Aryn Henning Nichols

There was a sense of connection as Dan Christianson nailed the final pieces of siding to Miss Francis’ new house near Boone, North Carolina. Dan and his wife, Sherri, of West Salem, Wisconsin, were part of a 10-person relief team from Bethany Free Church of La Crosse that headed to storm-tossed western North Carolina in November of 2025. They spent one week helping with rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Helene devastated the area in the fall of 2024. 

Floodwaters had ripped up huge chunks of road and tossed houses into the swirling morass like toys. Entire sections of towns had been swept away. The storm carved deep scars into the landscape as well as the hearts of its people.

But this had become a time of rebirth for these people and their communities. They proved to be strong and resilient, and waves of support and assistance poured in from across the nation.  In fact, the outpouring was so great that Bethany Church, which had originally fielded four teams, had to wait almost six months for just one slot to open up. 

“People were here from Texas, California – from all over,” says Dan, a veteran of over 14 relief missions including Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the local Rushford, Minnesota flood of 2007.  The last five years have found him in Bogota, Columbia, helping to build a children’s home with Bangor, Wisconsin-based Children’s Vision, and refurbishing a building at a Christian college in Colorado. 

For Dan and his teammate, David Paudler of Brice Prairie, Wisconsin, this was their second trip to the stricken area. The first was just a few weeks after the hurricane tore through the state. “Everywhere you looked you saw trees down,” says Dan, recalling that trip. “We drove along the river outside of Asheville and saw places where houses just weren’t there anymore.” Back then, the work required tree cutting, brush removal, and tarping roofs. David recalls people living in houses with buckets placed under holes in the roof. 

In the immediate aftermath of the storm, Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian relief organization led by Franklin Graham and headquartered in Boone, North Carolina, coordinated much of the rescue activity. It organized the largest civilian airlift in U.S. history with well over 200 helicopter flights dropping supplies. Grieving survivors found comfort in the counsel and prayers from Samaritans Purse chaplains who accompanied relief teams. Now, the organization coordinates much of the rebuilding effort, which some estimate could take as long as five years.

Even a year later, when the Bethany Free Church team arrived, evidence of the storm was still visible, with cars and debris marking the riverbanks and huge, lumbering machinery restoring the roads. “It was eerie to see all the destroyed homes,” says Lisa Cochlin of Onalaska, who joined the Bethany group with her husband, Paul. “There’s no way to rebuild on some of these sites.” 

“You just can’t understand what these people went through,” Paul adds. “You don’t realize what it means when your house is underwater.” 

While in Boone, the Bethany team, with an average volunteer age of 68 years, slept at a local church and took meals from a mobile kitchen outside. Under the direction of Samaritan’s Purse, the group got to work quickly, tearing down sheds, cleaning up debris, and filling dumpsters before finally moving on to home repairs.

At Miss Francis’ worksite, Dan and Paul nailed siding while Sherri and Lisa taped off windows, washed mud from the house, and prepared the exterior for painting. This was a change for Sherri, who originally planned to volunteer as a cook, as she did with Hurricane Katrina relief.  “I had to leave my comfort zone,” says Sherri. “I was not used to ladders. Then they would say, ‘go down to the stream and get a bucket of water to clean your paintbrush.’ I don’t normally do stuff like that.”

Brian Martz, along with Doug and Jolene Williams, all from Onalaska, worked with David Paudler at a different location where a young mother lived in a camper with her four children and grandma. Jolene was moved at the sight of most the family’s personal possessions still laying outside under a tarp. She connected with the young mom, helping with the difficult task of sorting through beloved family possessions.

As the week progressed, the team found that volunteering with Samaritan’s Purse meant more than just clean up and construction. “Samaritan’s Purse rebuilds people as well as it rebuilds houses,” says Dan. “People come first,” echoes Sherri. “If anyone wants to talk, we stop and listen.”  

So, when the 84-year-old Miss Francis recounted her story, they listened. Miss Francis had sheltered in her home when the storm hit. Initially rebuffing her brother’s suggestion to evacuate, she later acquiesced and he picked her up in his car. Then came the floods. Afterward, when authorities allowed them to return, Miss Francis found that floodwaters reached several feet above her countertops. “She lost everything except for a few clothes,” says Sherri. “If she had stayed…,” her voice trailed off.

After the group finished work on the house, Paul led everyone in a final prayer for Miss Francis and her new home. “Miss Francis was very emotional, grateful and crying,” adds Lisa. “She must have given us 20 or 30 thank-yous.”

As the volunteers returned home, thoughts often turned to their own lives. “You hear about people going through trials and you learn compassion,” says Paul. “If we don’t have compassion and love, who are we?”

For Brian, the work felt really important. And the camaraderie and connection among the volunteers made an especially lasting impact. “There was a lot of bonding with other team members,” he says. And as he listened to retirees who volunteered regularly with Samaritan’s Purse, an idea took shape. “I’m getting close to retirement so I might do it more,” he says. “It gives me a reason for living.”

Greg Kirscher

Greg Kirscher is a La Crosse based writer focusing mostly on faith issues and church events. He is also a photographer focusing mostly on his 14 grandchildren.

People interested in assisting or giving to Samaritans Purse can connect with them at samaritanspurse.org. Or helping through Bethany Free Church at bethanychurchlax.org

“Quirky and happy, that’s every day at The Lemon Door,” says Melodie Betts, owner of the eclectic coffee house located in Fennimore, Wisconsin, that offers fresh, fast fare, and elevated catering.

As an adult, Melodie lived primarily in Wisconsin, but moved to Montana, where she was born, to be close to relatives. She met and married her husband, but not long after, lost him to a mine accident. 

“It was time for a change,” says Melodie. “Moving back to Wisconsin, with the encouragement of friends, helped me decide this is where I needed to be. I looked all over the state for the right property that ticked all the boxes.”

She found what she was looking for in a building in Fennimore and made the purchase in 2017. Over the next two years, Melodie slowly worked to remodel both the upstairs living space and the lower-level shop, although she was unsure what would occupy that space.

Over time, the idea for a coffee shop formed. Melodie saw a need in the community, and, having worked in the service industry on and off since she was 14, she decided to give it a go.

“At the time, there was no coffee shop on a highway for over a 50-mile radius,” Melodie says. “No one doing fresh sandwiches or salads that you could build your own, with locally sourced items. I vowed not to duplicate what anyone else was doing in the area. I worked with so many wonderful people to get the doors open.”

The Lemon Door, located on Lincoln Avenue, opened to the public in June of 2019. True to its quirk, the business name was inspired by a randomly assigned Yahoo password from the 90s.

Customers at The Lemon Door walk in, grab a menu, and then circle items they’d like on their sandwiches or salads, with many fresh and from-scratch ingredients.

“That way they get exactly what they want, so when people ask if we have specials, I tell them everything is, because you make it!” says Melodie.

Much of Melodie’s inspiration for her space came from The General Store in Spring Green, one of her favorite places in Wisconsin. Open since 1976, The General Store is half cafe, half general store, with lunch served Thursday-Sunday, and breakfast on the weekends. Melodie has fond memories of visiting for breakfast in the 1990s.

“The Sunday State Journal would be scattered with everyone reading and exchanging sections, making comments on what we’d read. I loved it and that memory stuck with me,” Melodie says.

Melodie inherited an appreciation for all things food from her mother. Both her parents were born during the depression, and taught Melodie the basics early: Use everything, no wasting, and be creative. That creative, ingenious spirit shines through at The Lemon Door.

“I wanted it to be eclectic, full of color, kid friendly, and welcoming,” says Melodie, who also set up a tourist information counter and rack in the shop to help promote the Driftless area, with fun The Lemon Door branded stickers as well. 

“There really isn’t anywhere to pick up information on the area. And every new person who comes in gets a sticker. If they are traveling, I give extra. Each year I give out 1000 stickers!”

The Lemon Door was met with an outpouring of community support when it opened in 2019. When COVID hit, Melodie, like everyone, was worried about the future. “I didn’t know what was going to happen, and the ugly crying of the day we closed had an uncertainty I’ve never felt before,” Melodie says.

But the community rallied. “People bought gift certificates, sent money, dropped off envelopes without names,” she says. “It was so unexpected, but they wanted to see me reopen.”

So The Lemon Door adopted an online ordering system, switched over from dishes to paper for curbside pickup, and got through a year in that manner. Melodie was grateful for the strong community ties of Fennimore.

“This community cares about each other without need for recognition,” Melodie says. “We reach out if someone is in need or has fallen on hard times and give what we can.”

Melodie also added another income source to get through those hard times then and in the future. She applied for grants, with the help of the local chamber and her bank, and was able to introduce a catering option.

“I picked the type of catering that wasn’t offered in the area and ran with it,” Melodie says. “At holidays I offer cheeseballs, grazing boxes, and dip trios. Lots of grazing trays, party carry-outs, and build your own sandwich set ups.”

Melodie says her favorite part of building this business has been the people she’s met and bonded with over the years, coming in day after day to partake in The Lemon Door’s welcoming space. She also says her two part-time employees are a huge part of that warm environment.

“I don’t like the word ‘boss’, I tell them, ‘We work together, we are co-workers,’” she says. “I can’t do it without them. I have the best people ever. If they’re happy, so are the customers.”

And happy people are at the heart of what Melodie has built. She wants the community – and the travelers who pass through – to experience all the quirky fun that’s to be had at The Lemon Door in Fennimore.  

Tallitha Reese

Tallitha Reese is a freelance writer and content manager based in Cashton, WI. She owns Words By Reese and you can find out more about her and her work at www.wordsbyreese.com.

The Lemon Door serves breakfast & lunch Tues-Fri from 8am-2pm & Sat from 9am-1pm. You can also call 608-822-0002 or visit the-lemon-door.square.site to order.

The Mississippi River is not just a geographical boundary for the city of La Crosse, Wisconsin; it’s also its pride and joy. Boaters, paddlers, anglers, and bird enthusiasts visit La Crosse every year to enjoy its waters. Much of the community’s identity revolves around its natural beauty – a majestic landscape of bluffs and rivers. 

That’s why preservation of the Mississippi, and adjacent waterways, has become the mission of River Clean Up (RCU), a dedicated group of volunteers that has been cleaning area rivers for more than three decades

RCU was co-founded in La Crosse by residents Russ Wilson and Wayne Ellefson. Russ, a former Wisconsin State Game Warden, was painfully aware of the pollution impacting the area’s rivers, destroying habitats and poisoning the water that plants and wildlife rely on. His first attempt at a group cleanup in 1992 drew only his colleagues. Afterward, Russ consulted with his friend, Wayne, who has a background in marketing, on how to make a bigger impact on the community. “I agreed to help him get the volunteers and the rest is history – going on 33 years!” says Wayne. “We wanted to make an event that volunteers would want to come to every year and tell their friends about.”

RCU’s cleanup efforts have definitely grown, drawing helpers from across the community. In 2025, they had more than 580 volunteers participate in their two annual clean up events: Community River Clean Up Day (always the Saturday before Mother’s Day; 2026’s date is May 9), and Corporate River Clean Up Day.

“When a local company reached out, wanting to have their employees volunteer, we got the idea to start the annual corporate day clean up for businesses,” says Wayne, sharing that last year’s corporate day drew more than 200 volunteers from area businesses. 

Cleanup events are big undertakings, needing all those volunteers. Boaters and walkers remove trash from the water and shorelines, working along the main channel of the Mississippi, as well as the La Crosse River, Black River, the local marsh, and many backwaters. Volunteers are spread out among local landings (Clinton Street West Landing, 7th Street Landing, Goose Island West Landing, or Fred Funk Landing on Brice Prairie), given trash bags, and put to work. They return to their landing with the trash so it can be disposed of properly. 

In the early days – when railroad traffic was more abundant – cleanup crews sometimes found containers of toxic waste in the river. Though this isn’t typical these days, RCU still finds a lot of large, discarded items such as appliances, barrels, tires, water heaters, propane tanks, bikes, car parts, and more. In 2025, they removed more than 30,000 pounds of trash, recycled more than 200 barrels and nearly 50 tires, and disposed of a massive amount of non-renewable plastic.“The secret to River Clean Up’s longevity is its narrow vision and wide impact,” says RCU committee member Sam Przywojski. “We gather 500+ of our closest friends for one weekend and reap the benefits all year long.” 

Sam also attributes the success of the group to the community’s deep connection to the river and its local tributaries. “To live in this area is to benefit from the beauty, resources and economic benefit of these unique features of our planet,” he says. “Our community is located here because of the river, our families are here because of the river, and many businesses are supported by the river. There is a natural inclination to reciprocate and RCU provides that opportunity for the people of the Coulee Region.” 

Despite the large amount of work that goes into cleanup events, the organization is entirely volunteer-run. Currently, a small committee of five – David Abts, Wayne Ellefson, Chris O’Hearn, Sam Przywojski, Russ Wilson – oversees events and donations. RCU operates under the fiscal sponsorship of La Crosse Neighborhoods, Inc, a 501(c)3 public charity, and all donations go directly toward RCU operating costs: trash disposal, safety measures, Clean Up event logistics, and recycling fees.

RCU is also available on-call, and has helped clean up abandoned structures and watercrafts, too. For example, when they learned of a mess about 20 miles south of La Crosse, with docks and other materials left abandoned, RCU volunteers tracked down the family of the deceased owner, and a team was able to go in and remove the waste and debris. Another time, they were contacted by landowners to help coordinate the removal and disposal of a sunken boat. 

It’s not just the clean up of large items that matters, though. One of the most important ways people can protect the Mississippi and its surrounding waters is to not litter, says Wayne. Another is to be prepared to clean up, even on your own. “Always have a trash bag in any boat you’re taking out on the river,” suggests Wayne. This simple act is an easy way to help with the pollution problem. 

And a problem it is. Since 1993, RCU has removed nearly 900,000 pounds of trash from area waterways. Wayne knows that overall enjoyment of the river is significantly increased because of these efforts. “Our local beaches are so much cleaner for everyone to enjoy,” says Wayne. He also knows that RCU’s work has improved life downstream, ensuring that this waste never traveled further south to impact the lives of those who enjoy life along the Mississippi. “That trash did not make it down river to spoil it for those people,” Wayne says. 

Even after 33 years, River Clean Up’s mission to keep local waterways clean, beautiful, and healthy is going strong. As committee member Sam says, “River Clean Up is a small but mighty force to preserve this area’s splendor.”

Sara Walters

Sara Walters is based in La Crosse and has been a contributor to Inspire(d) since 2018.

The next Community Clean Up Day is planned for Saturday, May 9, 2026. Find details at rivercleanuplacrosse.com.