OrthoIndy Foundation is celebrating over $10 million in grants to organizations throughout the state who make a significant impact in the health, mobility and overall well-being of individuals and their communities. These are some of their stories.
Founded in 2003, Servants At Work (SAWs®) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to
providing freedom to people with permanent disabilities in low-income households
through the construction of wheelchair ramps. Their ADA-compliant access ramps serve
as clients’ gateway to the world, re-opening connections with neighbors, doctors, and
the larger community while providing independence and accessibility. SAWs seeks to
transform the lives of their ramp recipients and the lives of their volunteers through
meaningful service.
Demand for ramps is up nearly 54% since last year. In 2023, they built 417 ramps in
Indiana and hope to build at least 430 in 2024. In fact, in May they will celebrate our
4000th ramp build!
Since 2015, the OrthoIndy Foundation has supported SAWs in many ways. Primarily the
gifts provided have helped defray rent and operational costs. This allowed SAWs to
focus on providing freedom to their clients, one ramp at a time.
OrthoIndy has also been a referral source for its patients needing a ramp. Several
OrthoIndy locations provide SAWs’ ramp application to patients and it is an honor to
serve them. This stands as an amazing example how, together, OrthoIndy and SAWs
can serve people with mobility challenges. The ramps they placed helps assure patients
can keep medical appointments as well as attending family events, community
happenings, etc. Although we can’t measure it, we expect patients referred by
OrthoIndy find their mental health also improves when they know they can enter and
exit safely and without fear.
There has been wonderful ramp build experiences with OrthoIndy volunteers! For
example, four OrthoIndy employees partnered with a few SAWs volunteers to build this
ramp from Angel, a 25-year-old man with autism, epilepsy, and many other challenges
due to COVID.
Another time, six OrthoIndy volunteers stepped up to build a ramp for Darlene, an
elderly lady who was quite fearful about being able to get out of her home safely if
there was an emergency.
Executive Director, Tim Thurston, stated, “Our longstanding partnership with OrthoIndy
Foundation and its employees is a testament to how strong our community is. We get
to witness freedom being regained with each ramp build. OrthoIndy helps make this
happen and we – and our clients – are forever grateful.”
The OrthoIndy Foundation
In December of 2012, OrthoIndy established and funded the OrthoIndy Foundation, whose Mission Statement reads as follows:
The mission of the OIF is to improve mobility and function, specifically for the residents of Central Indiana –with a particular emphasis on veterans and the elderly– by benefiting the end users to increase self-sufficiency, promote wellness, and improve the quality of life for those affected by orthopedic issues.
Since it’s founding, OrthoIndy Foundation has been there for hundreds of people. Learn more about the foundation here, and learn how you can contribute and become a volunteer by clicking here. You can read more of our success stories here.
