Mahomet resident Rebecca Pointer reclaimed her freedom when the Greater Champaign County AMBUCS chapter built a ramp off her back deck for Mother’s Day.
With no independent balance, Pointer had to rely on her husband Jeff to take her to the back deck so that she could get fresh air for the past five years.
Pointer owns a power wheelchair, which is too big to use in her house, so it is stored in a detached garage behind her house. With stairs going down her deck, Pointer was not able to access the wheelchair by herself.
After a long stay in the hospital in the fall, Pointer received a packet of paperwork, which included information about ramps built by the Greater Champaign County AMBUCS.
Over the last 30 years, the Greater Champaign County AMBUCS has built approximately 350 wheelchair ramps in Champaign County.
The American Business Club (AMBUCS) began in 1922 when William L. White founded the service organization for young professionals to work “Shoulders Together.”
District Governor for AMBUCS Deb Griest said this motto is consistent with why Paul Tatman started building ramps with the Greater Champaign County AMBUCS over 30 years ago.
“You really get in there, work together, and are literally in there, shoulders together,” Griest said.
The local AMBUCS chapter is a boots on the ground organization. Early each year, AMBUCS raises the money needed for projects throughout the year. No government money is used to fund AMBUCS projects.
Along with an annual barstool golf tournament and an annual dinner early in the year, AMBUCS will host a Charity Golf Outing on June 17 at Stonecreek Golf Course in Urbana.
All the money raised within Champaign County funds projects within Champaign County
While the national AMBUCS organization provides scholarships for occupational and physical therapists, this local AMBUCS chapter provides local scholarships for students in two-year therapy services programs at Parkland College.
Over 20 years ago the organization built the first park in Central Illinois to be fitted with fully handicap accessible playground equipment. AMBUCS Park in Urbana is currently being renovated with new playground equipment and walkways.
The Champaign-Urbana Kiwanis Challenger Baseball League also plays at the AMBUCS Park. The local AMBUCS chapter also sponsors a Challenger Baseball team and provides medallion for each of the players.
“The national core mission of AMBUCS is to provide mobility and independence to people with disabilities,” Griest said.
The National AMBUCS organization developed AmTryke in 1994 in order to give mobility to persons of all ages and disabilities.
The therapeutic three-wheeled cycles are customized to fit each recipient’s size and ability with custom seating, handle grips, peddles and steering.
“We can adapt a bike to fit almost anyone with a disability so that they can get out not only to get therapy while they are exercising, but also they can have fun,” Griest said.
The Mahomet-Seymour School District under the supervision of Physical Therapist Katherine Rose is one of the nation’s most equipped evaluation sites for children.
Over 10 years, AMBUCS has donated AmTrykes to the Mahomet schools to fit the needs of the students.
Middletown Elementary has five hand and foot propelled AmTrykes of various sizes for students that are preschool to kindergarten age. As the student grows, Sangamon has three AmTrykes, Lincoln Trail has two, and there is one at the high school.
A caregiver can maneuver the bike from behind with a handle. Students who cannot make the bike go on their own are provided with range of motion therapy while on the bike.
“This provides a lot of social interaction for our kids,” Rose said. “This is the main form of activity at recess for some of our children because they can’t climb on the playground equipment. Lots of times we have other peers get on AmTrykes because we have so many.”
With an abundance of AmTrykes Rose said children are allowed to borrow one during the summer to continue their therapy while they are not at school. Rose said about 50 percent of the students in the school district who use one at school also have one at home.
Rose said that as an educator she likes not having to ask an insurance company or physician’s opinion when a child needs an AmTryke.
There are also other evaluation sites at Carle, Provena and within the Urbana School System.
AmTrykes are not covered by medical insurance, so the Greater Champaign County AMBUCS provides AmTrykes to those who need them in Champaign County free of charge after an evaluation.
Wheelchair ramp requests like Pointer’s usually come after someone has been in the hospital. Recipients have to meet income levels set up by the Illinois Division of Rehabilitation Services.
The number of requests far exceed the amount of work the Greater Champaign County AMBUCS can complete.
“Every ramp has to be built to fit the need,” ramp coordinator Ray Griest said. “We have specs that are set up by the State of Illinois as far as grade, but it has to be custom designed to fit the need.”
Griest’s crew visits the recipient’s house a few days before the build to take measurements and set up a plan. Pointer said that they arrived at 8 a.m. and were finished by 11:30 a.m.
Pointer can make it down the ramp with her walker, which gives her access to the power wheelchair in the garage. She can now take her eight-year-old grandson out on bike rides and play basketball with him.
“I can do that without anyone hanging onto me,” Pointer said. “For all those years if I wanted to go outside and get fresh air, Jeff had to take me, and I had to stay there until someone came back to take me inside.”
Pointer’s husband added asphalt to the end of the ramp up to the garage. He plans to add wheelchair access to the flower garden.
“AMBUCS made a dream come true,” Pointer said. “They gave me my independence back. You don’t realize what that means until you don’t have it anymore.”
The Greater Champaign County AMBUCS chapter meets every Tuesday at the Urbana Garden on Cunningham Road in Urbana.
