2011 BLOG:
Day Six | 08.03.11
Day 6 devotions were led by Frank Pizana. It was such a pleasure listening to him talk about how much he loves Ligonier. He spoke about what it means to him that there are people who care so much about the town that they give up vacations and free time to pull weeds, paint, wash windows and various other projects that have been done throughout the week.
Today was a day for finishing up projects as much as possible. A few of the projects were not able to be completed, but we got as much done as time would allow, hopefully giving the homeowner a good head start.
Summer splash was very well attended, we fed many people. We served up 800 hotdogs, chips, and bottles of water. A big thank you to the Ligonier Fire Dept. for allowing us to use their grill, and to Spook Sprague who generously offered his time to grill the hotdogs. They were grilled to perfection! New this year at Summer Splash was a dunk tank, organized by Harlan Hite. A few of the people who were brave enough to to be the dunkees (is that a word?) included Tom Shermerhorn, Pastor Troy from the Evangelical Church, and Nate Becker among others. It looked as though a good time was being had by all!
After the Summer Splash we were again blessed by the local band that played at the opening ceremonies. We listened to some moving testimonies and were excited by statistics of things accomplished both spiritually and physically. We were also blessed by Sandy Hunter's grand daughter from Elkhart who did a musical selection in sign language.
I believe everyone deemed Operation Foundation 2011 a success!!
Day Five | 08.02.11
Day Five was another busy day- volunteerism was down, but many projects were still completed. There were many paint projects that got underway today.
State Representative Kathy Heuer and two of her staffers came for the day and were put to work painting a porch at a house on Main Street. Later that evening Fred Ross painted the peak of that same porch. Wow, what a hot messy job that was- he was quite a sight!
The stats were all updated- here are some of the volunteer counts for the week:
Thursday- 7/28- 243
Friday- 7/29- 216
Saturday- 7/30- 203
Monday- 8/1- 157
Tuesday- 8/2- 150
Total volunteers week to date: 474
There have been 97 projects completed with 18 still in process. The tree crew trimmed 5 trees and removed 13. They also trimmed another 25-30 around the walking path at Kenney Park. The city Street Department has removed 65 tree stumps. The large stump near the viaduct took 6 hours alone!
Throughout the week, many groups have been manning the free car wash in the Legion Parking Lot across from the Command Center. Through many generous donations, our "free" car wash has brought in over $520! This will help with various expenses incurred throughout the week. Ligonier now has several hundred clean, shiny cars driving around.
Day Four | 08.01.11
Day 4, just like all the rest has been very exciting and rewarding. We have been able to accomplish many tasks. To date we have completed 73 different projects, with aprox. 450 volunteers.
Our devotion to get us motivated and kick started was led by Nate Becker. He spoke on the scripture Romans 15:1-13. He encouraged us to not focus on what we CAN'T do, but focus on what we CAN do! There will be many projects that we feel we should get done but we can only do what we can do, there will always be another year so everyone should do their best on the ones we do.
We still have a lot of paint projects to get done, those will be completed as the skill levels come in. The town is looking fresh and all spruced up. There were more blocks set on the viaduct.
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Saturday Night Bonfire | 07.31.11
It turned out to be a great night for a bonfire. Though many were just plain worn out, there were still several families that braved the heat and enjoyed the fellowship. Some enjoyed hotdogs and brats while others had marshmallows.
Day Three | 07.30.11
The day started bright and sunny. Devotions were led by Shannon Kathary. He spoke on hope. The scriptures he read were Romans 15:13 and Psalm 121.
The big project for the day was the river cleanup. For several years, the group has gone from Bob Ball's house out on Rochester Road and ended at Woodlawn Park. This year, the cleanup was done in two separate groups, with one going from Rochester Rd. to Pigeon Street bridge and a second group starting at Pigeon Street and ending at River Road.
Because this was our first time cleaning this section, there was much more trash and debris. There was a total of 55 tires taken out of the river this year. They will be taken to Michigan to be recycled. It is always a blessing to see the excitement of people's faces as they load up in boats and canoes to head down the river.
We again had a huge group of children to pull weeds and to do general clean up. One particular group was from Trinity Assembly of God.
The large cottonwood tree on the North side of the viaduct came down in the early morning hours and later in the day the Ligonier Street Department removed the large stump which was about 9 feet in diameter.
Everyone would like to thank Daniel Alemu at Daniel's Cafe for providing a spaghetti lunch. We were also treated to Pizza which was provided by Danny Silva from the Saint Patrick's Church.
Day Two | 07.29.11
Our devotions were led by Alyssa Schermerhorn. Alyssa is a recent graduate of Anderson University and a newly hired teacher with the West Noble School Corp.She stressed the importance of not worrying and putting our trust in the Lord.Though it is human nature to worry, the scriptures tell us, Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough troubles of its own Matt. 6:34. She read Matt. 6:25-34.
Today we woke up to rain. Although many paint projects had to be put on hold there were still many things that could be done despite the rain. There was a very large group of children and adults that did general clean up and weed pulling on the sidewalks. We were also able to continue on with the car wash. Soon the skies cleared and we were able to dispatch volunteers on a few paint projects. A really large group scraped and painted a garage and picket fence for a nice family on Main St. The group was very thankful to the homeowners who served snacks and drinks. The group was even treated to hot dogs for lunch .It was hard to tell who received the larger blessing, the homeowners or the volunteers. That is the root of Operation Foundation, building relationships, and showing God's love. Many lasting friendships were made through this project.
Our evening meal was provided by Beta Sigma Phi Sorority, prepared by Sandy Hunter and served by the people at the Trinity Lutheran Church on 4th St. We had turkey and noodles with mashed potatoes. For dessert we were served cake or rice krispie treats.
After supper there was a huge influx of volunteers ready to work into the night.The tree cutting crew continued to trim and even take down some trees.A huge, very old cotton wood just north of the viaduct was topped in preparation for coming down in the early hours of Friday, July 30th.
Day One | 07.28.11
Devotions were led by Daniel Blevins.After devotions there was a short team leader meeting to get all the projects in order for the day. Some of the projects worked on today included, weeding, cleaning sidewalks, prepping for paint jobs, landscaping at the viaduct and many trees trimmed and/or taken down.
There was also an ongoing car wash being held at the American Legion. Thanks to the people of Trinity Assembly of God who did a wonderful job and washed a steady flow of cars all morning. Our evening meal was provided by Strong Tower Worship. The meal consisted of haystacks and applesauce. It was delicious!
Opening Ceremony | 07.27.11
Tonight was the kick off for Operation Foundation 2011. At 8:00pm the opening ceremony for Operation Foundation was held in front of the library on Main St. in Ligonier. Music was lead by a local band which included the brother/sister team of Cameron and Em McCullough.
Speakers for the evening included, Dave Hilbish (Youth Pastor at Stone's Hill Community Church), Brandon and Cheri Boyd (Missionaries in Thailand, home for a short time), State Representative Kathy Heuer, Paul Fought (introduced as a smile on legs), and Nate Lowe (Region 3 Principle at Crossing Education).
The weather was hot, but many brought lawn chairs and enjoyed a wonderful evening of fellowship. Operation Foundation is officially underway!! Anyone interested please come down to the command center (former Swank Video on Lincolnway West) tomorrow morning, July 28th at 8:00am, sign up, get a green shirt and spend a few days showing God's love by lending a helping hand to your neighbor and making Ligonier a better place to live!
New 2011 Documents Available to Download | 06.03.11
2011 Volunteer Application Form
How to Build Community | 01.17.2011
Turn off your TV;
Leave your house;
Know your neighbors;
Look up when you are walking;
Greet people;
Sit on your front porch;
Plant flowers;
Use your library;
Play together;
Buy from local merchants;
Share what you have;
Help a lost dog;
Take children to the park;
Garden together;
Support neighborhood schools;
Fix it even if you didn't break it;
Have pot lucks;
Honor elders;
Pick up litter;
Read stories aloud;
Dance in the street;
Talk to the mail carrier;
Listen to the birds;
Put up a swing;
Help carry something heavy;
Barter for your goods;
Start a tradition;
Ask a question;
Hire young people for odd jobs;
Organize a block party;
Bake extra and share;
Ask for help when you need it;
Open your shades;
Sing together;
Share your skills;
Take back the night;
Turn up the music;
Turn down the music;
Listen before you react to anger;
Mediate a conflict;
Seek to understand;
Learn from new and uncomfortable angles;
Know that no one is silent although many are not heard;
Work to change this.
Tonight was the kick off for Operation Foundation 2011. At 8:00pm the opening ceremony for Operation Foundation was held in front of the library on Main St. in Ligonier. Music was lead by a local band which included the brother/sister team of Cameron and Em McCullough.
Speakers for the evening included, Dave Hilbish (Youth Pastor at Stone's Hill Community Church), Brandon and Cheri Boyd (Missionaries in Thailand, home for a short time), State Representative Kathy Heuer, Paul Fought (introduced as a smile on legs), and Nate Lowe (Region 3 Principle at Crossing Education).
The weather was hot, but many brought lawn chairs and enjoyed a wonderful evening of fellowship. Operation Foundation is officially underway!! Anyone interested please come down to the command center (former Swank Video on Lincolnway West) tomorrow morning, July 28th at 8:00am, sign up, get a green shirt and spend a few days showing God's love by lending a helping hand to your neighbor and making Ligonier a better place to live.
CONTACT:
Chris Fought, President
Phone: 260.894.2839
Email: chris [at] operationfoundation.com
Matt Kreager, Vice President
Phone: 260.894.4151
Email: matt [at] operationfoundation.com
Barb Donley, Treasurer
Phone: 260.894.2316
Email: barb [at] operationfoundation.com
Doris Gierhan, Secretary
Email: doris [at] operationfoundation.com
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