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Current News: Wheelchair Ramps Help Improve Lives Throughout the United States

Wounded Knee, SD, The Lakota Native American Reservation: The Lakota Village Immersion School



Wounded Knee, SD - It looks just like any other wheelchair ramp. But this ramp is special. It opens the door to thousands of years of history and culture of the Lakota Indians in South Dakota and fulfills a long ago dream of one of their leaders.

Nearly 150 years ago, Chief Big Foot traveled to Washington, DC to meet with President Chester Arthur to discuss, among other things, the establishment of a school for the Lakota children to learn the long and rich history and ways of the Lakota culture.

Today in 2008, the Lakota Village Circle is completing Chief Big Foot’s dream.

The Lakota have a beautiful, spiritual-based language that is disappearing slowly as their elders pass on to the next life. The younger generations are curious and eager to learn more about their culture and history, but this transition has been difficult. No school on this or any of the six reservations has been able to produce a fluent speaker. The Lakota Village Immersion School was created to use the Lakota language as a tool, rather than an object, to produce fluent speakers and future leaders who will become knowledgeable in both the Lakota language and culture and the world. With a better understanding of their own identity, the losses through assimilation will be stabilized. Revitalization of their culture, and language as taught by their elders of what is important and necessary to live a quality life in two worlds, is the best of both.

Big Foot’s dream became a reality through the extraordinary efforts of Kathleen Price and her Youngstown, OH-based Mission of Love and John Wright, owner of an American Ramp Systems franchise in Cleveland, OH.

The Mission of Love volunteers worked to build the school earlier this year. The elders are the speakers and the Lakota language language-speaking base who will be instructing the children. The elders are eager to pass their knowledge on, but some of their bodies are frail and weakened by age. It is difficult for them to climb even the few steps to the classrooms.

John Wright was able to offer an effective solution to help the Lakota elders with accessibility to the school by installing a modular ramp. The ramp was donated by a daughter whose parents originally used the ramp. Since her parents’ passing, their daughter wanted to donated the ramp to a needy cause. John knew right away that Kathy Price would put the ramp to good use.

While each of his ramp installations has increased someone’s quality of life, this is the first time one of John’s American Ramps will help to fulfill the 150 year old dream of a Lakota Chief to continue the tradition of “Lakota Thinking”.


Gainesville, VA, Entrepreneur Donates Ramps to Walter Reed Army Medical Center

The Mologne House at Walter Reed Army Medical Center opened 10 years ago as a short-term lodging facility for military personnel and retirees receiving treatment who wanted their family members to stay close by.

To help pass the time between surgeries, a courtyard — replete with a bubbling water fountain, benches, grills and a children's playground — was constructed for soldiers and their families to enjoy.

But the courtyard was missing a key element: a wheelchair-accessible ramp.

Recently, Gainesville resident Michael Meyer took matters into his own hands.

Meyer is a former Marine who owns American Ramp of Northern Virginia and D.C. He opened for business in August 2004 and has installed approximately 200 ramps since then, three dozen of which were for military veterans. So when he heard about the problem at Walter Reed, he stepped in to help.

In conjunction with the Yellow Ribbon Fund and by invitation from Mologne House General Manager Peter Anderson, Meyer donated and installed two wheelchair ramps to make the courtyard readily accessible by all.

When asked why he answered the call to help, Meyer simply said, "These are my brothers."

Meyer went on to share the story of current Mologne House resident David Klatt, who was wounded by a roadside bomb while on patrol in Sadr City, Iraq. He suffered traumatic brain injury and a left arm injury requiring 12 surgeries to date, though feeling in his arm is unlikely to return.

On his very first visit to the Mologne House, Meyer explained Klatt was eager to see to it that ramps were installed for his brothers, and when the day finally arrived for the installation, Klatt eagerly volunteered to help. "We are soldiers, and we do whatever it takes to get the job done," he said.

"As I watched Klatt extend his lifeless arm to help, an arm so blown apart that feeling is no longer an option, he never blinked," said Meyer. "For Klatt, that arm still has life in it, and he chose to reach out and help pull along a fellow warrior. As I stand here with two properly functioning arms, how can I not reach out and help?"

Our Extreme Thanks!

"We are so grateful for your generous contribution to the amazing miracle that happened to our family this fall. We live every day in disbelief that a community could come together and do something so magnificent for a family in need. William is a blessing to our family, and his life has been made easier because of you.

We have spent the last few months settling into this magical space and will be forever thankful for it. William smilies the biggest smiles as he tools around the floor plan with ease and travels to the second floor to chase siblings and friends. And wait until the snow melts--Johnson Park will be his favorite place to play.

We know all that was done for us was beyond any one family's needs, but this whole experience has not only helped our family but also made a difference for Spinal Muscular Atrophy, which was our biggest dream. Thank you for being a part of something so wonderful.

If you are ever in the area, please know that guests are always welcome. William is a great tour guide. With extreme thanks, The Johnson Family -- Tripp, Heidi, Abby, Matthew and William."

AmRAMP is proud of its local involvement and support for the family of William Johnson, a 6-year-old boy with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), whose only method for moving around is a stand-up, all-terrain scooter. AmRAMP has been in contact with the Johnson family over the past year and offered to donate a ramp to the family's farmhouse in Medfield, Massachusetts, to make it easier for William to move around. While waiting for word from the family (who were also considering other renovations to accommodate William's needs), AmRAMP learned that its charitable offer had been trumped...in an extreme way.

The Johnson family was selected for ABC-TV's "Extreme Home Makeover." Their farmhouse was leveled and a new house was built in its place, complete with widened doorways, a roll-in shower and an elevator, as well as "extreme" details like a RedSox-themed room and mini-Fenway Park in the backyard. A permanent, landscaped ramp was added to the entrance. Because ABC completely furnished the new house, the Johnson family held an "extreme yard sale" and again called on AmRAMP. We outfitted warehouse space with two ramp systems to accommodate the yard sale, which was attended by several other children afflicted with SMA and many local residents, and included a guest appearance from autograph-signer Curt Schilling, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. The event, and involvement with the Johnsons, helped us forge some strong contacts with SMA and ALS organizations and made us feel good about giving back to a deserving child and cause.

Congratulations!

John Wright, AmRAMP Cleveland, received a special recognition award from the City of Cleveland for his "ongoing donation of services during the annual Disability Awareness Symposium, which focuses on building awareness for those living among us with special needs."

A ramp was donated to the church that John and Martha were married in, by amRAMP for easier access to the church and offices.

Rebuilding Together

Rebuilding Together (RT), the nation's largest volunteer organization dedicated to rehabilitating and revitalizing houses and communities for low-income elderly people, disabled people and families with children, today announced that to date, nine homes have had ramp configurations installed by it's partner American Ramp Systems (AmRAMP®), the nation's leading provider of affordable, modular metal ramps. The latest installation (at a home in Lodi, New Jersey) shown at left.

Mr. Julian Gordon, President of American Ramp Systems, stated that "We are all extremely proud of our association with RT and enter the busiest time of the year with high expectations and hopes of assisting those with disabilities to live in homes of warmth, safety and independence".