ranch, went to Texas A&M, spent his career in agriculture, and retired to a home outside Seguin to raise vegetables, chickens and goats. A country boy who now ensures that a lot of people in his own Guadalupe County get the wheelchair ramps they need and deserve.
Robin got started with TRP in 2019 thanks to his pastor at First United Methodist Church in Seguin. Partnering with First Baptist Church, they got off to a roaring start with seven quick ramp builds. But along came COVID, the warehouse disappeared, and everything stalled.
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Then First UMC came to the rescue with storage space, and Robin took over the warehousing and prebuild responsibility.
Since 2020 the Guadalupe teams have built 128 ramps. Robin has built the volunteer cadre up to five teams, from First Methodist, First Baptist, Friedens United Church of Christ, and Sunrise Lions Club. The Cross Country Team came aboard to help out in nearby Comal and Caldwell counties. “We had a group of folks looking for some extra activities,” Robin says. “So we took on that task as well to help out our neighbors.”
Robin grew up outside of New Braunfels. After graduating from A&M, where he was in ROTC and played drums in the Aggie band, he went to work for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. After 26 years he retired in Austin and spent another 11 years with the Texas Agriculture Department, then moved to the Seguin area.
With essentially building ramps in three counties, one of Robin’s management challenges now is juggling the supplies for three different budgets and timing out deliveries with prebuild dates. The warehouse can hold enough material for four average ramps. “When we have months where we process half a dozen more, well, you get the picture,” he says.
He also makes sure that the teams have all the tools and supplies on hand for an efficient and quality build.
But the rewards are well worth it, Robin says. “Not only do you get to work with really great people that want to give back to their community, but you also get to see some very wonderful smiles and tears of joy on the faces of the folks you are helping. I won't ever forget the first time a ramp recipient told me that it was the first time they had been out of their house in over three years.”
Robin and his wife, Betty, have been married for 47 years and have three children and five grandchildren, ages 17 down to 10 months. He was recently in New Zealand to visit with the two youngest ones. Being with his grandkids is one of his favorite things to do. He also volunteers at the local food bank and serves in a Home-in-a-Week program, along with working in his garden and herding those goats and chickens.
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Recent Grants and Donations | |
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Over the last month TRP has received nearly $120,000 in five major grants. Two of them are for statewide use. Those funds will be distributed to regions where the foundation has businesses established or to regions that need a boost or a challenge grant. TRP also received a much-welcomed $20,000 grant from family in the East Texas Emory region, which has already built 10 ramps in the first three months of the year. Grants and donations received in the past month include the following:
- $30,000 for San Angelo from San Angelo Health Foundation.
- $28,000 for statewide from Installed Building Products Foundation.
- $25,000 for statewide from Ed Rachal Foundation.
- $25,000 for Tarrant County from Ken W. Davis Foundation
- $10,000 for Abilene from Shelton Family Foundation.
- $5,000 for Wichita Falls from Guinn Foundation.
- $5,000 for Texoma from Cooke County United Way.
- $4,000 for San Antonio Northeast from McKenna Foundation.
- $3,103 for Waco South from Waco Habitat for Humanity.
- $2,800 for Dallas from Community Council of Greater Dallas.
- $1,200 for Austin East from Oviedo Chevrolet GMC.
- $1,057 for Houston from Good Shepherd Church Cypress.
- $1,000 for East Texas Jacksonville from Broyles Chapel Baptist Church.
- $1,000 for San Antonio Northeast from St. John’s Episcopal Church.
- $1,000 for East Texas Tyler from YES Communities OP.
- $655 for Amarillo from Amarillo Habitat for Humanity.
- $579 for Houston from Montgomery County Habitat for Humanity.
- $539 for Austin West from The Church at Horseshoe Bay.
- $500 for Dallas from Texas Instruments Foundation.
- $500 for Austin East from Hochheim Prairie Branch 117.
- $350 for Texarkana East from Daingerfield Lions Club.
- $350 for Austin West from Hill Country Fellowship.
- $337 for San Antonio Northeast from Cranes Mill Baptist Church.
- $300 for Austin East from St. John Lutheran WELCA.
- $300 for East Texas Tyler from Celebration Class.
- $250 for Tarrant County from Gateway Church.
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Trailer Safety and Insurance Coverage
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The use of trailers is a critical part of ramp construction. And more importantly, the safety of our volunteers and others is TRP’s No. 1 priority.
Trailers used in ramp construction are often provided by sponsors and service organizations, meaning that TRP is not always the only user. Hence we do not have complete control over the maintenance of the trailers. However, it is important to take a few important steps to verify the trailers’ safety prior to our use. Always perform the following important safety checks prior to use:
- Verify load (weight capacity) of the trailer, and do not exceed weight limits.
- Ensure proper weight distribution of the load.
- Verify towing capacity of the vehicle pulling the trailer.
- Be sure you are using the proper size and type of trailer hitch.
- Use safety chains to connect to the trailer hitch as a backup.
- Check that all lights, brake lights, and turn signals on the trailer are connected to the towing vehicle and functioning properly.
- Inspect the tires on both the towing vehicle and the trailer for inflation and wear before each trip.
- Be sure the trailer has a valid license plate if applicable.
We have also received questions regarding insurance coverage for the trailers we use. There are two aspects to the insurance coverage: property damage and liability. TRP does not own or have title to these trailers. They are all owned either by individuals or by sponsor organizations. The owners are responsible for insurance coverage for damage from an accident, theft, vandalism or other incidents. The decision to carry property damage coverage is made by the owner or organization, not TRP.
Liability coverage extends to the drivers of the vehicles, not the trailer. Any TRP volunteer driving the trailer must have liability insurance in their name. If an accident occurs, the individual’s liability insurance would be used for primary coverage. However, to protect the organization from liability claims, TRP carries an umbrella policy. It may come into play if an accident occurs where a volunteer is driving to and from the work site and TRP is made a party to the claim.
As a reminder, if in the unlikely event there is an accident with any volunteer when traveling to or from a build site, be sure to contact Sandy Knutson with the details.
TRP volunteers have driven thousands of miles to build ramps for neighbors in need without a significant accident or claim. Thank you for your commitment to safety.
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Call for Help in the Valley
By Alan Moore
Do you enjoy working with youth? If so, you are greatly needed. For the second summer in a row, Humanitarian XP is partnering with Texas Ramp Project’s McAllen region to build ramps in the Rio Grande Valley. HXP will be sending 10 teams of young people, one per week for 10 consecutive weeks. This is a great group of kids who love to build ramps and learn so much during their week with us.
Last year HXP sent nine teams and built 36 ramps. This year they are shooting for 40 ramps. Generally, each team consists of 12 youth (14 to 16 years old), two parents, and two HXP staff. On Sunday evening we have a “Why” session to tell the teams why we do what we do. Lumber is delivered to my house every day, and the first activity each morning is to load all materials needed onto my trailer. One night per week the kids have a pool party at my house with pizza and drinks, which they supply.
We are greatly in need of other coordinators or team leaders to join our summer program for brief periods. To help defray costs, my wife and I will make our home available for lodging if you so desire. We are empty nesters and have two spare bedrooms and a pool. We are only 45 minutes from South Padre Island and 20 minutes from Progreso, Mexico. Our home is located on 10 acres, where we often see javelinas and bobcats.
Please consider joining us for this important work in the Valley. Any length of time you can spare would be greatly appreciated! If this sounds like something you are interested in, please contact Alan Moore at 956-245-9163 or alanmoorepe@gmail.com. Thanks!
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Ramp of the Month: Amarillo Region
Potter County
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Mr. Billy C., 76, of Potter County, was referred by the Panhandle Area Agency on Aging. Billy uses a walker, and his home had a severe, ski chute of a ramp in total disrepair. It did not have handrails and was dangerous for Billy to use. Eight volunteers from the Canyon Lions Club donated 30 hours of labor to build Billy this new ramp. The 60-foot structure will keep Billy safe as he comes and goes from his home. | |
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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.
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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.
If you prefer to NOT receive the newsletter, you can unsubscribe by emailing sjknutson@texasramps.org and asking for your name to be removed or use the "Unsubscribe" link below.
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