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Club members build gifts of mobility Wheelchair ramps give more freedom to disabled By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune Pamela Modlin won't be the only one who benefits from her new wheelchair ramp. "I have a little dog; I'll be able to take him for a walk," says the 47-year-old Medford woman, whose foot was partially amputated last month because of diabetes. With a new 32-foot-ramp, Modlin will finally be able to fetch her mail, go to church and get herself to the bus that serves disabled people, all without assistance, she says. Modlin is one of the beneficiaries of the Jacksonville Kiwanis' mission to help people in the community. From White City to Jacksonville, the volunteer group has assembled 114 wheelchair ramps for those who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford them. With materials costing up to several hundred dollars, the projects are funded either by the residents, by state disability agencies or, sometimes, by the volunteers themselves. Each project takes two to three hours to complete. Kiwanis member Bob Lichlyter helped build the club's first ramp more than a decade ago. "We were looking for projects to do for people," he says while measuring boards and laughing with five other Kiwanis members working in Modlin's driveway. "What we said was we'll come out and do anything as long as it's not recurring work," he says. They did some odd jobs, like roof repair, and it wasn't long before they were building wheelchair ramps. He says people in need learned of their service by word of mouth. Lichlyter remembers working on one ramp for a woman which allowed her to leave her house for the first time in five and a half months. The group watched her finally emerge, he says. "And we all cried when she got out," he says. The Jacksonville Kiwanis Club, with 26 members, is involved in many community services, including child safety programs, student programs and scholarships and environmental cleanup programs. Jacksonville Kiwanis President Charlie Johnson says he likes to volunteer because it makes him feel good. "We're basically giving back to the community," he says, adding that the group's membership is lower than the Kiwanis would like. "We need members," he says. "Everybody has a little time to volunteer every week or every month," says Johnson. "It turned out it's probably the best thing I've done in my life." Modlin says she's grateful for the group that's giving her back a level of independence. "They do a wonderful job," she says. The club meets at 7 a.m. Wednesdays in the basement of the Cascade Christian High School in Jacksonville. For more information, contact Dave Wilson, 899-1934. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.