When Amber opened her eyes she was lying in a pile of shattered glass. Sprawled upside down in the backseat of her totaled car, she tried to move but found that she could not. When paramedics arrived to pull her from the wreckage, the shocking truth was difficult to comprehend: Amber was paralyzed from the waist down. 

Months of complicated rehabilitation helped her adapt to a new way of life but only just so much. Once she was discharged from the hospital and then sent home, Amber found herself trapped within the four walls of her house with no easy way to maneuver outdoors. No longer could she watch her children play, swim, or ride their bikes up and down the street. It was a devastating reality for her.

Thanks to our partnership with a volunteer group called the Carpenter’s Sons, a wheelchair ramp was successfully installed on Amber’s house. Without it, her adaptation into a new life of freedom would have never happened. Now, with a newfound taste of freedom, Amber is finally able to experience the simple joys of life again, such as sunlight on her face, the sight of her children playing outdoors, and the gentle feeling of the breeze in her hair.

This year, the Carpenter’s Sons have installed more than 60 wheelchair ramps and repaired nearly 30 more. Each ramp is a complex undertaking that allows more homeowners access to an adaptation needed for a life with mobility challenges. Thanks to the support of donors like you, we will continue providing wheelchair ramps to neighbors like Amber and so many others.