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The Gilmer Mirror
Published November 17, 2016
The Gilmer Kiwanis Club has partnered with the Texas Ramp Project in effort to serve our neighbors in Upshur County. Members of the Gilmer Kiwanis Club joined Texas Ramp Project Executive Director John Laine on Saturday, November 12 to learn the process of building an access ramp at the home of a local Upshur County resident. Upon completion, Mr. Robertson had a ramp which allowed him a safe means
Of entering and exiting his home. Through the Texas Ramp Project, the ramp was installed at no cost to Mr. Robertson.
John Laine stated the Texas Ramp Project was started in 1989 by some friends in Richardson, Texas as a means of helping financially disadvantaged people who needed an access ramp to enter and exit their homes, but could not afford to have the ramps installed. Mr. Laine stated the group started getting multiple calls, simply through word of mouth, and did not realize the great need for ramps was throughout their local area.
The Texas Ramp Project is now a state wide organization and receives calls for ramps daily. Laine stated “Our biggest problem is having enough people willing to form ramp installation teams in the different communities so that we can fulfill all the request we have for ramps”.
The Gilmer Kiwanis Club has formed a team to assist the Texas Ramp Project in building access ramps for citizens of Upshur County. Building the ramp from Mr. Robertson was the first project. The Kiwanis Club will build a second ramp in the near future.
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