Ramped up

Project highlights contagion of giving
By Bobby Ampezzan, The News-Herald

SOUTHGATE — Last week, Charles Lakins got a secondhand gift unlike any other: a wheelchair ramp.

He has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, a progressive, degenerative condition affecting the central nervous system and musculature.

"With no cure, you know what to expect," he said.

This summer could be his last.

Lakins, 55, is one of the latest people in the area to receive a free ramp, a product of the Ray West Memorial Ramp Project, a joint venture between labor unions and the United Way.

But Lakins' gift also is the product of his relationship with Jane Mackey, an aide in the office of U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-14th District).

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