Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Badger.
Hi Scott, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
About fifteen years ago, an older neighbor, Lou Wilson who was having difficult driving, asked me to take him to a service project his church was helping staff volunteers. The project was to build a ramp for a disabled widow on the Southside of town. The impact on the lady receiving the ramp and the volunteers made a heart-felt impression. She had been homebound for months, unable to leave or enter her home without help from EMS. The ramp literally changed her life.
One ramp build led to another which eventually became part of my retirement routine. The sponsoring group was the Texas Ramp Project, an all-volunteer statewide nonprofit whose mission it is to build free wheelchair ramps for low-income older adults and others with disabilities identified by local health care professionals.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Becoming part of this organization was pretty simple. Just show up and there is work for all. No carpentry skills needed and plenty of experience volunteers to show you the ropes. In San Antonio, that is Bexar and Wilson counties, our volunteers are building about 250 ramps per year now. However, we receive nearly 600 referrals for ramps which leaves a huge backlog. Our challenge is closing that gap.
Each year we have been closing that gap with new build leaders, more volunteers and continuing funding. Frequently, a church or company reaches out to see if our mission is a workable match for their outreach program. It usually takes just a single ramp build for them to partner with us. They provide the leader and volunteers and we supply the clients, tools, materials and know how. As for funding, TRP has been very fortunate to have several San Antonio foundations believe in and support our mission.
However, as our community ages, request for ramps grows. To close the gap by 10% means we must build 60 more ramps each year. That means we will need to find at least five new teams each year with eight to twelve volunteers. It’s not impossible and I do believe if we can get the word out, San Antonio will continue to step forward.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I retired fifteen years ago after a lifelong banking career in Houston and San Antonio. My niche was in the wealth management field where I had the pleasure of working with some amazing clients.
In San Antonio, we have a dozen teams that build once or twice a month, about 200 volunteers in total. Leading this group are 18 individuals, mostly retirees, that manage our purchasing, warehouse, surveying, scheduling, building, fund raising and logistics. Over the last five years, I have taken on some organizational responsibilities as the local coordinator.
I most proud of the volunteers’ continuing commitment. We have folks from different churches, local companies, youth organizations, civic organizations, city staff, university groups, military units and individuals without affiliations that dedicate four or five hours to give someone they have never met mobility freedom, safety and independence.
Texas Ramp Project ramps are such a simple, one-and-done solution for those needing help every day getting in and out of their homes. That one-time solution probably sets us apart from most nonprofits. For those reading, come build with us one time. You’ll be amazed at how in a few hours you can change someone’s life.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I just turned 78 this Groundhog’s Day. I’m sure I have lost a step or two but still have the energy and desire to be engaged in our community. I don’t think I can point to any app, book or resource that guided or influenced my life. I can point to more than a handful of people that believed in me and had a profound effect upon me. The most influential and indeed my best friend is Donna, my wife of 53 years.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://texasramps.org/
- Instagram: @tx_ramp_project
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TexasRamps
- LinkedIn: Texas Ramp Project
- Other: https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2025/10/11/nonprofit-helps-90-year-old-san-antonio-cancer-patient-regain-mobility-with-wheelchair-ramp/
