November 2023 Newsletter
Volume 5, Issue 11
Heartfelt Sendoff for John Laine 
Founder and executive director John Laine’s retirement reception on Sunday, November 5, brought out builders and board members from TRP’s earliest days. President Keith Henderson thanked John for his great vision, passion and hard work in turning the Texas Ramp Project into a highly successful statewide organization. He also presented John with an award inscribed with the words “40 Years of Service. Thank you to a visionary who made it happen.” He also announced that board members were funding a “John Laine Legacy Ramp” in his honor.
 
In addition to current board members, we welcomed back Steve Adams, who transitioned TRP’s referral and build reporting process to the Salesforce database, and Gary Cook, who established TRP’s relationships with Area Agencies on Aging and insurance in the early days. Region coordinators, Roy Harrington of Bryan/College Station, Steve Ulrick of Wichita Falls, Gary Johnson of Lubbock, and Jerry Gritter (retired) of Bryan/College Station paid their respects, along with Ray Beall, who was on the very first build before it became the Dallas Ramp Project. There were many other volunteers who joined in the this celebration honoring John.
 
John Laine served as the backbone of the Texas Ramp Project from the very beginning, and he deserves all the accolades he has received for a job very well done.
(L-R), Roy Harrington, Ray Beall, Kay Champagne, Stephen England, & Garner McNett
Award honoring John
John Laine, Father & Son

Experian Golf Outing Raises $17,000+
for Dallas
Data analytics and consumer credit reporting company Experian has been a faithful builder with Texas Ramp Project since 2016. Over the years Experian employees have built 19 ramps. In the past they have provided funding and matching volunteer hour donations in support of the Dallas region.
 
In September Experian held a charity golf tournament, with proceeds going to TRP and another deserving nonprofit. On that day, over 100 golfers came together at the Cowboys Golf Club in Grapevine. As a result, TRP received a check for $17,711.85 as our share of the proceeds. TRP also gained some great visibility as Linda and Gary Stopani, Dallas region co-coordinators, staffed a table to provide TRP brochures and other information.
 
Then, on a rainy November day, 19 Experian volunteers and three team leaders built a 45-foot ramp in Dallas in under three hours. After the build and before the canopies were taken down, the volunteers presented the check from the golf tournament to Gary and TRP president Keith Henderson (below).
Heartfelt thanks to Rick Hill and Denny Galiano (center, above) of Experian for their continued support and assistance in TRP’s receiving this donation.
The check is proudly displayed on the Dallas warehouse wall.
Volunteer of the Month: Henry Wyckoff, Amarillo
Talk about energy, and you are talking about Henry Wyckoff. Henry took over as Amarillo region coordinator in March and has been on a tear ever since.
 
The Amarillo region has consistently been a high producer. Capably led by Greg Hinders over the prior 12 years, the region has provided 877 ramps for residents in need. Last year, recovering from the COVID downturn, Amarillo teams still built 79 ramps.
Henry became coordinator of a region ready to pop, and pop it did. So far this year Amarillo’s teams have built 126 ramps and expanded into 16 of the Panhandle’s 26 counties.

Behind this remarkable increase is Henry’s deep relationship with the Lions Clubs. He has been a member of the Downtown Lions since 1998 and has served both as club president and as district governor for the entire Panhandle. He knows a lot of people. He immediately started recruiting build teams from local Lions Clubs and expects to equip four new team leaders next year.
 
Henry will tell you he couldn’t do it without Dinah, his wife of 50 years. Dinah does the bookkeeping, tracks referrals, and works with referring agencies. “But most importantly,” Henry says, “she has created a monthly build list she sends out to our team leaders assigning ramps for the month, prioritizing the builds based on the most pressing needs for the clients.”

An Amarillo native, Henry graduated from Wayland Baptist University with a degree in occupational education. He taught school for 27 years, retiring in 2019 from Frank Phillips College in Borger, where he was director of electrical and instrumentation programs.
 Henry started volunteering for TRP in 2016 as a builder with team leader Michael Crippin, stepping in as a team leader when needed. He says his work with TRP brought joy to his life by being able to help those in need. “The best part is getting to meet all the clients and seeing the difference our contribution makes in their lives,” he says.
 
Henry is quick to credit his team leaders for his success. “They are always willing to pitch in to get urgent builds done quickly and often travel throughout the 26 counties to ensure clients in remote areas are served,” he says. 
 
The Wyckoffs have two daughters, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. One of the grandchildren volunteered with Henry’s team before heading off to college. Henry and Dinah are longtime members of Hillside Christian Church and enjoy traveling. Their favorite vacation spot is South Fork, Colorado.
End-of-Year Giving
Please remind your volunteers and participating organizations that TRP welcomes gifts and donations as part of their year-end giving. Funding that arrives in November and December helps fund those first three or four months of the new year when overall giving takes a seasonal drop. Support from local churches, businesses, civic clubs and individuals constitutes about 42% of TRP’s annual revenues. It is critical to keeping our regions healthy and growing. Be sure to tell your donors to designate your region as recipient of the funds.

This is the perfect time of year to make use of TRP’s easily accessible "scan to donate" image below. Do copy and paste the link on your social media sites. You may include a message that encourages donations. This can be done by including a note outlining your personal relationship with TRP, why you think others should donate, and how TRP makes a difference in your own community. Let's spread the message of giving as we spread the holiday cheer.  
Additionally, we would love to see holiday-themed photos at build sites this time of year. Fun photos encourage online sharing as well as team building on-site. This can mean grabbing Santa hats for your team, wearing reindeer antlers or holiday sweaters, or simply dabbing a spot of red paint on the nose to look like Rudolph. The options are endless, and we can't wait to see your creativity! 
IMPORTANT REMINDER as We Close Out the Year
 
Please remember that we need all 2023 expense receipts and donations by January 10, 2024. Our auditors require that all expenses and income be booked in the proper year before the accounting books can be closed.

Send credit card receipts by email to Marge Oberg (maoberg45@gmail.com).

Send expense receipts for reimbursement to Donna Burton (texasrampstreasurer@gmail.com) or by mail to 122 Cimarron Hills Trails East, Georgetown, TX 78628.

Send checks for deposit to Texas Ramp Project, P.O. Box 832065, Richardson, TX 75083-2065.
 
If you are holding year-end inventory, please send your completed inventory form to Donna Burton at the above address by January 10. You will be receiving instructions and the form in mid-December. For questions, please contact Donna at texasrampstreasurer@gmail.com.
 
Thanks so much for your help as we close out 2023.
HILCO Electric Cooperative Awards Funds
In October HILCO Electric Trust awarded a $3,000 grant for TRP’s work in Hill County, Waco North. County coordinator Ron Williams (left) received the check from HILCO board member Bill Allen. Since 2019 HILCO’s Operation Roundup program has granted TRP $22,420 for use in Hill County. HILCO provided a $2,000 grant last January
Dallas Newspaper Documents TRP Ramp Building
Taylor Morrison Construction recently built ramps with Dallas and Tarrant County teams. The company was instrumental in gaining coverage in The Dallas Morning News. The article ran on the first page of the Metro Section, with pictures. Tom Rowe, president of Taylor Morrison’s Dallas operation, was so impressed he sent a letter to his peers in Austin and Houston, saying how great the experience was and encouraging them to do it, too.

Recent Grants and Donations
  • $25,000 for Texarkana North from RAM Foundation.
  • $15,000 for San Angelo from Mary Ellen Kent Bunyard Foundation.
  • $15,000 for Amarillo from Harrington Regional Medical Campus (HRMC).
  • $10,000 for Tarrant County from Ken W. Davis Foundation.
  • $10,000 for Dallas from State Farm.
  • $10,000 for San Antonio Central from Mays Family Foundation.
  • $5,000 for Amarillo from Women’s Philanthropy Fund.
  • $5,000 for East Texas Tyler from End-Right Foundation.
  • $3,400 for NCT East Hunt County from Golden K Kiwanis Club.
  • $3,018 for Waco South from Waco Habitat for Humanity.
  • $3,000 for Dallas from Taylor Morrison of Texas, Inc.
  • $3,000 for Waco North Hill County from HILCO Electric Trust.
  • $3,000 for Dallas from Beck Community Development.
  • $2,500 for Austin East from Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 870.
  • $1,130 for Bryan/College Station from A&M UMC.
  • $1,112 for NCT South from First UMC of Waxahachie.
  • $1,000 for San Antonio Northeast from St. John’s Episcopal Church New Braunfels.
  • $1,000 for statewide use from H-E-B.
  • $500 for East Texas Marshall from New Destinations, Inc.
  • $500 for East Texas Emory from Helping Because We Care.
  • $378 for Austin West from The Church at Horseshoe Bay.
  • $350 for Bryan/College Station from Bryan Iron & Metal Co.
  • $350 for Austin West from Hill Country Fellowship.
  • $226 for Amarillo from Amarillo Habitat for Humanity.
  • $100 for East Texas Tyler from Langen/Wink Bible Class.
  • $50 for Austin Central from Dorcas LWML Society Redeemer Lutheran Church.
Building Basics
by Roy Harrington
Essential survey, design and build criteria checklist

The complete Building Basics document contains details, example drawings, pictures, alternative handrail designs and other helpful information, but this checklist covers the highlights.


Do you have other tips or suggestions to share?
There are a lot of very good ideas developed by ramp builders across the state. Please send any questions, comments, or potential ramp construction topics to texasramps.roy@gmail.com to help others build ramps better, stronger and faster.
Corporate Participation at New Highs
In the post-COVID era, the Dallas Region has seen a rush to volunteer with a plethora of companies stepping up. With cooler temperatures on the horizon, activity is picking up.
 
Gary Stopani of the Dallas region reports that in September he saw Santander, Team Rubicon, Beck, Siemens, Zachry Construction, Trinity Industries, Toyota and Vistra participate. The rest of the fall lineup includes Texas Instruments Alumni, Santander, ToyotAbility, JP Morgan Chase, HILTI, Experian, Taylor Morrison, Sirius Building Co., State Farm Insurance and Lee Financial signed up. Many of these companies volunteer multiple times during the year.
Local companies are great sources of volunteers and ultimately often funding. In the aftermath of COVID, corporate employees were working from home, and the teamwork and camaraderie of the workplace was diminished. Working with TRP brings that teamwork back. Gary says he feels blessed to have a region in which there are so many caring companies.
 
In addition to companies, Dallas has many youth organizations that build regularly. Importantly, most built throughout the pandemic, when corporate partnerships dried up. These organizations include Young Men’s Service League (23 chapters), Jesuit High School, Lutheran High School and Cistercian Preparatory School.

HILTI Tool Requests

TRP has about 20 requests pending from across Texas for refurbished tools from HILTI. Over the past month some requests have been fulfilled. If you have received tools, great. If not, please be patient. Natural disasters in Maui and Florida are just two of the events that HILTI supports with tools to other nonprofit organizations. As you would agree, these events, and others around the world, require priority. We may need to wait, but eventually our tools will arrive.
Kendra Scott Partnership Yields Funding
 
TRP will receive over $900 from October’s coded-coupon sales of Kendra Scott jewelry during special partnership hours with their charitable program Kendra Scott Gives Backs. The program includes both in-store sales in Austin and online sales for a specific period. Both parties were pleased with the results of this fundraiser, which was set up by board member Mark Hinzman and Austin region coordinator Randy Kerkman.
 
According to the company, a first-time nonprofit-support event with Kendra Scott typically generates $2,500 in sales for the store. TRP generated over $4,600, about 85% above “normal.” Plus, TRP got great visibility in the Austin area by being present at the store during the promotion period. Partnerships like these can bring both funding and volunteers to your region.
Pass the Newsletter On to Others
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 sjkbits@aol.com.

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