After a tragic accident left Julie Rummer dependent on a wheelchair, accessibility became a huge factor in her day-to-day life. That makes it all the more special that winning the Bobcat Backyard Makeover Contest transformed Rummer’s backyard from an impassible space of dirt and overgrown vegetation to an accessible oasis with concrete paths, renewing her passion for the outdoors.
With the help of Bobcat equipment from her local dealer and area contractors, Rummer’s dream backyard became a reality.
Bobcat offered equipment fans a shot at a backyard makeover worth $25,000 in the Bobcat Backyard Makeover Contest. Rummer of Turlock, California, recognized this as a chance to kick-start her dream of a wheelchair-accessible backyard with room to garden, entertain, and get away.
The finalists were chosen. The votes were tallied. And the backyard was built. Now, Rummer and her family have a beautiful new backyard to enjoy.
In 1995, Rummer survived a horrific car crash that left her dependent on a wheelchair. Over the years, she has dug deep to overcome many obstacles. She settled in the great Central Valley of California to find a better climate for wheelchair accessibility. Even so, her backyard was, as she described it, a “big disaster.”
Some areas were inaccessible, and more than once, she found herself literally spinning her wheels, stuck in dirt and thorny vegetation. “I’ve gotten stuck, stuck up to my axles,” Rummer said. “Like almost needing a Bobcat loader to pull me out!”
The contest planted a seed of possibility
Rummer’s limitations drifted her away while gardening. She desired a completely wheelchair-accessible yard and dream garden — so she could pursue her passion and enjoy more time in the sun. Rummer and her husband, Rich, also love to entertain family, friends, and neighbors at their home. While they often dreamed of making improvements to their yard, the time and money to make it happen just weren’t there.
Enter the $25,000 Backyard Makeover. In the contest, one lucky winner — the top vote earner among five finalists — would receive $25,000 toward the ultimate backyard.
Rich Rummer found out about the contest first. “I kept seeing it on my Facebook feed, and we’ve always wanted to do something with this area,” he said. “I kept egging Julie on, like, ‘Hey, you need to enter this!’”
With her busband’s encouragement, Julie Rummer submitted her contest application, but she didn’t get her hopes up.
“Usually when there’s sweepstakes involved, you just kind of put it in your back pocket,” she said. “You don’t really expect anything to come of it.”
From the back pocket to social media, something did come of it. Rummer’s story was chosen as a finalist entry, and her community rallied to show their support. The local media even got involved, covering her finalist entry in the Turlock Journal. All told, close friends, family, and total strangers helped Rummer win the grand prize with more than 50 percent of the total votes.
“One morning over coffee, my husband throws the iPad on my lap,” she said, recalling the day she found out about her win. “I could see it was a picture that we took of me, and I was just shocked.”
