Wheelchair Ramp Building

All ASP participants are required to participate in a wheelchair ramp building session. This 3-hour session is designed to imitate a standard workday on the ASP trip. Participants will be assigned a work crew based on experience and will assist in the assembly of several segments of a wheelchair ramp.

Participants should bring their own snack and water bottle. Everyone needs to wear proper work site attire: long pants, a shirt that tucks in (no sleeveless shirts; no low necklines), work boots (no sneakers). Participants with improper attire will be sent home. Everyone needs to bring a 16 oz. hammer, a pair of safety glasses, a pair of work gloves, a tape measure, a speed square, a wonder bar and a pencil. If you have a battery operated drill/driver, please bring that as well (no need to go out and buy one as it is not a mandatory tool for the trip).

You will need to register and turn in your Jesse Lee ASP Waiver & ASP Volunteer forms prior to participating in Basic Skills or Ramp Building.  (Jesse Lee Waiver & ASP Forms)

If you are interested in reviewing the ramp building designs, you can download them here:  Ramp Designs .

The 2025 ramp building sessions will be held on the following dates:

Saturday, May 3
8:00 AM – 11:00 AM
11:30 AM – 2:30 PM
3:00 PM – 6:00 PM		 Saturday, May 17
8:00 AM – 11:00 AM
11:30 AM – 2:30 PM
3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Sunday, May 4
11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
2:30 PM – 5:30 PM		 Sunday, May 18
11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
2:30 PM – 5:30 PM

Contact:  Andre Lerchi, 203-918-7499
Contact:  Dave Sigworth,203-648-7063

Ramp Building Sign Ups

Basic Skills Training for First-Timers

Youth and adults who have not been on ASP before are required to attend a 3-hour in person session that will include brief lectures and demonstrations on work site safety. It will also include instruction and supervised individual practice on the safe use of the circular saw, power drill, and hammer. These sessions are held rain or shine in the back parking lot of Jesse Lee Church.

Everyone needs to wear proper work site attire: long pants, a shirt that tucks in (no sleeveless shirts; no low necklines), work boots (no sneakers).  If you have long hair, please tie it back. Participants with improper attire will be sent home.

Everyone needs to bring a 16 oz. claw hammer, a 12′ or longer retractable tape measure, pencil, speed square, wonder bar, a pair of safety glasses and a pair of work gloves.

You will need to register and turn in your Jesse Lee ASP Waiver & ASP Volunteer forms prior to participating in Basic Skills.  (Jesse Lee Waiver & ASP Forms)

The 2024 basic skills sessions will be held at Jesse Lee Church and are offered on the following dates:

Saturday, April 12
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
1:45 PM – 4:45 PM

Sunday, April 13
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

 Saturday, April 26
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
1:45 PM – 4:45 PM

Sunday, April 27
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Contact: Nik Parker, 203-788-6704

Basic Skills Sign Ups

 

Registration Fee

The actual cost of food, lodging, transportation, and building supplies is about $650 per person, but we don’t charge you that much to participate. The remainder will be realized through stock sales and car washes.

  • Payments made by February 11 will be discounted to $270.
  • Payments made between February 12 and March 4 will be charged the normal fee of $285.
  • Payments made after March 4 will incur a $15 late fee for a total of $300.

Registration fees must be paid online at the end of the registration process. Payments are fully refundable up to April 1.

Registration Forms

Registration forms will be distributed at the New Person Information Meeting and the Rally, or they can be downloaded from our website. One of these forms needs to be notarized, which can be done in advance or with our notary at the meetings. You are not registered until your forms are turned in. They are required prior signing up for any skills training and car washes.

Orientations

All ASP volunteers are required to attend and participate in all of our pre-trip orientations.

To satisfy the orientation requirement, volunteers must attend all four orientation programs to learn about the Appalachian culture and local poverty as well as the “Three S’s” – safety, sensitivity and stewardship.  Each of the first three sessions will be offered twice – you only need to attend one.  The final orientation will only be offered once.

The 2025 dates are as follows:

    • Orientation 1 – February 5th or February 11th
    • Orientation 2 – March 19th or March 25th
    • Orientation 3 – April 23rd or April 29th
    • Orientation 4 – June 4th – Only one date for this orientation

Contact: Deb Ahle, 203-240-1864

Help make this possible.

Donate to Our Trip

Apply for a Wheelchair Ramp

Apply for a Wheelchair Ramp

As part of our volunteers’ construction training, we build prefabricated wheelchair ramp sections. The work is supervised by skilled tradespeople and the ramps are well made. They can be used in different combinations to accommodate most homes. Once they are completed, we donate them to individuals and families who need them.

Our wheelchair ramps are available for pick-up in Ridgefield, Connecticut. We have a group of volunteers who may be able to deliver the ramps, or help with installation, to towns in this area, based on their availability.

To see our wheelchair ramp schematics, download this PDF file.

Request a Wheelchair Ramp