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Christian farmer organization coordinates Greensburg recovery eBy Jennifer M. Latzke Gary Overley, a farmer from Stockton, Kan., knows firsthand the devastation a tornado can leave behind. In 1985 he survived a tornado sweeping through his family's farmstead. From that point on, Overley decided that if he was in a position to repay the generosity of those neighbors who helped his family, he'd do so. On the evening of May 4, Overley was watching the television coverage of the Greensburg tornado and he knew that he could help the farmers and ranchers affected. Through his membership in the Fellowship of Christian Farmers, International Overley was able to pay back that long ago generosity. When tornadoes demolished the town and surrounding community of Greensburg, Kan., May 4 and 5, many volunteer organizations were quick to respond to the survivors. One such organization was the Fellowship of Christian Farmers, International. FCFI was immediately on the scene to coordinate volunteer efforts of its members and the needs of the surrounding farm families hit by the storm. Dennis Schlagel, FCFI executive director, said that the organization began lining up fence building, trash removal and tree cutting crews from various states from its motor coach parked near Barclay Bible College in Haviland. Overley, himself, drove to the Macksville area right after the tornado hit, intending only to work for a day. He ended up staying and working for three. "After three days, I had to come back home and change clothes," Overley said. Schlagel asked Overley if he could be a scout for the FCFI on the ground and coordinate volunteers with farmers and ranchers who needed help. Most important of all, is the FCFI mission to have a personal farmer-to-farmer connection, Overley said. As he was coordinating volunteers, he knew that farmers and ranchers would be more than willing to volunteer their time and talents to help other farmers pick up the pieces. For the past month hundreds of volunteers from Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Illinois and Louisiana have been on the ground walking fields and building fence, said Overley. A group of ranchers, from the Vermillion Parish Cattlemen, Abbeville, La., even traveled to Greensburg to re-pay the kindness many Kansas ranchers showed them following the destruction from Hurricane Rita and Katrina. They helped build four and a half miles of fence on the Gary and Rita Stimate farm south of Macksville, May 16 to 19, Schlagel said. The Memorial Day weekend holiday brought many volunteers out, Overley said. "We had 50 people come to work, from a Lutheran church in Kensington, and some from Phillipsburg and Smith Center," he said. "These church people, instead of going to the lake for the holiday, came out and helped build fence. We had high school teenagers and adults building fence. Another group from Holstein, Neb., a group of farmers, brought tractors and a digger." More volunteers, from all over, brought fencing supplies and equipment with them and walked wheat fields, picking up debris before the equipment moved through for harvest. "All the wheat fields have been walked before harvest," Overley said. "But, there are still miles of fence that needs to be fixed." It's a month after the tornadoes hit, and a lot has been accomplished toward bringing farmers and ranchers back to normalcy. However, there's still a lot of recovery work that needs to be done. FCFI has no set timeline as to how long they'll have a presence in the community. "Farmers don't really have a timeline to get the job done," Overley said. "We may be here on into summer." Overley, himself, had to return back to his farm to gear up for wheat harvest, but he's still wrangling volunteers with area county emergency response coordinators via phone. "What we really need, is people," Overley said. "Our work is free, but we need volunteers that can bring wire and posts and build fence. We need fencing supplies and manpower. "There's a need for fence to be built south of Greensburg, along Highway 183," Overley continued. The overall goal, for FCFI, is to bring the farm families in the Greensburg area some relief. "I listen to the people that we help and they're just so thankful for our help because they want a normal day to get back on their tractor and farm," Overley said. "Over Memorial Day, we helped a lady pick up her yard so that she could mow and she kept saying that if she could just mow her yard she could have some peace of mind. "Jesus and the Bible say it's more blessed to give than to receive," Overley continued. "You know, farmers can work as a team and accomplish a big job. Most folks had such a job of building fence and picking up metal and twigs, that it was too big for themselves to handle." For more information on how you and your neighbors can help farmers and ranchers recover in the Greensburg area, call Gary Overley at 308-380-9077, or visit the FCFI website at www.fcfi.org. Jennifer M. Latzke can be reached by phone at 620-227-1807, or by e-mail at jlatzke@hpj.com. 6/18/07 3 Star CO
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