“We can’t thank you and all at Mayflower enough again.”

“As you know, Bethany exists to support vulnerable families in the U.S. and around the world. Arthur and his family arrived in Grand Rapids to be resettled through Bethany Christian Services’ Refugee Resettlement Program in the Winter of 2020.

Difficulty finding affordable housing in the city for a large family was compounded by the need for increased accessibility. Arthur previously suffered an incident which left him wheelchair bound, with reduced mobility in both his arms and legs. When a home of a suitable size and price was secured, it was discovered to have serious accessibility issues. Slopes on the property and steep stairways left estimates for a new accessibility ramp at nearly $6,500.

Fortunately, at the request of Bethany Christian Services, several West Michigan communities came together to address the family’s need for an accessible home. Solid Rock Ministries volunteered their knowledge and expertise, by designing a 40-foot wooden accessibility ramp and obtaining a permit from the city. Meanwhile, Bethany received permission to construct the proposed ramp from Urban Pharm, the property management company in charge of the home. 

Mayflower Congregational came together and generously donated the funds necessary to cover the cost of lumber and hardware for the build. Finally, after a month of planning, coordination, and preparation, at 7:30am on a Thursday December Morning, groups of volunteers from DISHER Engineering and Nelson’s Builders, along with a build supervisor from Solid Rock, arrived at the site to break ground. The whole thing only took half a day thanks to the expertise of the volunteer builders involved. 

After the ramp was complete and the volunteers were admiring the completed project, Arthur and two of his children came out to try out the new ramp, with smiles on their faces. Their enthusiasm was clear as Arthur’s daughter helped her father navigate the ramp down to the driveway with ease. Without the help of our partners, Solid Rock Ministries, Mayflower Congregational, Urban Pharm, Nelson’s Builders, DISHER, and the Grand Rapids Building and Safety department this project would not have been possible. It is an excellent example of a project coming together to meet Bethany’s mission of supporting vulnerable families in Grand Rapids. “