Boy Scout Troop 119 Builds Ramp in New Braunfels

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On October 17th, volunteers from Boy Scout Troop 119 which is sponsored by New Braunfels United Methodist Church built a ramp for Pamela B. She was so excited to now have a way to exit and enter her home by herself.  She came out on the deck and watched the ramp being built and talked to the volunteers.  She explained to the Scouts that she was unable to leave her home unless someone came to help her and practically had to carry her down the steps. After the ramp was built, Ms. B. took “her first walk” on the ramp.  The Scouts stood on the side of the ramp applauding.  It was such fun to watch.

The leaders of the volunteers wanted them to learn as much about building the ramp as possible, so it took a little longer than normal to build this ramp. The entire building process – including a team to survey the site, build modules and cut the lumber at the warehouse, transport the material from the warehouse to the home, prepare the site for building, and then build the ramp – took approximately 47 hours. Texas Ramp Project uses a formula created by Independentsector.org to estimate the value of the labor donated by our volunteers. If we had to pay fair wages to have this ramp built, it would cost over $1,600.00, not including the cost of the material, transportation, or other costs involved.

Texas Ramp Project has a warehouse in New Braunfels, which allows the project to purchase lumber and other material in bulk as well as build modules and cut the lumber specific to each ramp. This saves time on the build site and allows the use any left-overs on another ramp.  The McKenna Foundation granted the funds to build this ramp. We estimate the cost of material for this 32 foot ramp to be approximately $800.00.  We are very thankful for the generosity of the McKenna Foundation and their concern for the people in the New Braunfels community.

Submitted by Kay G.