As of July 24, the Tornado Disaster Relief Fund has received a total of $1.02 million in donations through the Matching Grant Challenge issued by Christian businessman Foster Friess on May 23 through Red Cedar Church. The Tornado Disaster Relief Fund was created to benefit victims of the May 16 EF3 tornado that devastated parts of Barron County.
"Our Christian faith tells us that whatever breaks God’s heart should also break our hearts,” Foster Friess said. “It was a pretty easy decision to see that these hard-working folks needed some encouragement, and I am so impressed how this community has come together with such widespread generosity. Our family is advancing the $650,000 in hopes it will encourage even more donations by the year-end deadline."
To date, over 700 individuals and organizations from across the country have participated in the match, which continues through December 31, 2017. Donations by check should be made out to Red Cedar Church with “Tornado Relief” in the subject line or can be given online at redcedarchurch.com.
Red Cedar Church organized a Long Term Recovery Council to assist in developing plans for fund disbursement. Members of the Long Term Recovery Council include representatives from the Barron County Sherriff’s Department, Barron County Health and Human Services, Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul, Mosaic Telecom, Maranatha Evangelical Free Church, Living Water Lutheran Church and Red Cedar Church.
“Our community has come together in an unprecedented way to show victims of the May tornado that they are not alone – that we stand with them in even the hardest of moments,” Red Cedar Church Outreach & Spiritual Formation Director Ashley Rayment said. “At Red Cedar, we want every tornado victim to feel the love of their community and the love of Jesus Christ through these generous gifts.”
With a focus on supporting housing needs for May 16 tornado victims, the funds will be used for Barron County residents in four primary areas:
- Financial support for housing solutions for those who had their primary residence totaled due to the tornado;
- Financial support to those who need some assistance for repairs beyond what insurance covered for damage to their primary residence;
- Financial assistance for landlords who were actively leasing a home in Prairie Lake Estates that was damaged or totaled in the storm to re-invest in another rental home or property in Barron County; and
- Support for clean-up and improvements at Prairie Lake Estates, including the possibilities of a community building, playground and cement pads.
“The Long Term Recovery Council has worked hard to develop a plan that focuses our community’s donations directly on those who were most impacted by the May tornado,” Barron County Sherriff Chris Fitzgerald said. “Our people’s generosity is one of the things that makes our County great. We are Barron County proud.”
The application process will open on Wednesday, July 26, 2017. The application will be online at redcedarchurch.com and available at the church during normal business hours beginning July 26.
A team of volunteer financial coaches from local churches and nonprofits will be working with eligible grant recipients to determine needs and will help build a plan to meet those needs.
The application window will be open until September 26, 2017. In order to provide for a reasonable and equitable distribution of funds, assistance will be provided on a first come, first serve basis. All grants are contingent upon the availability of funds.
In addition, the Tornado Relief Fund is supporting the purchase of new furniture for 20 impacted families in partnership with St. Vincent de Paul, additional community clean-up activities, and gatherings for storm victims.
Red Cedar Church exists to lead people to a full life in Jesus Christ and believes that “Everybody’s Welcome, Nobody’s Perfect and Anything’s Possible.” The church is located in Rice Lake, Wisc. and holds weekly services at 6:30 pm Saturdays and at 9 and 11 am on Sundays. Red Cedar Church is a 501(c)3 organization and is accredited through the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability for its financial standards. More information can be found at redcedarchurch.com
Last Update: Aug 26, 2017 3:39 pm CDT
