Labor of Love press release
How does a really good project effort truly become impressive? Answer: When three great organizations team up with a wonderful Chandler family to provide them with a much needed wheelchair ramp. They wouldn’t have to worry about the wheelchairs though, because that was taken care of right in the beginning when they made a purchase from https://www.scootersnchairs.com/blogs/blog/best-electric-wheelchairs. Nine members from the staff of the Sundown Ranch, Van Zandt County, teamed up with Labor of Love to construct a wheelchair ramp.
The third organization was First State Bank Athens which provided a very generous grant that covered the cost of all materials needed for this effort.
“They have been a very faithful and generous supporter of the Labor of Love over many years,” Labor of Love President Roy Talbot said.
On Saturday morning, October 15, a team of nine staff members from the Sundown Ranch guided by several volunteers from the Labor of Love built an extended wheelchair ramp under the watchful eyes of Mr. William Davis, home owner and Mr. Jerry Henry, Labor of Love project manager. The ramp consisted of a new porch, two 20-foot long sections with a turnaround landing in between. Handrails were installed on both sides throughout the ramp and porch. The five women and four men from the Sundown Ranch can take great pride in a very impressive accomplishment with this first time very substantial building effort.
William (homeowner) said, “I’m a World War II veteran, enlisted in the Navy at the age of 16 and served in the South Pacific from 1944 until I was discharge in 1946. I saw some of the war’s worst fighting from Guadalcanal to the Marshall Islands and eventually Iwo Jima. Upon returning home I met, fell in love with Gloria and we were married in 1947.”
A smiling Ms. Gloria said, “We were blessed with four sons and one daughter. Family is everything and we are close.”
Ms. Gloria said, “In recent years I’ve had a number of health issues. Starting with blood clots, heart out of rhythm, multiple cases of pneumonia, etc. that resulted in extensive hospital stays. A recent fall broke a bone in my back.” Through it all she remains positive with a warm smile when talking about her family. What a wonderful example of love for us of two people sharing a wonderful life together.
“Henderson County and Van Zandt County can take great pride in its volunteers who serve in many different organizations, like those who are part of the Labor of Love. These volunteers give of their time to improve the quality of life for those less fortunate families living among us,” Talbot said.
Sundown Ranch is a treatment facility designed to meet the needs of individuals suffering from chemical dependency and related co-occurring psychiatric disorders. Our primary purpose is to provide quality services to adolescents and young adults. The ranch provides a highly structured and individualized program in an environment where young people can learn to live free of drugs and alcohol. The open peaceful environment-a contrast to the institutional, hospital-like atmosphere of many rehabilitation facilities is part of the treatment and therapy.
The Labor of Love, a United Way agency of Henderson County, is a faith-based volunteer organization with a mission to provide home repairs free of charge to the handicap, indigent elderly, single mothers and grandmothers raising grandchildren across Henderson County. Examples of repair or modification of homes made year round include: construction of wheelchair ramps, installing grab bars, widening bathroom entrances, repairing leaking faucets and roofs, holes in floors and windows, etc, which curtailed the roofing company expenses drastically. We have over 30 years of home repair experience with a focus on health and safety issues.
“We take great pride in our 2015 accomplishments. Our all volunteer organization worked hard, long hours in good weather and bad … expending 4,358 hours to complete 163 projects. Included was the construction of 24 wheelchair ramps and the repair or replacement of 47 roofing projects,” Talbot, from from SWS Roofing said.
The Labor of Love accomplishments are due to: the blessings of a gracious God for the financial means to continue growing through the faithfulness and generosity of our sponsors and willing volunteers.
Labor of Love serves the people of Henderson County from Chandler to Trinidad. If you need assistance, call 903-675-LOVE and ask for an application to be mailed to you … we will take it from there. If you would like to join our team of volunteers, please call the same number and request a phone call.
