Jeannie Buser has been confined to a wheelchair, and the ramp her brother, Chuck, built over the front step for her is showing its 14 years.

The 57-year-old Auburn woman, who suffers from a nervous muscular degenerative disorder, depends on the ramp to get out and about, but has no money to do anything about it.

She also could do little about the

weed-wild garden her late father had cultivated so tenderly.

“I was walking until December 2004; then I broke both thigh bones in an accident, and that put me out of commission for almost a year,” Buser said. “Since then, I have not been able to get out in the garden, except for doing my fuchsias.”

A good friend from Holy Family Catholic Church, Phil Fortunato, saw the need, and he got on the phone.

Last Saturday 20 members of the Master Builder’s Association of King and Snohomish Counties arrived at the Buser home on 8th Street Northeast, bearing hammers, saws, measuring tape, and other tools to build a new wheelchair ramp. And those who weren’t doing that replaced shutters and plant boxes, even picked up rakes and shears and shovels to work that garden.

“This is going to help, a lot,” Buser said with a big smile, looking at the helpful army swarming her property.

Since 1993, the Rampathon, which organizes volunteers into teams of 10-30 to build free wheelchair ramps for disabled, low-income homeowners, has been an annual thing for the Master Builders Care Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Master Builders Association and the Remodelors Council.

In the last 17 years, volunteers have built more than 200 free wheelchair ramps in King and Snohomish Counties. Buser was one of three Auburn residents selected based on need and design viability.

Professional Women in Building served as the volunteer construction lead at the Buser home. Ramp captain Jamie Hsu did the planning, sought donations and organized her team.

“Jeannie has been fantastic,” Hsu said. “She is our master gardener, whether she likes it our not. We’re finding rose bushes that have to be 30 years old. She says what she needs to say, gives us a history of the project, says ‘cut this, don’t cut that.’ She has watched, but has not been demanding.”

Sandy Lane, a Kenmore painting contractor and a member of that team pulled blackberry bushes.

“This is about giving back, about helping someone who needs some help. And you know, it’s a good day to be outside,” Lane said.

Painting contractor Darylene Dennon, owner of of Woodinville-based Solid Energy, has happily volunteered since 2000.

“We build these ramps every year with Rampathon, and each year we try to top what we did the last year,” Dennon said. “Last year we built 32 ramps. If we didn’t do this, these folks wouldn’t get out of their homes, because these are low-income families that just can’t afford a ramp. So we’re giving back to the community.”

“There was an existing ramp, and it was kind of falling apart,” said Carmine Coburn, a building contractor from Burien. “It was functional, the angle was good, the slope was fine, but basically the top surface had rotted out, and we are just rebuilding what’s there. We’re getting it up to where it’s going to last so it’s something she doesn’t have to worry about for a long time.”

Juli Bacon does human resources consulting work wtih small businesses in construction and other industries in South Snohomish.

“I’ve been doing this since I joined the organization in 2002, and my son James started coming when he was just 4 years old. I bring him every year because I think it’s really important that he understands giving back to the community. It’s just a really touching time to come and help someone, and this woman in particular loves gardening. It’s really neat that along with getting the ramp built, we can also help beautify her yard. It’s time to give back,” Bacon said.