FRYBURG, Pa. (EYT) – Keystone SMILES AmeriCorps workers teamed up to do something thoughtful for a Fryburg woman and her daughter who has cerebral palsy.
(In the photo above, from left, are Bill Evans, Tristan Bundy, Gary Ruffler, and Darin Swain, of Keystone SMILES AmeriCorps)
Darla Smerkar lives in Fryburg, and she has been a foster mother to seven-year-old Sara since September of 2016.
Sara has cerebal palsy and is wheelchair bound.
In August, Darla found out she had been chosen to be Sara’s adoptive mother, and at the end of September, Sara came home, but there was one issue. The home needed a wheelchair ramp. Darla’s mom, Julie, put the word out on Facebook that they were looking for someone who could build a ramp for them.
Jen Arbuckle of Keystone SMILES AmeriCorps saw the post and asked co-worker Bill Evans what he thought, and it was an easy choice for the man who had already built a dozen ramps, including one at his church, Good Shepherd United Methodist Church.
“One of the philosophies of our program is to incorporate service into our curriculum, so the wheelchair ramp served us well from the planning and development, to the actual construction.”
“AmeriCorps members have a term of service time commitment and commit to a number of hours that they will serve. While doing so, they will receive a living allowance, and after completion, they get an education award that they will be able to use to either pay off past school loans or use for future education. Quite the benefit for the three kids graduating soon,” Evans said. “Our first, trial year in 2015, we had three senior AmeriCorps members. In 2016, we had four seniors, one junior, and one sophomore. And in 2017, we have one senior, one junior, and one sophomore.”
“We got started right before Thanksgiving, and we’ve worked through snow, freezing rain, and the cold.” Evans said Friday at the job site. “It’s the nicest one I’ve been a part of.”
“Darla definitely needed something done, because I’ve seen her carry her daughter up and down the stairs, and she probably weighs 60 or 70 pounds, so this was needed.”
“We spent two weeks drawing blueprints, and the kids spent a lot of time pricing lumber.”
(Pictured above: from left, are Emma Sierko, Darin Swain, and Gary Ruffner)
Evans has been joined by a crew including Gary Ruffner, of Rimersburg; Darin Swain, of Fryburg; Tristan Bundy, of Shippenville; and Emma Sierko, of Clarion.
Tristan Bundy, a graduate of Pittsburgh Tech Institute, said, “It feels good to something nice for other people.”
Darin Swain, who is enlisting in the U.S. Army this summer said, “It’s very beneficial for us and for them.”
He plans to specialize in carpentry and masonry.
Gary Ruffner is a sophomore in high school and also works at a thrift shop.
Although the ramp was not completely done, it was functional in time for Christmas.
For Darla, she will become Sara’s legal mother on Wednesday, May 3.
“I’d always wanted to adopt someday, and I found Sara’s picture on a PA adoption site, so I called, and we met, so they would know I’d be able to take care of her,” Darla said.
“Sara is a very loving, happy child. She’s non-verbal, but she gets her point across,” Darla explained. “And she loves to snuggle and rub her face her across mine.”
