Sixty-three-year-old Doris Alexander said she has not been outside of her New Iberia mobile home much over the past two years.

Disabled from a stroke and left with limited use of her legs, Alexander said she was even unable to sit outside of it because she had no wheelchair access, she said.

That all changed Friday morning when a group from the United Way of Iberia, the Louisiana Technical College Teche Area Campus and Cargill Corp. showed up to install a handicapped ramp allowing Alexander not only to sit outside on a small porch but to maneuver all the way down to her front yard.

(Use arrows above to view more photos) Advertisement

The installation was part of the United Way’s Access Freedom Program, Executive Director Corleen Rouly said.

Rouly said the local group tries to complete several such ramps every year.

The group arrived at Alexander’s home at 8 a.m. Friday morning and completed the project within two hours time, Rouly said.

She said the project was a testament to the solid partnerships with the agency, the school, Cargill and the Iberia Parish Jail, which provided trusty labor to move the components of the ramp.

Paul Poche of Erath has taught carpentry at the technical school for nine years and has participated in several ramp projects. He said the projects help teach his students to hone their carpentry skills.

He said he did not know Alexander had gone that long with being unable to leave her home, but admitted her enthusiasm once she was able to sit outside was contagious, prompting several of the volunteers to stay a while longer to enjoy being outside with her.

Gil Elrod, a senior mine engineer for Cargill Corp. and the volunteer group leader Friday, said it is gratifying to be able to help people.

“We all think we have problems,” he said. “But then you see and meet people who have real problems. It’s amazing that something so small on our part will be so life-changing for her.”

Alexander, who lives alone, said her care attendants would tell her how beautiful the weather was during the past several weeks, which made her sad.

“All I could do was sit at the front door and look,” she said.

When the volunteers had completed their work Friday morning, Alexander was set up on the landing with a chair, a blanket and her small brown dog.

She was still sitting there hours later and said with a chuckle and a wide grin, “Don’t be surprised if you pass by back here late this afternoon and I’m still sitting here.”