By the time school buses were rolling into neighborhoods and workers were headed off to their jobs, the Y-Men’s Service Club was hard at work to make a Marion home a little more accessible.
The club, made up of a couple dozen members, builds wheelchair ramps for Marion County residents in need. On May 7, the club’s latest recipient, Lora Myers, watched as Y-Men flocked to her property to construct a ramp outside her home.
Myers uses a walker and may soon transition to a wheelchair. Before the ramp, Myers needed assistance from someone else to get up the stairs outside her home.
“I don’t know what I’d do if they couldn’t put up a ramp,” Myers said. “I would stay in my house. I only leave when I have to go to the doctor’s because it’s just too difficult for me to get down the stairs.”
The Y-Men’s Service Club has been active in Marion since 1943 and started building ramps soon after its creation. In addition to the ramps, the group holds annual fundraisers selling Christmas trees and organizing a golf outing. At the end of the year, the club donates funds to other nonprofits around Marion.
But in the warmer months, the group’s main focus is building ramps for residents who use mobility devices. The ramps are free to homeowners, though some choose to make a donation for the work. Glen Chase, trustee for the Y-Men’s Service Club, explained the group has served all ages with a variety of mobility challenges.
“Most people are almost in tears when it’s done because now they can easily get in and out of their house,” Chase said. “We’ve had people that have not been able to get out of their house without two or three people helping them for six months.”
Each year, the group reviews applications from community members. Applicants must own their home and be residents of Marion County to qualify for a ramp.
This year, the group plans to build about 20 ramps from applicants around the county. While the club has received requests for ramps outside the county and even outside of Ohio, it’s decided to keep its focus on the Marion community.
Over the years, the Y-Men’s Service Club funding has come from grants and donations made in part by the Marion County Council on Aging, Modern Woodman, OhioHealth, the Marion Community Foundation and private donors.
Phil Bargar, a volunteer for the organization, has been working with the organization for 20 years. He estimates he’s built more than 300 ramps around Marion.
As the years passed, Bargar explained the organization has faced rising materials costs. The ramp the Y-Men built for Meyers cost the group about $1,000, but in years prior, the average ramp cost about $400 depending on the size.
“Anytime we can get any help financially, it helps us be able to do more than maybe what we’re doing now,” Bargar said.
At one point, the club had about 70 members, but is currently holding at about 26 members. Chase estimated the average age of the members was around 75 years old. Many of the volunteers for the Y-Men didn’t have any specialized construction skills, but come from all walks of life.
“That’s something we definitely would like to get is more members so we can keep this going and maybe get into more projects too,” Chase said.
Many of the volunteers like Bargar have returned year after year to help community members. Bargar remembered working on a ramp for young boy in a more-rural part of Marion. The boy used a wheelchair and had to be carried out of the house by his mother anytime he left the home.
The Y-Men built him a 70-foot ramp.
“When he came out in his chair and he saw that ramp,” Bargar said, “his face just lit up because now he had the freedom to finally get out of the house. That’s what you look for. And that’s why we do it.”
Myers was similarly excited for what the new ramp could do for her own life.
“This way, I might get to leave the house,” Myers said. “And a friend of mine who’s got a wheelchair, she’s willing to give me so I can go out and and actually see the world again.”
Donations or inquires for the Y-Men’s Service Club can be sent to PO Box 275, Marion, OH 43302 or follow the group on Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Y-Men’s Service Club makes Marion more accessible, one ramp at a time
Reporting by Abby Bammerlin, Marion Star / Marion Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
