Active Lifestyle Events provides grant for a Joplin Trails Coalition ramp
Apr. 9—The addition of a ramp to the Frisco Greenway Trail in Joplin will make it more accessible.
The ramp was made possible by a $1,700 grant from Active Lifestyle Events to the Joplin Trails Coalition on Tuesday.
"The very day we were pouring the concrete, a mother was pulling a wagon with her children in it," said Bob Herbst, trails consultant for the Joplin Trails Coalition. "She was having so much difficulty getting down that I knew we were making the right decision."
The coalition is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating and maintaining multiuse trails in Jasper County, including the Frisco Greenway and Ruby Jack Trail.
The concrete ramp was installed about a month ago on the west side of the St. Louis Avenue section of the Frisco trail.
Herbst said the ramp will make the trail more accessible for those with mobility issues. Previously, there was a 2-inch lip that made it difficult to navigate for things such as strollers or wheelchairs. He's heard of people in wheelchairs getting stuck on that lip because it was tough for a wheelchair to make the transition from the gravel trail to the concrete sidewalk.
"People weren't able to get over that big lip, and they weren't using this trail anymore just because of that," Herbst said. "We decided the trail should be used by everybody, whether they have a wheelchair or not."
Audie Dennis, president of Active Lifestyle Events, said the Joplin Trails Coalition is a hidden gem in the community.
"Trails like this don't just happen," Dennis said. "It takes a lot of volunteers and a lot of hard work. It's work that's often not recognized, but everyone in the community gets to enjoy the trails and nature."
Getting to fund a project that makes trails available to all of the community fits with the Active Lifestyles mission, Dennis said.
"I hope this leads to wider access for our community and that there's not people left out," Dennis said. "If you had trouble accessing the trail for reasons like this, I'd encourage you to come out and give it another shot. As Active Lifestyle Events, we want to encourage health and fitness throughout the community."
The grant was funded with proceeds from past Joplin Memorial Runs. Active Lifestyle Events has given more than $350,000 to organizations such as Bright Futures, the United Way, Rebuild Joplin, the Bill and Virginia Leffen Center for Autism, Stained Glass Theatre and the Joplin Humane Society.
The last Joplin Memorial Run is scheduled for May 18 in downtown Joplin. Dennis said after the run is finished, the organization plans to continue to support the community through grants like this one.