Groesbeck-area residents to help rebuild Iowa Scout camp

An artist's drawing depicts the chapel that will be rebuilt at Little Sioux Boy Scout Ranch near Little Sioux, Iowa. Participating in the 9/11 project will be representatives of Groesbeck Rebuilds America in conjunction with New York Says Thank You. Courtesy illustration This past weekend and early this week some 15 to 20 Groesbeck area people left this community for Little Sioux, Iowa, to participate in the 9/11 anniversary rebuild project.

The local folks taking part in this worthwhile endeavor are members of Groesbeck Rebuild America. The actual dates of this year's 9/11 project is September 3 through September 6.

The annual 9/11 rebuild project is sponsored nationally by The New York Says Thank You Foundation. The mission of this foundation is to help rebuild communities affected by disaster as a way of saying "thank you" for all the love and support Americans from across the country extended to New Yorkers in the days, weeks, and months following September 11, 2001.

The Groesbeck delegation will be joining the New York Firefighters and people from throughout the nation in Iowa.

This is the second year that Groesbeck Rebuilds America has traveled to participate in a 9/11 rebuilding project. Last year, the group went to Greensburg, Kansas.

Only two years ago, the 9/11 rebuilding project was right here in Groesbeck when friends from New York and other places traveled to Limestone County, Texas, to help rebuild the Eva and James Vincent home. The home was destroyed when a tornado hit the area on December 29, 2006. One of several veterans who lived at the Vincent home was killed in the tornado.

As stated previously, this year, the Groesbeck folks will joined the New Yorkers and others in Little Sioux, Iowa, to perform a similar mission.

On June 11, 2008, a F3 tornado tore through the Little Sioux Scout Camp northeast of Omaha killing four young Eagle Scouts participating in a leadership training weekend.

The storm injured dozens. In the devastating aftermath, stories of incredible heroism arose from the destruction as children rescued children, pulling one another from the rubble while performing live-saving first aid.

During the Iowa 9//11 anniversary, FDNY firefighters including survivors of the World Trade Center attacks, the Groesbeck people and other will attempt to raise the spirits of the Little Sioux tornado as they work shoulder-toshoulder with the young Scouts and their families to help rebuild the camp and erect a Chapel on the foundation of the structure where the four boys were lost. This very special will be built with timbers salvaged from the tornado, literally transforming the devastation into something full of hope.

Little Sioux Scout Camp is a facility which hosts many National Boy Scouts events.

Fourteen separate projects will be included in this 9/11 Anniversary rebuild events including the chapel build, trail construction, chapel accessories, benches, obstacle course, observation deck, picnic table, facility painting, prairie and tree reforestation, administration building upgrades, National 9/11 Flag Quilting, Aaron Eilerts service projects, Stars of Hope, and Welcome Center Flag plaza.

The Groesbeck group will take several benches that have already been made with them for the bench project. The local group again will be participating in the Star of Hope project as it did last year, and several from Groesbeck also plan to again take part in the National 9/11 Flag Quilting Project as they did last year in Greensburg, Kansas.

Groesbeck Rebuild America conducted some fund raising projects during the year to help finance this year's trip, and the group extends thanks to the people of Groesbeck, Limestone County, and the area for this assistance.