How a Retired Veteran and His Team Are Building Free Ramps for Seniors and Disabled Neighbors
How one man’s calling turned into a volunteer team, building free ramps for neighbors in need
Pete Adler pulled in front of a Chesterfield, Virginia, home with tools, beverage coolers and snacks. Steve Treakle arrived next, hauling a trailer of lumber. Pete and Steve began enthusiastically unloading the supplies, and soon they were joined by a dozen other volunteers ready to work.
“Those back steps need to come out first,” Pete said to the group, producing the plans he’d worked up on his computer.
Pete, 68, had majored in architecture in college, but instead of pursuing that path, he’d enlisted in the Army. He served his country for 25 years in equipment maintenance and supply, and another 17 years as a civilian employee.
In retirement, Pete joined a Rotary Club, and at one of their lunch meetings, a representative from Project: HOMES (ProjectHomes.org)—a local organization that provides affordable housing and home repairs—gave a presentation on making homes accessible.
“Too many seniors and disabled individuals need ramps, but they can’t afford them,” she explained, and Pete and several others signed up to help build ramps for local folks in need.
Pete was so moved and passionate about the work that he soon joined fellow church members on mission trips all over the country, where he continued to build ramps for those in need.
“I feel this is my calling, and I’d like to start a crew,” he told fellow church member Karen Scott, and when he asked her to join, she was eager.
So was Vietnam veteran Charley Moore. Charley is the caregiver of his adult son, Steven, who was born a quadriplegic and is now the official ramp tester for the crew.
Charley and fellow volunteer Scott Osmundson work the saws, while Steve preps the ground. Karen and another helper Brenda Resnick begin fitting the parts. Meanwhile, others begin assembling the base, deck and side rails.
If the recipient can afford it, they will pay for the materials—which is only a fraction of what a local contractor would charge. Otherwise, Project:HOMES will cover all the costs.
After a stroke and heart attack left Juanita Barnes using a walker, the 71-year-old former computer technician and Coast Guard Reserves retiree was confined at home for months. “My doctors had to come to me, and I had to have my groceries delivered,” she remembers.
It took Pete and his crew mere hours to construct a ramp for Juanita. “Now I can go where I need to go,” says a grateful Juanita. “Pete and the others were a true blessing.”
“It’s turned into an amazing ministry of service,” says Pete. “I really enjoy the process and the teamwork, and figuring out the best solution for people in need.”
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