INCLINED TO HELP | Rotarians partner with ramp project for simple builds that change lives

Imagine being trapped indoors by a drop of just a couple of feet.
Imagine an injury, infirmity, illness that turns the front steps into a life-threatening obstacle.
Imagine a loved one, a child or elderly relative, stuck in the home because their wheelchair, cane, or unsteady feet put the world outside beyond reach.
The solution could be as simple as a few hundred dollars, a few hours of work, a few volunteers pitching in to rescue their neighbor from isolation.
“It’s just one of those things that’s a labor of love,” Leon Word says.
He’s lost track of how many ramps he’s helped craft over the years.
“Probably close to 100,” Word muses, the bulk of them in Gladewater and Big Sandy. Between the Texas Ramp Project and Gladewater Rotary Club, there are plenty of opportunities to pitch in, and Word’s always eager to pass on the necessary skills to another volunteer.
The next chance to help out is coming up Sept. 27. Another local has found themselves on the wrong side of their front steps, and a wooden ramp will make all the difference.

[TOP: Gladewater Rotarians (from left) Leon Word, Sam Cloud and Nathan Burkhalter assemble ramp modules Sept. 11, getting ready for this weekend’s local build in partnership with Texas Ramp Project.]