Members of a northeast Georgia Rotary Club have reached a milestone in community service — they've built and installed 500 wheelchair ramps in the past 17 years.

The Madison County Rotary Club finished its 500th ramp Saturday at the home of Annie Mae Jarrells in the small city of Ila. Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle was on hand to congratulate the civic group.

The idea for building wheelchair ramps evolved from the Rotary Club's work with an area senior center and the charity Meals on Wheels. The group built its first ramp in 1995.

Members say they can build a ramp in about 30 minutes, compared to the eight hours it took to construct their first one.

Tags: Madison County, wheelchair ramp, Rotary Club