2016 will be a year to remember for one Smith County man. Bernie Kennedy will now have improved mobility and access to his home thanks to a group of volunteers from Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity and the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

On Saturday, January 9, 2016, JP Pinon, Adam Hering, and Bradley Hudson, members of the Theta Pi Chapter at the University of Texas at Tyler, volunteered for the fraternity’s fourth wheelchair ramp build with the Texas Ramp Project. The non-profit organization is an all-volunteer group funded by United Way, local churches, civic organizations and individuals who work to build wheelchair ramps for those in need since incorporating in 2006.

“The size and quality construction of this ramp far exceeded my hopes and expectations,” said Janet Gillie, a licensed clinical social worker. “You braved some pretty chilly weather to make this ramp which only adds to how amazingly special a gift this really is. Thank you again and again!”