R.A.M.P.S. Students Take Calls on NBC-12

6/7/2009

Before the dust even settled on this past school year, some Upper School students were already pursuing service opportunities in the community as part of their summer activities. Stephen Holt and Burke Modisett were among several area high school students taking calls in a call center at NBC-12 recently.

Andrea Miller, US Guidance Counselor and Community Service Coordinator, Jenn Cornell, Executive Director of the Powell Center for Economic Literacy, and Susan Revere, Executive Director of R.A.M.P.S. (Ramp Access Made Possible by Students), were each delighted in their own way by the recent efforts by the students.

Miller is always pleased to see and hear about the positive impact Collegiate students have in our community, and especially so in the summer, when they are operating largely on their own.

Cornell, whose Powell Center also runs the Cochrane Summer Economics Institute (CSEI), knows of the R.A.M.P.S. efforts from personal experience. Last summer's "team building day" for the CSEI took place during a full day of installing ramps from R.A.M.P.S. -- adding a community service component to the CSEI had been Cornell's idea -- and CSEI will do a similar day again in a few weeks.

Revere, who sees the students' efforts at R.A.M.P.S. firsthand, wrote an e-mail to describe the evening spent at NBC-12 taking calls for Call 12 On Your Side. In an e-mail to Collegiate, Revere wrote:

This past Wednesday, Stephen Holt and Burke Modisett participated in a vital aspect of our R.A.M.P.S. effort - raising community awareness of our organization as a local resource. Most of our applicants cannot afford internet access, so getting our information out to the public is critical. We are thankful to have strong community support, and Channel 12's invitation to participate in Call 12 on Your Side last night is a great example.

Kara Williams of St. Catherine's School, Tori Catlett and Joey Crespo of Midlothian High School all followed Stephen and Burke's lead as several local R.A.M.P.S. Club Members donated their time to get the word out about R.A.M.P.S., answer questions about the program, and do initial interviews of potential applicants to the program. They did a wonderful job, at the same time setting a great example for area high school students. Incoming calls numbered 161 in 90 minutes - more than we've ever received in the past at Call 12 on Your Side.

While I'm pleased to report that the program continues to grow in other local schools, I am always asked by those who have heard of the program, "Now, this is the program that started at Collegiate, right?"

Thank you for ongoing strong support, it is deeply appreciated. If you have any questions about the student's efforts, please contact me.

Best regards,

Susan Revere

Executive Director

R.A.M.P.S. Ramp Access Made Possible by Students

www.rampsbystudents.org

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