Tornado Victim's House Roofed by Rawhide Youth

Disaster Relief Continues in Langlade County

On June 9, Rawhide’s About Face Community Service Corps deployed to Bear Paw Outdoor Adventure Resort near the White Lake area in Langlade County to assist with the enormous cleanup efforts. Since Saturday the cadets and staff have labored to clear fallen trees and debris. An employee at the resort approached Jeff Stump, Rawhide’s About Face Homes Manager requesting assistance for an under-insured, elderly neighbor who lost her roof in the storm.

Nancy McDonald lives alone, but her granddaughter Addie was with her when the storm hit. Nancy recalls the event, “There was very little warning. One minute it was sunny and the next the sky went pitch black. I told Addie to head for the basement, and the kitchen window blew out just as we were going down the stairs.” After the storm Nancy found six inch shards of glass imbedded in the interior walls of the home. The house was fine structurally, but most of the shingles and siding on the house blew off. The storm moved her garage eight feet off the foundation before a large pine tree demolished it. Her mature pine forest, ready for tree harvesting, was leveled; only the small trees are left standing.

Nancy is very grateful for the volunteers assisting her, and she commented about the cadets from Rawhide who are helping roof her home, “These kids are great. It’s too bad there aren’t more young men like that.” The White Lake Market is providing lunch to the workers at the site today.

The primary About Face crew from Rawhide will be finishing their work in the area today. Initial plans were to return to the New London campus on Wednesday, but the stay was extended because of the great need for cleanup assistance. A secondary About Face crew joined them yesterday to provide relief and assume the remaining projects. They will be finishing on Thursday or Friday and returning to Rawhide.

Rawhide’s About Face Community Service Corps is a 120-day intensive program in which court-ordered youth participate in intensive physical training, receive academic instruction, and perform community service projects through out the state.

Located outside of New London, Wisconsin, Rawhide Boys Ranch emphasizes a faith-based traditional family environment and serves at-risk and court-referred young men. Their mission is to inspire and equip at-risk teenage boys to become responsible young men through family-centered care, treatment, and education. Rawhide is largely supported by donations of cars, boats, campers, and financial gifts. Learn more about Rawhide by calling (920) 982-6100 or visiting the website at www.rawhide.org.