SAWs Expanding Wheelchair Ramp Builds Across Indiana With Shorter Wait Times for Applicants

SAWs (Servants at Work, Inc.) is expanding its wheelchair ramp program across Indiana, with increased volunteer capacity now serving the Bloomington and Lafayette areas along with continued growth in Central Indiana.

SAWs builds exterior residential wheelchair ramps for people with disabilities living in low-income households. These ramps help provide safe home access for individuals using wheelchairs, walkers, and scooters.

Because of increased volunteer support and improved building processes, qualified applicants in many areas are now experiencing shorter wait times for wheelchair ramps.

In Central Indiana, SAWs volunteer teams now pre-build ramp sections every Thursday before completing installations several days each week. In many cases, ramps can be installed in just a few hours on-site.

SAWs was founded in 2003 by Rik Hagarty in a church parking lot with a simple mission: help neighbors safely get in and out of their homes. Since then, SAWs has built thousands of wheelchair ramps across Indiana with the help of volunteers, churches, schools, businesses, and community groups.

“We are excited to continue growing our reach and helping more Indiana families gain safe access to their homes,” said Tim Thurston, Executive Director of SAWs. “A wheelchair ramp can make a life-changing difference for someone with mobility challenges.”

SAWs is also growing its corporate volunteer ramp build program. Companies can participate in simple, turn-key team building days where groups of 6–12 volunteers help build a wheelchair ramp for a local family. No experience is needed. SAWs project managers lead the build, and all tools and materials are provided.

Qualified applicants must meet program and income guidelines.

To apply for a wheelchair ramp, volunteer, or learn more, visit:
SAWs Website

At Servants at Work (SAWs), we see how powerful it is when people come together to help. Recently, volunteers from Citizens Energy and kids from Second Presbyterian Vacation Bible Camp did something amazing. They worked together to build a new ramp for Leo in Far Eastside Indianapolis, IN. This project shows how teamwork can make a big difference in someone’s life.

Working Together for a Good Cause

Leo had an old, shaky ramp that made it hard and unsafe for him to go in and out of his home. This was not just a physical problem but also made him feel worried and stressed. Community Health Network referred Leo to SAWs for help.

Volunteers from Citizens Energy, led by Project Manager Chuck Rushmore, stepped up to help. They knew their work would make a big difference for Leo. In just two hours, they built a new ramp, making sure Leo could move safely and feel more independent.

Special Touch from Second Presbyterian Kids

The kids from Second Presbyterian Vacation Bible Camp added a special touch to the project. Before the ramp was built, these kids wrote messages of hope and love on the deck boards. Now, every time Leo uses his new ramp, he can see these messages and hopefully knows his community cares about him.

Celebrating Our Volunteers

The new ramp for Leo shows how much volunteers can do when they work together. The volunteers from Citizens Energy did an amazing job, and their hard work has made a big difference in Leo’s life. Project Manager Chuck Rushmore was very impressed and said, “You guys did a fantastic job. Two hours may be a new record for me!”

Looking Ahead

Leo’s new ramp is just one example of how community projects can spread kindness and support. As we celebrate this project, we also look forward to helping more people. Working with Citizens Energy, Second Presbyterian Vacation Bible Camp, and Community Health Network was wonderful. It shows what we can achieve when we work together.

At SAWs, we are committed to building more ramps and helping more people live independently. Each ramp is a step toward a community where everyone can live safely and with dignity.

Join Us

We invite you to join us in our mission. Whether you want to volunteer, your company wants to help, or your community group wants to get involved, there are many ways to help. Together, we can build ramps, create safe environments, and empower our neighbors.

For more information on how you can help, visit our website at SAWsRamps.org and follow us on social media @sawsramps on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Let’s work together to build a better, more accessible world for everyone.

Fox59 News Story about Servants at Work

INDIANAPOLIS – The mission of the group Servants at Work (SAWs) is to better the lives of Hoosiers by building ramps.

SAWs is an Indianapolis-based nonprofit dedicated to helping those who are ambulatory disabled exit their home safely.

The ramps are free to the recipient and are built by local volunteers. Materials are funded through donations.

Read Full Story

Our SAWs volunteers are the most committed, energetic, wonderful people that can be imagined. We would love to do a piece on every one of them. Unfortunately, our space and budget are limited. So, we plan to highlight a volunteer each newsletter to share with everyone the kind of individuals who bless our mission.

Chuck Rushmore has been serving with SAWs for the better part of 5 years. Chuck is retired but worked with Electronic Data Systems working on Engineering and Management Systems. He ended his career helping with the design of Online Training Platforms. He and his wife of 40 years, Sally, are members of Faith Church on Indy’s north side where he also volunteers on the Audio-Visual Team. He and Sally have two daughters and a son, two granddaughters, a great-grandson and three great-granddaughters.

When asked, why SAWs, Chuck replies, “I like working with my hands. I like the fellowship with the other volunteers. I like helping others and giving them back their freedom; and I love being outdoors.” Chuck is the Prefabrication Coordinator for Indianapolis and surrounding counties. He also leads projects frequently as Project Manager and in his spare time, volunteers to help on builds as a worker.

Collaboration between St. Joseph County and Lake County

Recently, the SAWs St. Joseph team installed a ramp for thirteen-year-old Giuliana, who suffered from a spinal cord injury when her family’s vehicle was hit head-on by a drunk driver and is now confined to a wheelchair. Giuliana’s mother struggled to get her in and out of the home even when using the front door.

The temporary fix was a metal wheelchair ramp that was donated to the Lake County SAWs team by a widow who had purchased it for her late husband. The SAWs Lake County Area Coordinator, Kathy Giannini, worked with the SAWs St. Joseph Area Coordinator, Frank Aquila, to get the ramp from Lake County to Giuliana’s home in St. Joseph County using a local U-Haul truck and trailer that was graciously donated to move the ramp.

Kathy met Frank at the family’s temporary home to deliver the ramp. To make the temporary ramp functional a small wooden platform was constructed, and now Giuliana was free to leave her home without the help of her mother. She zipped up and down the ramp with confidence and smiled from ear to ear.

This collaboration was a win-win for all parties. Not only was SAWs able to help Giuliana provide freedom at her temporary home, but when the family moves to their permanent home, SAWs will be there to build Giuliana a permanent ramp and then reuse the metal ramp for another client in need…. paying it forward.

I wanted to share just a few of the reasons why SAW’s holds and will always hold a special place in my heart. First and foremost SAW’s is a God centered organization. All throughout the Bible were told to care for the less fortunate. Jesus’ teachings in particular tell us that we should not only be aware of but to actively reach out and help those in need; SAW’s does just that. They do this by not only providing ramps for those in need of help with regards to accessibility, but also by providing opportunities for volunteers to experience firsthand the joy of helping others.

I have two younger brothers who both have MS, and I have seen firsthand the challenges of accessibility that people can face. public access. Providing access to individual homes for people without means continues to be a challenge. SAW’s strives to meet this challenge and truly does provide freedom one ramp at a time.

Our company along with other corporations and organizations have the opportunity to build SAWs ramps and let their people not only carry lumber, lineup ramp parts, cut wood and drive screws, but more importantly to see the completed result of their labor. In just half a day with the entire team’s effort, there is a ramp that goes from sidewalk level to the front door. This little building project not only allows someone to get from inside of their home to the outside world unassisted, but invariably touches the heart of every participant involved in making the project a reality. This meaningful accomplishment requires many hands including financial sponsors, referring agencies, talented/dedicated individuals in the office, the fabrication shop and in the field.

Our company has been blessed by God on so many levels and we have made a commitment to give 10% of our profits to people in need. And we can think of no better partner for our support and involvement than SAW’s. The work done by this organization truly does reflect God’s love. It is through the endless hours of effort by so many people, that lives are changed forever. I am grateful that I have had an opportunity to not only learn of SAW’s work, donate to SAW’s but most importantly to actively participate in their mission

Congrats to John Hunter for receiving the Golden Gift of Time award from the United Way of Greater Lafayette. John has been an integral volunteer in the Lafayette area and surrounding counties. SAWs is so grateful for his time and talents, but also the leadership he provides to volunteers.