Associate Editor

Victoria Conklin, a 21-year-old Holopaw resident, travels to the Osceola County campus of Valencia Community College four days a week by the Lynx bus. She studies education.

But for Conklin, who has cerebral palsy and needs the use of a wheelchair, just making it out the door can sometimes be difficult.

Her home is one of six that will have a ramp built at no charge by the Osceola County Council on Aging through the statewide 6 Days 6 Ramps campaign.

“I’ve always been independent. I don’t like to depend on other people,” Conklin, who eventually wants to get into psychology, said. “I think the ramp will be a great blessing.”

The Council on Aging has led the local effort to help maintain the access and independence of elderly and disabled residents by participating in the project. The program was established as an annual signature event by the Governor’s Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service, Volunteer Florida, as a community service project in Tallahassee six years ago.

6 Days 6 Ramps assists community members with disabilities who are hampered in their ability to leave their homes due to barriers such as stairs and lack of railings and, in some cases, the ability to pay for a ramp.

There are several steps to the front door that Conklin has to conquer to get in and out of the house, which calls for her to navigate stairs and then get to her wheelchair.

“I can do it, but it’s not the best situation,” she said.

The project, coordinated by the council’s Volunteer Center and Chore Program, started May 8 and will end today, with ramps built at homes in Campbell City, St. Cloud and Kissimmee. The multi-site collaborative service project pulls together nonprofit organizations such as the Council on Aging that serve persons with disabilities.

One of the fears of wheelchair-bound people who don’t have ramps is a fire starting in the home, Chore Program Supervisor Larry Belisle said.

“The biggest thing I hear from these people is they can finally get out of the house,” Belisle said.

Belisle’s crew helps design and build the ramps with the help of volunteers. He’s given a $5,000 grant through the state, but that doesn’t always cut it.

“No doubt about it. It’s going to cost more than that,” he said.

What happens when the grant runs dry? Find a way to make it work, Belisle said.

“We have some very good partners in this,” he added.

Each ramp takes about an entire day to build with supplies purchased from local home improvement stores.

Homes are chosen through a council employee or a council board member who knows of somebody in need. Others have written letters to the council asking for help.

“We try to go on a first-come, first-served basis, but if we find a worst case, we’ll go to the worst case first,” Belisle said.

The ramp at Conklin’s home will be built today. And how’s it going to feel the first time she’s able to use the ramp?

“Free,” she said.

6 Days 6 Ramps occurs each year in conjunction with National AmeriCorps Week, which spotlights the work AmeriCorps members are doing across the United States and is observed to encourage more Americans to serve their communities, according to a press release.

For more information on the council’s Volunteer Center or the 6 Days 6 Ramps project, contact Connie Bellanceau at 407-933-9525.