AUSTIN, Texas — Volunteers gathered in East Austin on Saturday to build a wheelchair ramp for a local resident, marking the Texas Ramp Project’s 40th anniversary of providing free mobility solutions to Texans in need.
Jimmy Garcia received the ramp at his home on East 22nd Street, where volunteers
worked from morning through early afternoon to complete the installation. Before the ramp, he relied on his wife Jenny or their children to help him navigate the stairs.
“I feel grateful. I appreciate it,” Garcia said. “It’s a good program.”
Volunteers gathered in East Austin on Saturday to build a wheelchair ramp for a local resident, marking the Texas Ramp Project's 40th anniversary of providing free mobility solutions to Texans in need. (Photo: Texas Ramp Project)Jackie Gardener, the build team leader, said the organization has served more than
30,000 individuals across Texas since its founding in 1985. The nonprofit
commemorated four decades of service by constructing one of 40 ramps planned
across the state. “It is such a special feeling of joy to be able to see a client take a look at their ramp and know that in less than a day, we’ve really changed somebody’s life,” Gardener said.
In Travis and Bastrop counties, Randy Kerkman, who coordinates the Austin Central
Region, has indicated that volunteers typically build up to 115 ramps each year. It’s not
just the beneficiaries who are grateful; the volunteers who’ve taken down those barriers to mobility find a profound satisfaction in their work. Kerkman, witnessing the impact first-hand, recounted to KVUE, “You can see it in their eyes—the freedom they have now to move in and out of their homes.”
Among those served by the Texas Ramp Project, veterans, too, have received a second wind of freedom. Tom Cook, an 86-year-old Air Force veteran and beneficiary of a six-hour build by a Houston church group, highlighted his renewed lease on life thanks to the ramp installation. “It changed my life a whole lot because the ramp helps me out because I use a walker,”
Cook said to KVUE. The project claims to have built ramps for five veterans like Cook
this year, as they continue to commit to more builds through the end of 2025.
More than 1.7 million Texans use wheelchairs or walkers, with nearly 23% of residents
65 or older living with mobility-limiting disabilities, according to the organization.
Jenny Garcia said the ramp would restore her husband’s independence after concerns about falls on the steps. “It’s going to be a big improvement with his walker to be able to come down by himself and have his independence back somewhat,” she said.
The organization depends entirely on its network of 3,500 volunteers. WellMed and the WellMed Charitable Foundation have contributed more than $100,000 and helped build over 100 ramps.
CBS Austin, By Tara Brolley, Published on November 17, 2025
Hoodline Austin, By Ryan Anderson, Published on November 17, 2025