LCC Disaster Response Holds Annual L.E.R.T. Chainsaw Training and Service Workday at Walcamp7/14/2020
 Lutheran Church Charities held the annual Lutheran Early Response Team (L.E.R.T.) chainsaw training and service event workday at Walcamp in Kingston, Illinois, following COVID-19 safety protocol. On Friday evening, July 10, Ed Boerman, LCC Chainsaw Instructor & ISA Certified Arborist, taught the new Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) Basic Operation and Safety Chainsaw class to twenty L.E.R.T. team volunteers, of which eleven were taking this for the first time. On Saturday, July 11, thirty-eight L.E.R.T. chainsaw volunteers came for the workday. Belvidere, Illinois, a nearby town to Walcamp, experienced strong storms the day before this LCC training. We were able to assess two homes that requested assistance and sent a team of nine L.E.R.T. chainsaw volunteers with a mini-bobcat off-site to cut and clear several downed trees in their yards. The remaining L.E.R.T. chainsaw and equipment operators and draggers stayed at Walcamp and cleared the grounds of downed or damaged trees, limbs, and brush.
Walcamp Director, Bill Indelli, expressed his thanks to all present for their willingness to serve to prepare the campgrounds for the ministry they do.
LCC never goes where we are not invited. We NEVER charge those we serve. We put boots on the ground within 24 hours (often fewer) from the time we get the invite. LCC Disaster Response L.E.R.T. Chainsaw Teams Help Homeowners Following Northern Illinois Storms7/14/2020
 Once again, some communities in the Chicagoland area near Lutheran Church Charities (LCC) experienced strong storms and straight-line winds this past week. Deaconess Kathy O’Day, Director of Disaster Response, Lutheran Church Charities, was contacted by Deaconess Lauren Olsen who serves at St. John Lutheran Church in Union, Illinois, with a request for chainsaw assistance at her own home and her neighbor’s. Between them, they had seven trees that were either blown over or split in half by straight-line winds.  Since LCC was having a scheduled chainsaw training and workday at Walcamp, we were able to utilize these two sites as a training location. After an assessment, a team of Lutheran Early Response Team (L.E.R.T.) chainsaw volunteers and a mini-bobcat were deployed to cut and clear the downed and damaged trees in their yards.
Both of the homeowners expressed their appreciation and God’s blessings to LCC for the quick response and to the following L.E.R.T. volunteers who so graciously came and served at their homes to clear the damage. Illinois: Immanuel, Belvidere – Carl Jurgens, Nick Shepherd, Dean Ulrich Immanuel, DeKalb – Pete Springmire Lord of Life, LaFox – Brad Fann, Jeff Straughn, Larry Zagorski Messiah, Sterling – Jacob Beets Wisconsin: St. Paul, Janesville – Lark and Terry Sanders LCC never goes where we are not invited. We NEVER charge those we serve. We put boots on the ground within 24 hours (often fewer) from the time we get the invite.  Lutheran Church Charities has had to take the 50’ boom lift used for disaster response in for its annual inspection. The inspection has revealed that several repairs are now needed. This includes a new control panel, hydraulic hose, and a general tune-up which totals $1,300.
This boom lift is utilized by advanced chainsaw operators to safely and effectively allow them to remove damaged trees that may be on a structure or limbs that are dangerously twisted and hanging after a storm, tornado, or hurricane. The LCC chainsaw teams, the boom lift, and other heavy equipment are requested for deployment within the Northern Illinois District and other states for disaster recovery due to our advanced training and capabilities.
 Letha, 88 years young and a longtime member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Greeley, Colorado, died May 30, 2020. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. She is survived by three daughters, their spouses, six grandchildren, and eight great grandchildren. An LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Cubby (Redeemer Lutheran Church in Fort Collins, Colorado) handler and family friend presented a Mercy Heart to each of Letha’s daughters. The Mercy Hearts presented to Letha’s daughters were a wonderful way of remembering a faithful sister in Christ. One of her daughters shared, "This means so much to us, thank you!"
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