Warsaw Community High School baseball team members joined with those with Warsaw Christian-based organization World Compassion Network on Thursday, Sept. 26, to help clean up damage from the recent microburst at Chapman Lake. Here, senior Andrew Kerschner, left, hands debris to junior A.J. Hepler.

Text and Photos
By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

CHAPMAN LAKE — Lisa Reed is normally the one serving others as a volunteer at Warsaw therapeutic horseback riding facility Magical Meadows.

Yet on Thursday, Sept. 26, Chapman Lake resident Reed was the one being helped.

Warsaw Community High School baseball players and those with Warsaw Christian-based disaster relief organization World Compassion Network worked to clean up debris from behind Reed’s house at 60 EMS C19 Lane, Warsaw. A microburst on Friday, Sept. 20, had brought trees down on buildings, tossed other objects and caused extensive damage in the area.

That included a porch that came off Reed’s neighbors Jon and Linda Smith’s home, at 68 EMS C19 Lane, Warsaw, and smashed into Reed’s husband’s truck in the driveway.

Reed said it was “awesome” to be helped.

“I feel blessed that they’re here cleaning up all the debris,” she said.

Linda noted the porch had “been a four-season glassed-in” one.

“It went over the top of our roof,” she said, adding it then “put holes in our roof, and we have water damage.”

She said her husband had been “sitting out on the porch and got in just in time to shut the door when he saw the porch go.”

Of the workers Thursday, she said, “It’s amazing that they’ve worked at the speed of lightning.”

“We’ve got a long ways to go, but we’ll get there,” said Linda.

WCHS baseball Coach Andy Manes said he opted to bring about 20 members of the team out to help because he “saw that there was a need.”

“World Compassion Network put out … that they were needing some volunteers to help, and we have a group of guys that love to volunteer and put in some time,” he said.

Team members arrived after school and were set to clean up several homes. Manes said the work counted as part of one of the team’s voluntary fall workouts.

He said he previously lived in the Chapman Lake area.

Manes said he hoped the boys learned from the work that “there’s more to this world than just ourselves.”

He said the boys were to also help with an upcoming food packing event for the organization Feed My Starving Children.

WCN has been at Chapman Lake cleaning up since Saturday, Sept. 21, said WCN Office Manager Sandy Hatcher.

She said Lake City Rental “donated … the dump trailer.”

“Superior Landscape Products is letting us bring … wood debris and tree debris over for free,” said Hatcher. “The community has just rallied around this area.”

Others with WCN helping at Chapman Lake included Disaster Relief Coordinator Tyler Snow, Director of Missions Josh Grill and Executive Director Greg Rauen.

Snow noted WCN would be helping clean up “as long as there’s work … and we keep getting people that say they need help and volunteers like Andy to help out.”

WCN was started in 2002, and those with the organization have helped out disasters both locally and globally as the group’s name suggests. Snow is already set to travel to Florida this weekend to do cleanup after Hurricane Helene.

“We are a ministry. We always try to work through a local ministry or a church,” shared Hatcher. “We are totally donation-based.”

She and Snow noted volunteers are still welcomed for the local microburst cleanup. People may email Snow at [email protected] or call (574) 267-5427.

“This community is just fantastic. They have gathered around,” said Hatcher. “I talked to a 93-year-old lady down at the end (of the road), and she’s like, ‘People have just been coming up and asking to help,’ which has been awesome.”