Youth volunteers build wooden ramps for those in need

HARLINGEN — Kenistyn Cordero of Lehi, Utah, had just fastened two boards with a power drill.

Maya Hughes of Laie, Hawaii, worked on a platform, Carter Scott of Boise, Idaho, marked sections of board with a pencil and square, and Kylie Hunnicutt of Nashville was working on a wooden module.

These young people, 12 in all, had come from throughout the United States to build ramps for people in need. Thursday morning, the sun bore hot and bright upon Kenystin, 14, Carter, 17, and Maya, 14, as they filled the air of a local trailer park with the "whack-whack-whack" of hammering, the thump-thump of drills and the screaming of power saws.

"This is part of the Rio Grande Valley Texas Ramp Project," said Cindy Moore, a volunteer for the local organization. The RGV ramp project is part of a state-wide organization which arranged for the kids to build ramps in South Texas.

The Texas Ramp Project is a nonprofit organization which provides free wheelchair ramps to low-income older adults and people with disabilities identified by local health care providers, says its website.

"A lot of them are amputees, people with mobility issues," Moore said.

Ramps are built exclusively with volunteer labor.

"When we build a ramp, it's usually in the morning," Moore said. "You can build a ramp in the morning and finish by lunch. This is an opportunity to build 36 ramps throughout the summer."

She looked at the fresh lumber, the wooden modules, the decks, the platforms and the robust energy of the kids working with fresh vitality on the separate projects that would become a ramp.

"This ramp today is our 200th ramp in the Valley," Moore said.

The kids and their parents — this particular group was composed entirely of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints — showed a boundless enthusiasm for their work, the fine experiences, memories they had collected and would carry with them.

"This is our fourth ramp," Kenistyn said. "I really like it, it's really fun."

The real reward, she and others conveyed, was seeing the reactions of people receiving their new ramps.

"It's cool to see them come down the ramp," Kenistyn said.

Carter, like most — if not all — of the other volunteers, had never visited South Texas.

"It's a mix of diversities," Carter said. "We came on Thursday and saw South Padre Island. It was awesome, absolutely awesome."

As for the work, some kids brought skill and experience with them while others learned everything they knew after arriving in South Texas.

"This is my first time building a module," Carter said. "It's the base and the deck boards."

Maya of Hawaii has already built small projects such as garden boxes, so during her stay in South Texas she was building on prior knowledge.

"I think I learned a little bit more about modules and how to connect the different parts of the building," she said. "I just love helping people."

Why did she travel from Hawaii to South Texas to build wooden ramps?

"I just knew it would be an uplifting cultural experience," she said.

Jared Scott, the father of Carter, emphasized the value of such a cultural experience for the kids.

"This is really just a chance to get these young people out to go places they had never been," he said. "We’ve spent some time with the locals."

Everyone spoke at length about the broad experiences of South Texas, the alligator sanctuary, the food, the fireworks, the heat and the humidity.

But most of all they found the people warm, inviting and honest, a staple of Valley culture.

To see more, view Brownsville Herald photojournalist Denise Cathey's full photo gallery here:

Photo Gallery: Youth volunteers build wooden ramps for those in need