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‘It’s A Blessing’ – Volunteers Build Wheelchair Ramp For Molino Veteran

Air Force veteran David Lail took his wife Margaret by the arm and carefully walked into their Molino home Thursday for the first time in a long time.

David’s mobility has declined with age, and he is confined to a wheelchair most of the time. The couple had a wheelchair ramp before, but it rotted and had to be removed. That meant David and his wheelchair had to be carried out of their home each time he wanted to go somewhere His son and daughter-in-law recently moved in to help the family, but they needed a little extra assistance to improve the couple’s mobility situation.

For a photo gallery, click here.

Team Depot, Home Depot’s associate volunteer force, partnered with the Pensacola Marine Corps League Cpl. J.R. Spears Detachment 066, and Heroes Among Us to construct a new wheelchair ramp for the family, remove debris and install a new flagpole Thursday morning at the home on Molino Road.

Shortly after the job was done, David was able to walk down the ramp.

“It’s nice and smooth,” he said with a bit of a smile on the 93-year-old veteran’s face.

The new wheelchair ramp allowed him to go outside on his own and join the volunteers for a lunch of hot dogs, baked beans, and pasta salad — his favorite.

After lunch, and a little couple time watching Old Glory wave on their new flagpole, the couple headed back up the wheelchair ramp.

“It is fine,” David said at the top of the ramp.

“Yes, it’s nice,” Margaret, 87, said.

“Giving back to veterans is personal to The Home Depot,” Nine Mile Road store manager George Banta said. “The Home Depot’s associate volunteer force, Team Depot, extends the mission of The Home Depot Foundation into local communities by investing sweat equity into serving the needs of communities where they live and work.”

“It’s a blessing, I tell you,” David’s daughter Beth Rutherford said.

Know someone that needs assistance with a wheelchair ramp? Escambia County residents in need of assistance are encouraged to apply. To learn more about the Escambia County Wheelchair Ramp Program, including eligibility requirements and application information, contact the Neighborhood Enterprise Division at ned@myescambia.com or call (850) 595-1642. This is a county-funded program not affiliated with The Home Depot or other groups that assisted the Lail family Thursday.

NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.