CAMBRIDGE, Illinois — Volunteers in Henry County, Illinois hit a big milestone last week in creating a more accessible community for residents.
Around twenty years ago, Rebuilding Together Henry County started putting in wheelchair ramps for local residents. Last Wednesday, they put in #400 at a Cambridge home. Rebuilding Together is a national nonprofit organization with local affiliates across the country dedicated to repairing the homes of people in need to revitalize communities.
Dan Hepner owns the home where the organization built its milestone project. He says the new ramp for his wife will be the second one to benefit his family after the group did a previous project for his mother.
"I was going to build my own, but I've seen how good of work they do, so I went with them," Hepner said.
Steve Durian is an original member of Rebuilding Together and has been volunteering with the organization for thirty years. He says the group creates about fifty ramps a year. He said his favorite part is seeing someone use a ramp for the first time.
"After we did our first ramp about 20 years ago, and we got a letter from the recipient of that ramp that kind of tugged at your heartstrings, and she said she hadn't been out of her house for over a year, and what it meant to her to be out of her house and have access to everything out the front door," he said. "So that, the board considered that letter and said, 'We need to be doing more ramps.' And so now we're 400 later, and we're very busy doing those."
The organization said it has eight new ramps on its waiting list. Anyone in need of a ramp can do so through Rebuilding Together's website.