Joe Uchniat
Joe Uchniat, a part-time driver for VCI Mobility, recently picked up a 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan from the Chestnut family in Narberth, PA, to bring to our shop for the installation of mobility equipment. Joe should have just come back with the van. Instead, he came away personally compelled to do more to help the Chestnut family.
The Chestnut family has two children with disabilities, 8-year-old Shelby and 6-year-old Benjamin. Both Shelby and Benjamin suffer from serious neurological illnesses and are in power wheelchairs.
After learning a little more about the family, Joe was troubled to hear how the children’s dad, Matthew, had to carry them down their porch steps to their power chairs each day for them to get their bus. He was forced to do this because of an inadequate ramp on the front of their home.
“I left the home knowing that something needed to be done for those children,” Joe said.
Joe, a retired UPS driver, contacted a handful of his retired friends, and together they developed a plan to build a sturdy and reliable ramp for the Chestnut family. A local hardware store agreed to donate the hardware, and an architect friend drafted the plans.
“All I have to do is send people to the Chestnut Foundation’s website, and most people want to do anything they can to help,” Joe explained.
Paperwork was submitted to Narberth’s Zoning Commission, and Joe and his friends have been approved for a permit and are planning to begin the ramp project at the end of February.
“I love kids,” Joe said. “I’ve been a foster parent for 22 years.”
Joe strongly believes that every child should be taken care of and that giving back to the community is an important part of everyday life. Joe and his family do community service at their local YMCA. In addition, he and his fellow retired friends gather every year at Christmas and donate gift cards to families in need. Joe and his friends chose the Chestnut family as one of the families they would help out this holiday season. Joe was delighted to deliver a total of $650 worth of gift cards to the family in the hopes that they would help make their holiday even more special.
“I don’t do community service for recognition,” Joe explained. He simply does it because he enjoys helping children and feels it is the right thing to do. We at VCI commend Joe for his efforts and his generosity!