RampsRVA reaches 500 ramp installation milestone

RampsRVA, a Richmond non-profit organization that sponsors the construction of modular wheelchair ramps for people in need of assistance, built its 500th ramp May 27 in northern Henrico.

“Back when we started the organization, it was really a group of friends looking to find a meaningful community service project to get involved in,” said Mike Dowd, one of three founders of RampsRVA. “But as we got into it, did one ramp and then a few more, you know, we really understood the need that was out there in the community.”

Founded in 2005 by three local residents who were in high school at the time, RampsRVA has since gathered a volunteer force of nearly 1,500 people, according to its website.

Dowd said that the platform RampsRVA had built within the community was unique because of its ability to change the lives of people who use wheelchairs in a matter of hours.

“It's kind of giving ramp recipients that sense of normalcy and sense of belonging that a lot of us just take for granted, that we can walk out the front door,” Dowd said.

Approximately 3.6 million people reported using a wheelchair in a 2012 report by the U.S. Census Bureau.

RampsRVA uses HUD income restrictions to qualify older adults or individuals living with a disability for its services in the city of Richmond, Chesterfield or Henrico County, according to its website. Wheelchair ramps are built for qualified individuals at no cost to the recipient, according to the website.

Lyla, the daughter of a previous ramp recipient, said in a press release that the work RampsRVA did for her family was a blessing to those who need accessibility.

"I can now move my mother without having to depend on caregivers, friends, or family," she said, explaining the benefit of the ramp that students built.

The RampsRVA volunteer force includes 27 local high schools, colleges, and businesses, Dowd said. Seeing the responses of ramp recipients after builds inspires volunteers, he added.

“It’s really special,” Dowd said when reflecting on working with local students after founding the organization as a student. “Being able to see other volunteers take part in a build and understand the need that’s out there and the immediate impact they can have is really neat.”

The traditionally student-based volunteer community expanded to businesses in the past few years and has since become a team building activity for employers, he said.

In the past year, volunteer efforts had slowed down because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

RampsRVA was able to build 56 ramps since last March, he said. However, the need for ramps continues and has even increased because of the pandemic, he said.

The recipient of the 500th ramp was directly impacted after he contracted COVID-19 and became confined to a wheelchair, Dowd said.

“This is a small step we can take to help him feel like he's part of the community and can go out and do normal things by himself without a ton of assistance, which is a small step for most of us who have never had to encounter something like that, but it's a huge step for someone that's confined to their home,” he said.

The ramp was donated by Amramp, a 15-year partner of RampsRVA, Dowd said.

Dowd said the organization was on track to build 75 ramps this year, 21 of which will be built in a September Ramp-a-thon.

Dowd emphasized the need for ramps among community members.

“We estimate there [are] probably about 250 people out there that are in both the physical and the financial need of a wheelchair ramp," he said. "We’re doing everything we can to continue to grow our fundraising base to allow us to be able to reach those people.”

The 500-ramp milestone was one the organization had been looking forward to for a long time, Dowd said.

“Now looking forward, you know, we're focused on going and accelerating to do the next 500 that much quicker,” he said. “We're thrilled to reach this milestone but the need is still prevalent out there."