The first time I have ever used a power drill in my life was on a cool and crisp Saturday morning, when I used it to build a ramp.
Yes you read that right. A ramp.
ramp: a sloping surface connecting two different levels, as to the entrance or between floors of a building
Dictionary.com
Although I am crafty and love to do things with my hands, building something from planks of raw wood was not something I had ever done. That all changed when I signed up to volunteer with Charities2Love for the Texas Ramp Project.
About Texas Ramp Project
Texas Ramp Project is a nonprofit organization that builds handicap accessible ramps (from scratch). They help homebound and disabled individuals leave their homes safely. It’s an incredible initiative, an incredible cause, and incredibly hands on.
The job site
When I got to the home where we were building the ramp, I immediately saw the piles of wood, bins of screws, and large numbers of power drills stacked on one side of the lawn.
On the other side, I watched as the Texas Ramp team started setting up their wood cutter and taking their final measurements of the front porch. It was a beautiful October morning, and I could see they were ready to go change a person’s life.
Actually building a ramp
While I knew that building a ramp is what we were going to be doing that day, I honestly wasn’t prepared to get down on my hands and knees and work in that way. My first thought was “is there another job I can do?”. I’m not going to lie, it was pretty intimidating at first. But right after that initial moment, combined with the fact that I love to learn new things, my next thought was: “let’s do this!”
We jumped right in by putting on gloves, grabbing a drill and some screws, and lining up the pieces of wood together. The Texas Ramp team had provided everything for us and walked us through the whole process.
Time flies when you’re having fun
They guided us through what to do, which pieces of wood to use, how to use the drill more efficiently, etc. Every time I looked up, a new part of the ramp was completed. The whole group of 12 volunteers worked seamlessly together even though we all didn’t know each other. Everyone had the same attitude of helping in whatever capacity they were comfortable. It was so great that there was never any pressure for anyone to do anything. And it all still got done.
It truly felt like no time had passed when we finished about three and a half hours later!
A safer way in and out of the house
The man whose house we were building the ramp for came outside to see the completed product. His excitement is something I will never forget. He told us a little bit of his story, and how he had only been leaving the house once a week because going up and down the stairs was so challenging for him. He was truly so thankful to have his brand new ramp!
It was very rewarding to get to make such a tangible and immediate impact on someone’s life in such a short amount of time. I am thankful to the Texas Ramp Project to let me be a part of it. And to Charities2Love for coordinating the volunteering with them.
Volunteer: learn new skills and more about yourself
It was equally as rewarding, and even empowering, to help build something with my own two hands. It proved to me that volunteering not only helps others, but teaches you something about yourself. And in the end, volunteering helps you too.
