Students from Collegiate School were the founders of RampsRVA in 2005.
In 2023 the Collegiate Club built three ramps. So far in 2024 they have built four ramps with a plan to build one more before year's end.
These students have a true passion for raising funds and building ramps for those in need.
Mrs. A is an 88 year old city resident who lives with herhusband, 90. She has been unable to walk for a couple of years due to muscle and nerve conditions, and is confined to her bed except when she leaves for medical appointments. She has been dependent on the rescue squad for transport.The dedicated and experienced students from Collegiate decided to give up their day off from school today and change her life. With the completion of the ramp, Ms. A can now maneuver in and out of her home with the help of family or care aides. Transport will become much safer and smoother, and make her life generally easier. Thank you Logan, Emily, JD, Stephen, Gabrielle, Clara, Elise, Mason, Jacob, and Alexander!
Saturday 9/7 was one more great build for the Collegiate students - their 3rd one this year! This time they changed the life of Mr. S, a City resident who recently underwent a second amputation. He and his wife have been struggling to maneuver the stairs; he called us one day to say he had to crawl out of the house and was in desperate need. All that changed with the completion of his new ramp! The Collegiate students -led by their faculty advisor and long-term RampsRVA volunteer Dave Headly - assembled the ramp in under two hours, and Mr. S was all smiles on his successful test run. Thank you to Alexander, Sameca, Paolo, Finley, Makenzie, Emily, Stephen, Heath, Brayden, and JD for giving this family the gifts of mobility, safety, and freedom!
Mr. W is a 59 year old city resident who has right and left leg below-the-knee amputations. He has not left his mobile home for almost two months because he is unable to maneuver his stairs. Before his surgeries he was an avid biker. He lives alone.
The fantastic volunteers from Collegiate School changed his life on this Good Friday morning! In just two hours, despite some re-do’s and adjustments at Mr. W’s request, and with his help, the students completed his ramp. This will allow him to leave his home safely without any help, and he has set a goal of taking his electric bike down the ramp -for freedom! It is truly life-changing. Thank you Sadie (an old pro at this), Alexander, Charlie, Brayden, Heath, Asher, Blake and Nick, and faculty leader Dr. Headly.
Ms. W, 71, is a city resident who uses a wheelchair full-time due to paralysis from a stroke, and other health problems. Her friend and caregiver, Mr. V, who also lives in the household, is elderly and disabled too.
Because of the landscape and the surroundings, the ramp for this home, (connected to other houses in a hilly cul-de-sac with sidewalks to the street) was one of the most challenging builds we’ve faced recently.
Thank you Collegiate volunteers for giving up most of your day off to get the job done. You persevered and overcame numerous obstacles -building, adjusting, tearing down, rebuilding - till you figured it out and completed the ramp. Job well done!
Your hard work and ingenuity gave Ms. W the gift of freedom, safety, and connection to the outside world.
CLUB LEADERSHIP
Dr. Dave Headly
Sponsor
Alexander Tan
President
Stephen Pollard
Vice President
JD Chen
Treasurer
