Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
WINONA LAKE - While most people were relaxing Saturday, a group from Lakeland Christian Academy traveled to Van Wert, Ohio, to help clean up the debris from the Nov. 10 tornado.
According to Eric Bowling, LCA dean of student life, seven students and four staff members went to help with the disaster cleanup. The idea for the trip came about during a teachers' meeting when someone suggested a group should go help out. Bowling called the American Red Cross and the Van Wert-area United Way, and then presented the idea to LCA juniors and seniors. That was last Tuesday. By Thursday, they had a group ready to go.
The LCA group helped clean up the mess at the movie theater, drive-in and a couple of houses in the area that were destroyed. Their day started at 6 a.m. and after arriving at the site, they worked for approximately five hours.
LCA students volunteering their Saturday to help included sophomore Mike Sohn and juniors Chad Pletcher, Jaime Doll, Stacy Sand, Liz Hand, Kristie Young and Alyssa Ashton.
Doll said they picked up all kinds of debris from businesses and homes that was left scattered from the tornado.
Of the scene, Pletcher said, "A lot of things were flattened." Some homes were thrown around, he said. Sand said one house was moved sideways from the tornado.
"It was bad," said Pletcher. Insulation was up in the trees and it looked "like cotton candy."
"There was glass everywhere," said Ashton.
Hand said they saw old pictures and people's belongings scattered about, including a picture that was found that had been ripped apart.
Bowling described a vehicle that had been picked up by the tornado and wedged between two trees. "For me," he said, "I was kind of blown away from that."
Along with the LCA group, Bowling said around 300 other people showed up Saturday to help. All the groups met at a highway garage, where they were assigned to teams to help at various sites. The groups came from youth groups, high schools and colleges.
Pletcher said he was amazed at all the people who were willing to help.
Talking to some of the people there, Ashton said the people from Van Wert said they felt very blessed to have help in cleaning up after the disaster.
"They were thankful for our help," said Pletcher.
The students volunteered for pretty much the same reasons: because it would be interesting and for the fact of just helping others, Ashton said.
Hand said on the drive to Van Wert, the students were laughing and having a good time. Upon seeing the aftermath of the storm, they all went silent.
Sand said, "I was just in amazement when we were there."
From seeing the aftermath of the storm and from helping out, Ashton said she learned "God has a lot of power."
Pletcher said the lesson he took with him was that people need to be understanding to those to whom the disaster happened because it could have happened to "any of us." People need to be there for others, he said.
Bowling said he was really proud of the students who gave up their Saturday to help. The people they helped really appreciated the students being there, he said.
Will the LCA students volunteer like this again?
"In a heartbeat," said Pletcher.
