Volunteers ramp up to give others freedom to roam

By Dan MacArthur
Fossil Creek Current

Since retiring at a still-lively 55, Jim Stroh has applied his faith to literally lifting up lives through a wheelchair ramp ministry.

"After riding a desk for 30 years, I wanted to do something where I could stay active," said the career Hewlett Packard employee.

He's certainly done that and found his volunteer calling through the program. In the last two years, Stroh said he and his fellow volunteers have built about 40 ramps for the elderly and disabled.

Stroh said the wheelchair ramp ministry arose from the efforts of DaySpring Christian Church Pastor Mark Sutherlin. His research revealed that ramps were one of the foremost unmet needs that could be addressed by parishioners demonstrating the principles of giving and love through community service.

Sutherlin in turn was directed to the Volunteers of America, according to Stroh. He said its ramp construction project manager had retired and the nonprofit was looking for others to take on bigger projects that its volunteer handymen couldn't handle. It proved a partnership made in heaven. DaySpring supplemented the efforts of the existing ramp-building volunteers, providing its own contingent and much of the materials while the VOA coordinated the overall program.

Despite the name, Stroh said the wheelchair ramp ministry's mission is not one of proselytizing. "We don't have some other motive than we want to help someone in the community," he said.

Rather, Stroh said, the mission is one of several within the church directed at specific interests or audiences. In this case, it provides an opportunity for men to gather in fellowship, do good and pass on skills to teens. "Men rally around projects," he explained.

And rally they have. Stroh said some 25 parishioners now are available to build ramps, sometimes assisted by other volunteers or industrial arts students.

Stroh is project manager, estimating and acquiring the required amount of materials, scheduling the work and assembling the volunteers. All the labor and hardware is provided at no charge. But residents are expected to pay for the lumber provided at wholesale by Universal Forest Products of Windsor.

Materials cost from $350 to $800 depending on the size of the ramp, according to Stroh. The largest one was 37 feet long, he said, and the majority are built for mobile homes.

Stroh said residents are expected to pick up the material costs so they have some commitment to and ownership in the project. He said Disabled Resource Services, however, has paid for 10 of the ramps for those unable to pay that portion.

About half of those receiving ramps are afflicted with multiple sclerosis, Stroh said, reflecting its inordinate incidence in the county. He said limited grants are available for them to make accessibility improvements, although "typically $300 is gone before you ever get around to ramps."

The other half of the ramps are constructed for the elderly, a demand Stroh expects to keep increasing as aging baby boomers begin suffering mobility limitations. "We tend to get people right as they're making that transition," he said.

Those dependent on walkers, wheelchairs and scooters can literally become prisoners in their own homes, Stroh said. He cites the example of one woman unable to leave her mobile home for a year. The ramp and deck built by the DaySpring volunteers gave her the gift of safety and mobility, as well as the ability to once again enjoy the sunshine.

"It's given me freedom I've never had before," said Elizabeth Bates, who depends on a motorized wheelchair because of the lasting infirmity caused by childhood polio. DaySpring volunteers added a sizable ramp to her downtown Fort Collins home, unleashing her at last.

"Now I can get out. It's kind of hard when you're stuck," said Bates. "It's done incredible things for me."

"The ones I worry about are the ones doing without," Stroh said.

Stroh said perhaps the greatest need now is for others like him who can act as project managers. "I'd love nothing more than to clone myself," he said.

Donations and additional volunteers are always welcome. "If people want to help us, we'll be glad to put them to work," Stroh said. He said veteran constructors will even help novices learn how to build.

"We've never really publicized our wheelchair program," Stroh said, noting that about three quarters of the requests for ramps come from the VOA and the remainder are referrals.

After completing a backlog of ramps, he said the DaySpring crew currently is caught up and ready to take on new requests. He asks that those interested in the program contact the VOA for more information at voaprograms@frii.com or 472-9630.