Volunteers build mobility ramps in Piatt County

CISCO, Ill. (WAND) — Keith Herbold spent his Friday morning working up a sweat.

The muggy morning made building a new wooden mobility ramp a workout, but this isn't work — it's a labor of love.

"My mother died 20 years ago and the last 25 years of her life, she had mobility issues," Herbold said. "That inspired me to want to do this for other people."

He is part of the volunteer team with Faith in Action. This group travels across Piatt County building ramps for anyone with mobility issues. The ramps are usually funded by the homeowner, but the group does utilize donations to help those who are unable to afford the project. Friday's project benefitted a Korean War veteran and his sister in Cisco.

"There's a real need for helping people become more mobile," said Stanley Seevers, another volunteer on the project. "There's no hard part of it. It's just getting in and doing it."

The building part of the process is simple. Herbold and Seevers design an ADA approved ramp and the rest of the team helps execute the plan. The group can often finish a project in less than two hours.

But getting the materials needed for each build hasn't been easy for a while.

"Material costs have just been horrendous since COVID-19 struck," Herbold said. "We basically almost doubled the price of what it costs to do a ramp...For a while, we couldn't get materials. We had to wait for an order to come in."

Nevertheless, the group persevered to build fellowship and freedom — one board at a time.

To learn more about this program and others provided by Faith in Action, click here.