Workcamp for Lincoln VIP tour
Part two – VIP tour visits Emden

[July 31, 2021]    At the end of the coffee break time on Thursday, guests were invited to load onto busses provided by Community Action Partnership of Central Illinois and ride to Emden to visit a home repair project in progress.

In Emden, there were two projects in the same block. The first project at the home of Loretta Renken had been smaller and was already completed by Thursday.

Renken enjoyed sharing with Senator Sally Turner some of the work done at her home.

Renken said one of her favorite things was her wishing well. The wishing well was close to falling down. The group had invested time and talent in restoring it. It was a great source of pride for her to say that she once again had a very nice wishing well. While there were other projects done at the home, for Renken that was the one that made the most difference because it was a personal gift from them to her.

The second project in Emden was at the home of Rita Billings.

The second project was still well underway as youth from Iowa worked to build a wheelchair ramp on the back of the home and also do some fun, crafty projects to improve the general appearance of the homeowner’s lawn. The house was also getting new paint on the outside and exterior security lighting would be added in the area of the new ramp.

Vicki Merrifield from Polk City Iowa is a youth group leader for her church. She has been on nine mission trips. She said the kids from the church were heartbroken that they could not go on a trip last year.

She said there was a little bit of concern this year because instead of mixing the kids in groups from different locations they stayed together. “We were concerned that we wouldn’t get to meet and get to know many people, but they have and it has been great.”

At the Billings home, Merrifield led a group from the tour around behind the wheelchair ramp and to the garage at the back of the lot. She explained that the groups usually do a project as a gift to the homeowner that is something not necessarily needed, but perhaps wanted.

This group had collected all the little cement lawn ornaments around Billings’ yard and brought them to the garage for a facelift.

Grace Mumma also from Polk City was in the garage painting on the lawn ornaments giving then an ‘almost new’ look.

Billings said that the ramp project was a genuine blessing. She has degenerative disk disease. She has had five disks removed already and mobility is a challenge for her. She said that she knows that her ability to move about will continue to deteriorate as her disease progresses. Now she can walk, but struggles with steps. This hinders her ability to go outside and enjoy her yard. She can still drive, but getting to and from the car without the use of her motorized scooter is very difficult. When the ramp is completed, she will be able to walk without stair steps to her garage, and when the time comes, she will be able to ride her scooter or a wheelchair to go outside and get fresh air.

Billings said that she learned about the program from CAPCIL and she is grateful that she was considered and selected to receive help.

Both Butler and Turner enjoyed a time of visiting with two homeowners as well as many of the teenagers working on the project. Pastor Shelton also visited with several as did other guests on the tour.

After about 30 minutes, it was back on the buses and back to Lincoln. In Lincoln, tour guests would meet the Eichels and the special ‘celebrity carpenter’ helping to build a wheelchair ramp.

[Nila Smith]