When Matt and Caroline Procik moved into their Castle Rock home over a year ago, it was mostly accessible to their daughter Juniper’s wheelchair, with one major exception - the step at the front door.
Lifting 3-year-old Juniper and her wheelchair over the front step became a daily task for the Prociks any time they had to leave the house.
“Thankfully she’s small enough right now that I can carry her up or down the stairs, but it’s not going to be that way forever,” Matt said.
The family tried going through their insurance, Medicaid, to find a contractor to build a ramp, but the process was long, and they had little luck finding someone to take the job.
“We had contractors come out, but no one wanted it,” Caroline said, adding that they were told construction could take up to a month.
Then the Prociks found the Home Builders Foundation, an Englewood-based nonprofit that works to make homes accessible.
The Procik family project became part of the organization’s annual Blitz Build, where volunteers construct mobility ramps for free throughout the Denver metro area.
On May 19, volunteers from Haberer Carpentry and FirstBank worked through on and off drizzle building a ramp that Juniper would be able to use the very same day.
Juniper, who has a rare genetic variant, an RHOBTB2 mutation, loves to explore downtown Castle Rock and her neighborhood, listen to music and swing outside. Her new mobility ramp will help her more easily access many of her favorite things, the Prociks said.
“I’m happy to not have to maneuver the step every day, it’ll be a big difference,” Matt said. “We walk into town with Juniper, so it will be great to get out into Castle Rock without going up and down the stairs.”
Through Blitz Build, the Prociks are the first of many families to receive no-cost mobility ramps this year.
Beth Forbes, executive director for the Home Builders Foundation, said this year’s Blitz Build will serve 24 clients with teams of volunteers building ramps on weekends from May through October.
“Relatively simple projects, like ramps, can make a really big difference for our clients,” Forbes said. “We have a lot of great local support, so these projects don’t even cost Home Builders Foundation except for time coordinating volunteers.”
The average cost of a mobility ramp is upwards of $5,000, according to the Home Builders Foundation. Since the Blitz Build started 13 years ago, volunteers have installed 220 ramps, valuing around $950,000.
Home Builders Foundation is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. The organization serves Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, and Jefferson counties.
For more information, go to hbfdenver.org.
