A Community Helping Each Other

I love my town.  We are a family…a community helping each other in the good times and the bad.  I live in Emmetsburg, Iowa and I love my town.  Today I am going to tell you why.

A Community Helping Each Other

I am sure that people in the big cities help each other, but when I moved to Emmetsburg, a town of approximately 4000 from Sacramento in the Spring of 1996 I had no idea of what it meant to live in a community.  I had good friends in Sacramento but I did not even know my neighbors. Now, 19 years later I am still considered an “implant” but everyone makes me feel like I am part of a family.  I know my neighbors and many, many people in town and we all watch out for each other.

About the first or second week of March this year I found out that one of my best friend’s husband was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer.  He is 50!  The wave of talk hit the town hard and within days everyone knew about it.  News spreads fast in a small town.

I am not even sure how many days had passed, not many, and he was up in Rochester, MN at the Mayo Clinic having surgery.  Kathy said it went well but he had a bad blockage and needed radiation treatments.

Now they are on the road every two weeks.  It is a three hour drive from Emmetsburg to Rochester.

Right away a card committee was formed and a card a day was being sent to the family with money to help with expenses.  Our Sorority group gave money and gift cards for gas and then a benefit was scheduled.

Saturday evening Peggy and I went to the benefit.  What I saw blew my mind.  I knew it would be crowded because they grew up here and they have a huge family but this was crazy!

Our VFW building was spilling over with people.  The supper started at 4:00 and Peggy and I got there about 5:30.  It was a free will donation.  In most cases the food is donated and silent auctions and a live auction also consist of donated items.  There was going to be a live auction of the larger items later in the evening.

In the picture above, the wall on the right was filled with silent auction items.  The bidding had already begun.  The picture below shows a closer view of that wall.

Kathy herself even designed and created some cards.

 

Here are some of the larger items.  I love this wine rack.

 

Oh my gosh so many things.  Even the quilts hanging on the wall were auction items.

 

There were also about 3 or 4 guns to be auctioned as well.

A benefit probably wouldn’t be complete without a bake sale.  Look at the Minions and the cupcakes.

So, I am sure that thousands of dollars were raised for Chris and Kathy to help defer medical and travel expenses thanks to everyone who donated items, worked at the event or showed up to eat and bid.

I just love to see my community pulling together to help a family.  Everyone rallies behind them and makes them feel loved.

It makes my heart sing!

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