Click to play 10pm newscast story from KBTX
As every 80’s child knows thanks to the A-Team, “I love it when a plan comes together!” Yesterday we witnessed a divine plan come together in a way we could never have foreseen to bless a dearly loved coach with the gift of freedom. Calvin Hill, a coach and special education teacher at Rudder High School, was involved in a horrific accident in November when an SUV struck the bus he was driving and ignited an inferno that cost Calvin his legs and almost his life. After six months in the hospital, Calvin and his wife Sabrina are finally back in their home in College Station. Unfortunately, they did not have a wheelchair capable vehicle and were therefore unable to go anywhere other than medical appointments where special buses were provided. Calvin couldn’t go to the store, church, or visit his team at Rudder. It felt imprisoning.
But God had a plan. Out of the blue, last December a local family offered to give OnRamp a Chrysler Town and Country Mobility van that already had an automated wheelchair ramp installed. This is the first mobility vehicle we’ve ever been donated because they are incredibly expensive vehicles. We scooped it up immediately even though we had no client for it. For six months it sat in our inventory as we reached out to health care providers, county governments, and other local charities looking for someone to bless with it. Nothing panned out. Then one month ago, Chase Sanford, a good friend of Calvin’s and fellow coach at the time at Rudder reached out to us about he and Sabrina’s situation. The nomination, application, and interview came together in record time, and we approved Calvin without hesitation. But there was one last crucial test: would his chair fit in the van? Not all do. These are typically custom installs built around a particular person’s chair and mobility. So we met last week at Calvin’s house, crossed our fingers, and then rejoiced as Calvin’s chair ran up the ramp and negotiated the cabin without any trouble. God obviously knew ahead of time what Calvin would need!
On Wednesday we gathered with the Rudder Rangers team to clean and detail the van in front of their field house. No OnRamp vehicle has ever gotten so much love or so many volunteers! Then yesterday we gathered at the Hill’s home to gift them their new van and teach them how to use all the straps and mobility features to keep Calvin safe inside. As we prayed over the Hills and over their van, I was struck once again at how perfectly God arranged all the pieces to provide for His children!
We want to give thanks to the generous local family who donated this van to OnRamp. None of this would have been possible without you! Thank you to my good friend and manager of Christian Brothers, Jeremy Smith, who not only got the van ready mechanically for Calvin, but came out to show Sabrina how to attach and secure all the straps and locks. His expertise was invaluable. Thank you to the whole Christian Brothers and Discount Tire families that prepared the van for us at a huge discount. Thank you Rudder Rangers for loving the Hills so well. And thank you KBTX for sharing this story so well.
