‘HUGE GAME CHANGER’: Canyon baseball team builds ramp for New Braunfels homeowner in need

The members of the Canyon High School baseball team were hard at work this weekend building a ramp outside a local resident’s home to increase its accessibility.  

The team volunteered through Texas Ramp Project, a statewide nonprofit that provides wheelchair ramps to low-income older adults and people with disabilities. Its vision statement is that “no Texas resident shall lack safe access because of financial limitations,” according to the nonprofit’s website. 

When baseball head coach Nick Kozole first came to CHS, an opportunity for his team to volunteer with Texas Ramp Project was one of the first things he looked for, he said. This weekend marked the fourth year the baseball team has helped build a ramp for a local neighbor through the project.  Kozole thinks it is an important initiative for the baseball team because it builds team chemistry and reminds them that there are more important things than baseball, he said. 

“Something that’s really cool is they can come back and look (in) three years, four years when their career’s over in high school and they can come back and they can go, ‘Hey look, we built that ramp’ and still see it still standing,” Kozole said.

Kozole likes showing the kids that they can have an impact on people, and for homeowners who can now get in and out of their homes without someone’s help, that is a “huge game changer” in their life, he said.

“We’re not just building wood and screws to make a ramp,” said team leader Dan Collins. “We’re building God’s kingdom because the impact of this ramp is going to affect (their) neighbors and all the family members that come here and say, ‘Grandma, how’d you get this ramp?’ ‘Some people built it for nothing.’”

Senior Carson Sims had previously helped build a ramp for his aunt, so it meant a lot to him to see the impact of the project, he said. Senior Caden Vincent thought it was good for the team to give back to the community.

Sophomore and team manager Lyla DeLeon said she thinks the project is a good opportunity for the baseball team to help out others. This weekend was her first time participating in building the ramp and she said she was glad to be able to help out.

Junior Alex Felderhoff said it is really heartwarming to witness the joy on the homeowners’ faces when they see the ramp.

“I think it’s great, not just for the person we’re building it for, but also as team bonding, just being with each other and just knowing what each other can do,” Felderhoff said.

Erica Wilson | The Herald-Zeitung Mar 25, 2025 Updated Mar 25, 2025

Erica Wilson is the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung’s education and nonprofit reporter.