Rolling with Sarah

What a great Christmas in Merrickville on December 7th !! Got an early start the day before putting the ramp up so we could have an accessible wagon ride. Luckily it was a fast job with the expertise of James and John from Regional Ramps, the help of many Merrickville Lions Club members, and my  dad.

 The day of kicked off with the Christmas Parade. I represented the Lions in my chair from the back of the wagon. When we arrived at the ramp, it was showtime. As we hoped it would, the ramp worked wonderfully. The wagon owner and driver Gord Graves skillfully backed up his Clydesdales horses Manny and Merlin to the ramp. I was in awe watching this happen. They were all champs! Whenever someone couldn’t climb the stairs to the wagon,  because they use a wheelchair, had a mobility constraint, or any other reason, the ramp was put into action.  I am happy to say several people were able to ride the wagon this year who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to join the fun.

At one point, I was thanked for arranging the accessibility of the ride. Someone came to find me to say  that they really appreciated having the chance to go on a wagon ride, and this was the best Christmas ever! The look on their face said it all.  For me, and other Lions members, this was why we created a more accessible experience.  It is the whole reason I do what I do.

I want to say a special thanks first to Gord Graves for being so open and accommodating when arranging for his wagon to back up to the ramp (something he had never done before.) I also want to thank Sean Komoto from Regional Ramps for supplying us with the ramp, as well as its set up and take down. We couldn’t have done it without this extraordinary company.   Throughout our many emails and a lot of organizing details they were keen to make this happen. This was a team effort, so I would like to send a big thank you to all of  the Merrickville Lions Club members who volunteered their time to make sure this went off without a hitch (pun intended). Finally, a big shoutout to my dad who stayed at the wagon ride all day helping others to ensure everything ran smoothly.  He has been an accessibility advocate with me from day one. The support and commitment to a more accessible event was very much appreciated!

I can happily say this was a successful day. The ramp was used and made an impact for those who needed it. It also raised awareness, as people realized that they take things (like being able to load on a wagon) for granted. It was a small step, but an important one. Now we know how to do it even better next year! Merry Christmas in Merrickville!