While Morrison classmates were getting ready for Prom on Saturday, three wrestlers, Augustus Linke, Joe Eads, and Brandon Meier were making a difference. Using their sweat and muscle along side their coach, Tony Wright, and his father, Steve Wright in Kirkland, IL, the boys spent the day working the site of two tornado victims.
They started the morning at Tom Bell’s, the gentlemen that lost his house to a fire four years ago and then lost all but one small building in the storm. Tom had what belongings and shop supplies were left from the storm moved to another farm. They spent the morning relocating and consolidating his belongings to a semi trailer. The men cleaned up some buildings that are being donated to his family’s farm. By
the afternoon they were sent to a local resident’s wooded home, (Alice), whose house was spared but lost some 400 trees to the storm. They spent approximately 4 hours clearing, creating brush piles, and moving approximately 200 trees to a central location where they would be cut for firewood.
It was a life experience for these young student athletes to serve others along side current college wrestlers from UW-Whitewater, Concordia University, and Wheaton College. The capacity of a group of 40 wrestlers to do physical labor is a sight to be seen. The residents and organization staff on hand had difficulty keeping the group busy. There is still much to be done in the Rochelle area and we hope other local groups will consider donating time to make a difference to those who have lost so much. (Photos and article by Tony Wright) See additional pictures below.
