ASHEVILLE, NC– Mountain Housing Opportunities (MHO) will kick off its 16th Annual MHO Ramp Festival on Saturday, May 8, 2010.
“Having a ramp is such a blessing!” said ramp recipient William Collins, who suffered a partial leg amputation due to diabetes complications. “MHO met a real need and provided more liberty that we ever thought they could. For me, this is just the beginning of a new part of my life, and it might even be a better part than the first.” Seven others, like Collins, will get a new lease on life this weekend when an accessibility ramp is built at their home.
The 16th Annual MHO Ramp Festival marks a weekend of community volunteerism and support for this important service for homeowners in Buncombe County who are elderly or disabled and have low or very low income.
“The Ramp Festival is a wonderful way to give back to the community that has supported us,” said David Lee with the Mortgage Bankers Association of WNC who will be building a ramp this year. The Mortgage Bankers Association has built a ramp every year since the MHO Ramp Festival was founded in 1994. “It’s a chance to come together and do something good from someone who needs it,” said Lee.
Volunteer crews participating this year include Eaton Corporation, First Baptist Church of Swannanoa, Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, Jubilee! Community, Mortgage Bankers Association of WNC, Salem United Methodist Church, Weaverville United Methodist Church and other community members.
The 16th Annual MHO Ramp Festival is sponsored by: Aeroflow Healthcare, Asheville Savings Bank, BB&T, CarePartners Health Services, Eaton Corporation, First Citizens Bank, Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, Jubilee! Community, Mortgage Bankers Association of Western North Carolina, On a Roll Screenprinting and Design, Partnership Property Management Progress Energy, PSNC Energy, United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County and Westall Chandley.
