Asked to describe the role The Achievable Foundation plays when it comes to assisting the developmentally disabled, Lou Spitz likened it to plugging the big holes that the Westside Regional Center just can’t handle it.

Holes so big that you can literally drive a van through them.

“They feed us the most critical cases they have that they can’t serve,” said Spitz, a board member and vice president for the Culver City-based non-profit group.

So when the Westside Regional Center, also based in Culver City, made it clear that local group homes were struggling to have their transportation needs met, The Achievable Foundation got to work on its newest project.

One well-placed letter, one altruistic donation and four months later, the result is a much-needed set of wheels for Bixby Knoll Place 2, a Gardena residential care facility that’s home to six adults with developmental disabilities.

As the selected winner of The Achievable Foundation’s “Win a Ramp Adapted Van” contest, Bixby Knoll Place 2 late last month took possession of a modified 2001 Chrysler Town and Country minivan that has been fitted with specialized adaptive equipment, including a wheelchair lift, which will provide increased community access to a group of individuals with limited mobility.

“It’s not something we do often,” said Spitz, himself the father of a 49-year-old woman with developmental disabilities. “But we thought it would stir the spirit of all of Westside and Achievable, and raise the spirits of the clients.”

Not only does it happen on a limited basis, but before last month’s presentation, it had never happened before in the foundation’s 15 years of existence. However, Spitz seized on an opportunity, and it turned into a blessing of great measure.

Turn the clock back to late last year, when Hillcrest Country Club — located in the Beverlywood area of Los Angeles and known for its generous giving to the Jewish Federation — decided to open up its holiday newsletter to one additional charitable announcement. The selection was a letter sent by Spitz about Westside’s need to raise funds for better transportation and mobility at nearby group homes.

Enter Geri Brawerman, who after reading the letter offered to donate the modified minivan left behind when her husband, Richard, died last year.

“She’s an angel to do what she did,” Spitz said.

The philanthropic offer came through in November, and Spitz and the remainder of the foundation family spent the next four months getting everything in order. The van, already in pristine condition and with low mileage, received a thorough exam at a big discount at Buerge Chrysler, with the dealership ultimately offering a four-year, bumper-to-bumper warranty on its upkeep. Next up was MobilityWorks in Van Nuys, which had done the original adaptive work and converted the van a second time to handle three people at one time. Finally, the vehicle was taken to Fast Signs in Culver City for detailing and decorative signage.

Meanwhile, the foundation spent two months conducting its contest, asking local group homes to submit essays explaining why they needed the van and what needs it would satisfy.

A committee including members of the foundation and the Westside Regional Center ultimately narrowed the list to two finalists, and after a visit to Bixby Knolls Place 2, it was clear a winner had emerged.

“The most compelling thing is the people,” said Spitz about the six residents — twin brothers Warren and Wayne Berke, longtime married couple Robert and Christie Klein, Maria Medina and Tanya Walker. “As well as the administrators. The nurses there … terrific. As well as the people. That’s the most compelling.”

On March 24, those six residents were brought to Westside Regional Center via a public access van, unaware their lives were about to change in a big way. Gone were the days of waiting, well, days at a time to have the most basic of transportation needs met. Instead, following a brief celebration, they were able to make it back to their Gardena home in a stylish set of wheels all their own.

“This gives them immediate hope that they can do whatever they choose to do and do it when they want,” Spitz said. “It gives them a hope of a better life.”

Smyrna Dojcinovic, administrator at Bixby Knoll Place 2, echoed those thoughts to the foundation and Brawerman soon after the handing over of the keys.

“I asked the clients for places they wanted to see, have not seen or gone,” said Dojcinovic in remarks released by the foundation in a press release. “They mentioned places they’d seen only on television such as Sea World, Las Vegas or the San Diego Zoo. One client has not seen her mother or the home where she grew up in 20 years.

“What will be so amazing now is the look of happiness on their faces. Our million thanks to you from me and my clients. You are that special someone who is the giver.”