GRAND RAPIDS CHARTER TOWNSHIP, Mich. — They say one person's trash is another's treasure. That's the case for Grand Rapids woman, Lyndsay Berlin, as she seeks to donate a handicap ramp outside of her home.
The ramp, which stretches from the doorstep of her single-level home onto the sidewalk, is made of pressure-treated wood and is only a few years old. Berlin is working with volunteer handyman and former builder, Tim Fidler, to dismantle the ramp, stain it and install it onto a home in need. Fidler estimates the original cost of the ramp to be around $2,000.
As of Tuesday, the ramp has yet to find its new home. Interested parties can reach out to Berlin on Facebook.
Berlin said she originally wanted to get rid of the ramp to clear up space in her backyard.
"I definitely considered just tearing it down to get it out of my way, but the more I looked at it and how sturdy it is and knowing that I’ve had friends personally that needed something like this...so we wanted it to go to someone who would use it and did need it," she explained.
Berlin also attributes the decision to donate to the kindness she has been shown throughout her own life. She first bought the home, with the ramp attached, from her brother, which she says changed her life.
"I appreciated the opportunity to branch off on my own like that and that someone has given me something that’s priceless to me and my children. If it weren’t for my brother, I would probably still be struggling," she said.
She said donating the ramp offers her a chance to give back part of what she's been given and teach her four children to do the same.
"We’ve talked about how they love to go up and down it, but it’s just for fun for us. There’s people out there that might not be able to get to their homes, because it hurts to walk up the steps or they need to be carried or they’re in a wheelchair, and that it’s gonna make a huge difference in someone else’s life," Berlin said.
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