MANSFIELD — For Linda Frary, going to the doctor is an all-day affair.
It starts with getting ready and into her wheelchair. With the help of her husband Richard, she navigates out the front door, down the ramp at the front of their home and into the car.
Then there’s the long drive down to Columbus. The transition from the car to the parking lot. The waiting rooms. The appointments. Then, they do it all over again in reverse.
Ordinary tasks have become more difficult for Linda since she was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative disorder that causes increased loss of muscle control over time.
While the days are still long, Richard said one act of generosity has made the process much easier — a custom-built wheelchair ramp from a little-known non-profit called Blue Rose Mission.
“It’s less stress on her and less physically exhausting to make that trek,” Richard said.
When Linda was diagnosed, a family member loaned the Frarys a portable wheelchair ramp. Every time they left the house, Richard would lug the heavy aluminum ramp to the stairs of their front porch.
He’d wheel Linda down, then pick up the ramp and reposition it to cover the drop from the sidewalk to the driveway.
Blue Rose Mission built the Frarys a wide ramp that winds from their front door to the driveway. The new ramp enabled them to get a motorized wheelchair for Linda, a wheelchair the old metal ramp would have been too narrow to accommodate.
Richard said the project was a challenging one — their deck slants in one direction for drainage and their sidewalk slants the other way.
“It was quite an engineering feat,” he said. “It’s a testament to the care that Blue Rose affords anyone needing their services.”
‘It’s definitely made my life better.’
Blue Rose Mission was founded as a ministry of Main Street United Methodist Church in 2008.
While there are ministries and non-profits dedicated to fighting hunger and providing affordable clothing and home goods, Executive Director Garland “J.R.” Harvey said there aren’t many resources for low-income homeowners who can’t afford repairs.
“People that are working in jobs that just don’t pay a lot,” he said, “it’s hard to keep up with a house.”
Anthony Donnersbach, a 60-year-old Shelby resident, was basically homebound due to his arthritis and a back injury. He uses a wheelchair on his bad days, when his arthritis flares.
But even when he’s making his way with a cane, navigating the steps in and out of his house simply wasn’t worth it.
That all changed in July, when volunteers from Blue Rose Mission built a wheelchair ramp from his front door.
“Before I’d stay home a lot because I couldn’t get out and go,” Donnersbach said. “It’s definitely made my life better.
“I can get out and do stuff once and a while.”
Instead of sitting at home, Donnersbach is able to meet his brother for breakfast and go to the Richland County fair. When rain and cold don’t make him achey, he joins his wife for services at Most Pure Heart of Mary Parish.
The new ramp also allows him to help his wife out around the house.
“It’s a game changer,” he said. “Now I’m able to take the trash out with my wheelchair, get the mail.”
Many low-income homeowners have nowhere to turn
For years, Blue Rose Mission operated through volunteer labor. Church youth groups, trades organizations and other civic organizations would donate their time, often paying to stay at a local campground.
The group replaced porches, hung drywall and did yard work based on the needs in the community and the volunteer group’s own skill level.
“Some groups are more skillful than others. Some have never held a hammer in life,” Harvey said. “Others are skilled tradesmen, who are bringing people in and they know what they’re doing.”
The money the groups paid to camp would help sustain Blue Rose’s operational costs. The organization has no paid staff, but still needs funding for materials and permit fees depending on the project.
Harvey said the flow of volunteer groups has slowed dramatically since the onset of COVID-19, so the organization is pivoting the way it operates.
Instead of relying on groups of out-of-town visitors, he hopes to build local financial support and a volunteer base that can lend a hand year round.
Harvey said Blue Rose Mission has done a dozen jobs this year, including two wheelchair ramps and work for the Uyoa family in Shelby.
Community bands together to help uyoa family
Local churches have helped with some of the work, but a lot of it has fallen to Jeff Schuler, Blue Rose’s site coordinator.
Schuler completed carpentry training at Pioneer Career and Technology Center and worked for Gorman Rupp after the housing crisis of 2008.
He’s semi-retired, but volunteering for Blue Rose Mission keeps him busy. He doesn’t mind. Even before retiring, Schuler donated time and labor to struggling homeowners.
“Blue Rose has given me an avenue where I can do that for people,” he said. “Now I kind of have a constant supply of people I can help.”
All of Blue Rose Mission’s referrals come through Love Inc. of Greater Mansfield.
Besides wheelchair ramps, common requests include painting, fixing broken windows, porch repair, and basic electrical and plumbing work.
“Most of the time it’s people that have a lot of pride,” Schuler said. “They don’t necessarily want to ask for help, but they don’t have anywhere else to turn.”
Blue Rose 5k fundraiser set for Oct. 29
At present, Blue Rose isn’t taking on new projects, but there’s a waiting list with about 35 jobs.
Harvey said some families have been waiting for close to a year, but the organization ran out of funds for materials.
“Our funding is all grants and donations so when we don’t have that, we can’t do things for people,” Schuler said. “It’s tough to know people need things done and you can’t do them because you don’t have money.”
When money is available, Blue Rose prioritizes the most urgent jobs.
“I’d love for it to be first-come, first-served, but this list is so long, we’ve had to prioritize the needs,” Harvey said.
Blue Rose Mission will have a fun run and 5k fundraiser on Oct. 29. The event will take place at 969 Crall Road East in Mansfield at the Richland Rural Life Center.
Registration opens at 1 p.m. The fun run beings at 1:45 p.m. and the race begins at 2 p.m.
The fun run is $5 for kids. Adults who register by Oct. 15 pay $15; registration costs $20 on race day.
Blue Rose is also looking for race day volunteers. For more information, call 419-528-8162.
For more information about the race, volunteering or donating to Blue Rose Mission, visit bluerosemission.org.
To request help from Blue Rose Mission, call Love INC to 419-522-1432. Only homeowners in Richland County are eligible for assistance.