This story comes from me, Don Schoendorfer:

I grew up in Ashtabula, a little city in northeast Ohio. I pretty much lost contact with my home town about 18 years ago when my mother passed away. So it was a surprise when back in February I got an email from Glen Warner, the pastor of the Second Congregational Church, the church I grew up in there.  My 3rd grade Sunday school teacher Mrs. Coutts noticed my picture in an AARP magazine. “Yes, it’s me,” I told Pastor Glen.

Well, one thing certainly led to another. Pastor Glen wanted to start a campaign to raise funds for us. First it was for one container, which seemed huge for my little home town. Then it grew to ten containers!  Some there thought the congregation had lost their mind. They had bake sales, auctions, garage sales, car washes, and dunk tanks to raise funds. They created wrist bands, key chains, cook books, shirts, posters and fliers. They hit every newspaper within an 80 mile radius to get the story our about their campaign.

AND THEY DID IT! Tuesday Laurie and I were there to receive a check for $231,041.17. Methodist, Catholic, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Pentecostal, Episcopal and Baptist Churches joined together in a ceremony with over 300 people to give us this wonderful gift.

Below is a photo of some of over 75 volunteers that worked on this campaign. Their efforts will change over 5,500 physically disabled people forever.  What an amazing accomplishment.  And now they are working on container # 11.


I am so proud of my home town!