OPERATION RAMP IT UP FOR VETERANS

At Operation Ramp It Up, we focus on assisting veterans with disabilities, their family members, or anyone with mobility issues, who may need a wheelchair ramp and have exhausted all other resources. An application for a ramp can be completed on our website. The application then goes before our Board for review and approval. Our nonprofit is set apart from so many others because we do not discriminate against age, gender, income, race, religion, political conviction, or disability type. Once need and eligibility have been determined, the process to secure funding begins. We apply for grants or seek private donors to assist in the cost. Like all other nonprofits, we are constantly searching for new sponsors to assist us in providing accessibility, independence, and freedom to so many who are confined to their own homes. Once funding is secured, a contractor to measure and evaluate the jobsite in that specific area is contacted. Once the contractor provides a quote, our inventory is searched for compatible ramp parts which helps keep our costs down. We secure a date with the ramp recipient and then coordinate volunteers to assist in the installation process. A ramp typically takes 4 to 6 hours to install depending on the complexity of the design. Witnessing the ramp recipients glide down their ramp for the first time leaves quite an emotional impact on the volunteer’s lives. Imagine being able to get your own mail every day or take out your own garbage, or go to the doctor or grocery by yourself for the first time ever. These ramps do not just affect the recipient but also their family, friends, neighbors, and communities that have always had to help them. Another aspect of our nonprofit occurs when the ramps are no longer necessary. We arrange for the ramp to be removed and shipped to one of our warehouses throughout the country to be recycled and provide mobility to someone else who needs assistance. We try to have volunteers and donations cover everything associated with a ramp build but we do have to absorb the cost of new ramp parts and the expertise of the contractors. Each new ramp costs between $5,000 and $12,000 depending on the size and style of the ramp.