It is comforting to know that whenever a member needs a helping hand, Local 19 is always ready to answer the call.
So, it comes as no surprise that when two of your retired brothers needed ramps built at their homes, the third-year class of apprentices jumped right in.
The eight apprentices – James H. Costello, Michael F. Gresko, Jason Halczak, Shawn M. Lyle, Mark Maguire, Brandon T. Mau, Alex Meredith, and Gerald N. Smith III – constructed ramps at the residences of William Auge and Henry Hilt. Both relied on wheelchairs to get around, and the ramps would enable them to maintain the freedom to come and go as they pleased.
To get the ball rolling, Training Coordinator Donnie Smith traveled to both sites to take measurements so a proposal could be made to the executive board for approval.
Once the executive board approved the projects, the apprentices, under the direction of instructors Ron Deichert and Robert McFadden, went to work, starting with Auge’s home in Blackwood, NJ in April.
Both installations took one day and this project turned out to be the simpler of the two. It required building a wood deck over the steps, flush with the front doorway of the ranch-style house, and connected to the pre-manufactured ramp that ran over the existing walkway to the driveway.
Sadly, Mr. Auge passed away two months after it was built, but the ramp will still benefit his wife, Rosemary, who is experiencing her own mobility issues.
“She has some hip issues,” said Smith who said Rosemary was very inspirational in advocating for William initially. “Doctors have told her she would probably need a ramp because she is not going to be able to make it up and down the steps.”
The second project, Hilt’s home in Mickleton, NJ, was a little more complicated. Since it was a split level they couldn’t use the front of the house so they built the ramp off the rear deck. First, they had to install a small ramp from the sliding glass doors down onto the existing deck. Then they installed a longer ramp along the back of the house. At the end of the house, they added another shorter ramp to connect to the driveway.
“The second one was more involved,” Smith said. “We had to install one set of ramps out onto the deck and another from the deck down onto the driveway. We had to put pavers down to support the ramp along the path to get to the driveway.”
Smith credited Jim Hampton, a retiree and close friend of Hilt’s, with advocating on his behalf. Smith also wanted to acknowledge President/Business Manager Bryan Bush and Assistant Business Manager/Business Agent Luke Gordon for their whole-hearted support of the projects as well as Guardian Nurses Healthcare Advocates who reached out in support.
