This year, we celebrated our 16th annual Gimme Shelter, and it was a huge success. Thanks to our amazing sponsors and donors, we raised $108,000 in support of our Wheelchair Ramp program!
We would like to offer our sincere gratitude to our Host Sponsor, Home Team BBQ, who has been instrumental in making this event so wonderful year after year. With this year’s Low Country Boil themed menu, they truly blew it out of the water.
We also had a record number of sponsors support us this year. It is through their generosity that we were able to raise critical funds for this program. While the laughter, excitement, and fun of the night are always hard to beat, the purpose of the evening was never far from our hearts: helping more families safely access their homes.
One of the highlights of the evening was sharing Ms. Deloris’s story with everyone. Beautifully captured by Karson Photography, this video showed just how impactful these ramp builds can be for our families.
In March, an amazing group of volunteers from SeamonWhiteside came to Ms. Deloris’s home to build a wheelchair ramp. At 70 years old, Ms. Deloris has lived on this same street her entire life and is now caring for a loved one living with a disability.
Before the ramp was built, Ms. Deloris relied on temporary aluminum track ramps to help her get her niece in and out of her home. Each trip required neighbors to help guide the wheelchair up and down the steps, creating a solution that was physically difficult, unpredictable, and unsafe for everyone involved.
Thanks to the hard work of these volunteers, we were able to offer a safe and reliable solution that would allow Ms. Deloris to freely leave her house with more safety and greater independence.
When reflecting on the day, Ms. Deloris shared “I’m truly amazed because you aren’t used to strangers coming together like that. I have seen so many strange faces come today, and I didn’t even know them, but you could feel the love. And it was awesome.”
And that is what it is all about. Neighbors helping neighbors.
Thank you again to everyone who supported this year’s Gimme Shelter. Because of your generosity, we will be able to help more families like Ms. Deloris across the Tri-County. We look forward to another amazing year ahead!
If you are interested in volunteering with us to build a wheelchair ramp, please fill out the webform on our volunteer page and a member of our team will reach out!
