Five minutes after the ramp is finished, the entire crew is gone. Even the process of packing up is a beehive of activity. Occasionally someone will grab something cold to drink from the cooler, but no one sits down on the job. One man lays down a plank, and another is right behind him, screwing it into place. You can’t even figure out if anyone is in charge since each volunteer is busy with their assigned task.
Every man knows his job so well that very little needs to be said during the build. When the ramp guys show up with their materials and tools, they can hit the ground running. The design of each ramp is completed before the day of the build, while the measurements taken allow the wood to be pre-cut and loaded into the group’s trailer. The speed and efficiency of the group would put a modern assembly line to shame. In the construction of ramp #500, the 13 volunteers demolished an old walkway and finished the new ramp in just under two hours - in by 9:30 a.m., out by 11:30 a.m. And after building so many ramps, the volunteer group, which includes many retired men, is a well-oiled machine. Everyone knows who to call if you need a ramp. What started as a good deed for a church member a dozen years ago has become a signature charity event for First UMC, so much so that there are between 30-40 people on the waiting list right now. And after 12 years of improving the quality of life for people all over South Alabama, they’re celebrating an incredible milestone. The group of volunteers builds ramps for people who use wheelchairs, walkers, or just have issues walking up steps. You could say what they’re building is sort of a “Stairway to Heaven,” even though steps aren’t involved.īut what the Men’s Ministry at First United Methodist Church in Brewton does for the community has those in need singing their praises.
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