St. Mary's Catholic Church Fort Wayne and the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend selected the volunteer Wheelchair Ramp Builders group as the 2011 Father Tom O'Connor Light of Christ Award winner in the category of Diversity and Inclusiveness.   The 2012 award was presented to the Ramp Builders by Bishop Kevin Rhoades on March 17, 2011 during a brief ceremony at St. Mary's that was followed by a luncheonin Oechtering Hall. 

While diversity and inclusiveness are often thought of in terms of racial or ethnic issues, physical disability is another kind of diversity. The Wheelchair Ramp Builders have volunteered their time and talent for more than 21 years to build up-to-code residential access ramps that allow individuals with differing physical abilities to leave their homes and be included in the broader fabric of society.

The group was nominated by Nancy Lourraine, executive director of Turnstone Center for Chidlren and Adults with disabilities.  In her nomination letter, Lourraine noted that 87% of the ramps the group has built since 1992 have been for individuals who live at or below federal poverty level.

The 24 volunteers themselves are diverse on several levels. Many are Presbyterian—the first ramp was built after a call went out during a city-wide gathering of representatives from local Presbyterian congregations—but they soon became spiritually diverse, with  volunteers coming from many different faith families, including Roman Catholic and Lutheran.  Their paying jobs also run the gamut from active and retired teachers and engineers to service and construction workers, an attorney, and a Presbyterian pastor, Hal Thomas, who is married to St. Mary’s parishioner Andrea Thomas. Retired teacherJoe Miller from St. Mary’s—a member of the choir and a lector at Mass--is also one of the volunteers.  Crew chief David Kelley, who accepted the award on behalf of the group just recently retired from the insurance and financial management field. On the weekends, in all types of weather, the group  builds wheelchair ramps that help to restore independence and self-sufficiency to individuals.

The Father Tom O’Connor Light of Christ Award carries with it a cash gift of $1000 given to the charity, project, or program of the winner’s choice. The check this year was given to the Turnstone Center Residential Ramp Building Program to purchase building materials.

The Light of Christ Award began five years ago in memory of the late Father Thomas P. O’Connor, who served as pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Church from 1970 until his death on St. Patrick’s Day in 2004. Well known for his role in creating the St. Mary’s Soup Kitchen, Father O’Connor has become an icon of Catholic faith in action. During his years as a priest he was a strong advocate for peace and reconciliation, racial equality, and social justice.

Previous award winners are Cliff Kindy, 2007 for his work in non-violence, Sister Janet Gildea 2008 for her efforts to provide medical care among diverse cultures, William Critell 2009 for his dedication to education among the disadvantaged, and University of St. Francis student Danielle Collins, 2010 for her leadership and volunteer work to promote justice for the disadvantaged.