Our Ramp Builds are helping our community, Did You Know?
by Keenan Beauchamp
In spite of a summer rainstorm, on July 15, 9-year-old Sophia jubilantly glided out of her house and away for the first of many daytime strolls with her nurse. And a soggy Redeemer volunteer team celebrated Sophia’s new freedom to roll.
Sophia has cerebral palsy. She and her adoptive mother Patty live in Northern Kentucky. When Sophia, who is dependent on a wheelchair for locomotion, and Patty found it increasingly difficult to navigate the steps out of and into her house, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital contacted People Working Cooperatively and explained the situation. Redeemer has a long-standing active partnership with PWC, so we were asked to help build an access ramp for Sophia. The Redeemer-PWC team has been taking on projects like this for years, helping people with barriers at home. Sophia’s smile as she watched us build for her will stay in my memory forever.
Church of the Redeemer has a strong history of mission outreach, lending a hand to neighbors who can use a “lift” in so many ways. During the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, our mission outreach efforts were drastically curtailed. But now we are “reinventing” these efforts. In fact, eight separate mission outreach efforts take on many aspects of food and housing insecurity, comfort and fellowship, and civic activism.
Stories similar to Sophia’s occur within all of Redeemer’s mission outreach programs, and Redeemer volunteers make these stories happen. The sense of community and the personal relationships we build are a wonderful byproduct of working together to help others. Church has a new meaning when you’ve personally worked outside the walls with the people you see inside the building on Sunday. Especially in the pouring rain!
Please consider becoming involved as we practice loving our neighbors as ourselves, no matter the weather.
Next Ramp Build, Saturday, September 16.
Volunteer with a mission outreach program to which you feel a connection. Details of each opportunity and contact information for the mission ambassadors (coordinators) can be found both on the COR App under “Join a Group” and the CoR website under “Serve.”
• Freestore Foodbank (food insecurity)
• First Step Home (housing and rehabilitation for women and children)
• IHN Found House (housing insecurity)
• People Working Cooperatively (housing access, repairs, and winter home prep)
• Madisonville Education and Assistance Center (food and social support for Madison residents)
• COR Afterschool (community and fellowship with teens)
• ERS Madison Villa (community and fellowship with active elders in affordable housing)
• Love in Action (nonpartisan issue organizing in the civic sphere)
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