St. Ansgar's Cemetery Disaster Fund
Tax deductible
On September 20th high winds, heavy rain and several small tornados hit the town of Cannon Falls in Southern Minnesota. One of the locations with the most damage is the St. Ansgar’s Lutheran Church cemetery. This historic “pioneer” cemetery was created in 1876 and deeded to St Ansgar’s in 1878. It contains 277 grave sites, including seven Veteran grave sites and 8 “unknown” sites of early origin.
Over 50 towering oaks and cedar trees provided a beautiful landscape. Virtually every tree was toppled or severely damaged. Members of the church have held four work days to begin clearing branches and inspecting the grave stones for damage. Miraculously there is limited damage to most stones.
At this time, expert tree removal services must be hired to carefully clear these trees and remove the stumps without causing damage to any of the grave sites. The financial estimate to clean up the cemetery is $38,000. Property insurance will only cover the damage to physical property which is limited to the fence around the cemetery. Each grave site is owned by a family. St. Ansgar’s goal is to renew the cemetery and assist families who’s loved ones resting place has been damaged.
“The cemetery is a place of comfort and stillness. It is where we can rest with our loved ones who have passed and pray with God to bring comfort to our hearts. The St. Ansgar’s cemetery serves in a very special role for our church and our Cannon Falls community as being a restful and ministry place.” Because of the storm damage, when a loved one dies here in the next few months, while we are in the process of cleaning up, the cemetery we will need to take extra care to make sure that the ministry needs can be fulfilled in the comforting setting of St. Ansgar’s cemetery.
All the money raised by this fundraiser will be used to:
1) Pay for the professional removal of trees and stumps without damaging grave sites.
2) Assist grave site owners who have damaged stones and memorials.
3) Plant trees to begin the rebuilding process and make this cemetery a place of comfort and rest again.
Thank you for your consideration in assisting with this recovery project.
https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2018/09/21/storm-damage-schools-closed-tornado-cannon-falls-owtonna-northfield-faribault/
Over 50 towering oaks and cedar trees provided a beautiful landscape. Virtually every tree was toppled or severely damaged. Members of the church have held four work days to begin clearing branches and inspecting the grave stones for damage. Miraculously there is limited damage to most stones.
At this time, expert tree removal services must be hired to carefully clear these trees and remove the stumps without causing damage to any of the grave sites. The financial estimate to clean up the cemetery is $38,000. Property insurance will only cover the damage to physical property which is limited to the fence around the cemetery. Each grave site is owned by a family. St. Ansgar’s goal is to renew the cemetery and assist families who’s loved ones resting place has been damaged.
“The cemetery is a place of comfort and stillness. It is where we can rest with our loved ones who have passed and pray with God to bring comfort to our hearts. The St. Ansgar’s cemetery serves in a very special role for our church and our Cannon Falls community as being a restful and ministry place.” Because of the storm damage, when a loved one dies here in the next few months, while we are in the process of cleaning up, the cemetery we will need to take extra care to make sure that the ministry needs can be fulfilled in the comforting setting of St. Ansgar’s cemetery.
All the money raised by this fundraiser will be used to:
1) Pay for the professional removal of trees and stumps without damaging grave sites.
2) Assist grave site owners who have damaged stones and memorials.
3) Plant trees to begin the rebuilding process and make this cemetery a place of comfort and rest again.
Thank you for your consideration in assisting with this recovery project.
https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2018/09/21/storm-damage-schools-closed-tornado-cannon-falls-owtonna-northfield-faribault/
Organizer
AnnMarie Otto
Organizer
Cannon Falls, MN
St Ansgars Lutheran Church
Registered nonprofit
Donations are typically 100% tax deductible in the US.
