For years, Bonnie worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant – caring for people who were healing after an illness or injury. Bonnie loved helping others but, eventually, arthritis in her knees forced her to quit working and start using a walker for mobility. At the time, Bonnie was able to navigate the 4 steps on her home but as her disability progressed, she was no longer able to get up or down the steps on her own. She was trapped – unable to access the community for shopping or doctor’s appointments. Not only was community access a concern but Bonnie and her daughter-in-law, who was also living in the home and a wheelchair user, were concerned about what could happen if there was an emergency and they couldn’t get out of the house. Bonnie reached out to the Disability Network Southwest Michigan for help.
As a result of the COVID -19 pandemic, the Ramp Up program was at a standstill for nearly the entire building season in early 2020 – once we were in the clear to build again, we couldn’t access lumber. After months of waiting, a ramp was built on Bonnie’s home. Bonnie and her daughter-in-law can now access the community whenever they want and they have peace of mind that they can exit their home in the case of an emergency. Bonnie is also enjoying being able to get to the picnic table in her side yard to have lunch with her grandkids when they visit.
2021 RAMP-A-THON Corporate Sponsors
The success of our Ramp Up program is due in part to the support of our RAMP-A-THON Corporate Sponsors. We appreciate the support of Allied Mechanical Services, AVID (Awareness of Visible and Invisible Disabilities) an Employee Resource Group for Whirlpool, Charles River Laboratories, Integrity Back & Brain, Kalsec, Senior Services of Southwest Michigan, and Paragon Ophthalmology.
