Dear editor:
A few weeks ago, more history was made at the already historic Trinity Memorial Church in Warren. It took the form of what my wife and I refer to as a "Warren County Moment." Such a moment occurs when the basic goodness, warmth and caring humanity of Warren County is manifested in a dynamic way. That's exactly what happened at Trinity on the evening of a fund-raising event to support the medical needs of Ryan Anthony Sorensen, our grandson.
People who don't even know us joined with friends and family to put on an event that, quite frankly, overwhelmed. A check for three-thousand dollars was recently forwarded to Ryan, his mom and dad in Raleigh, North Carolina, but the whole story is far more impactful than dollars and cents.
When the Times Observer carried Ryan's story, the Help Cavalry started its charge. Offers of assistance came from every organizational quarter and from Tidioute through Warren to Sheffield. Other churches helped out generously with loving support. Banks and employee groups, small businesses, dentists and doctors, horse ranchers all donated to the gift basket auction. A couple of people simply walked into Trinity and offered items for the gift basket auction. Never saw them before, haven't seen them since, but we'd like to. In addition to judging meatballs for the spaghetti dinner portion of the evening, columnist and friend Fran Fry also pronounced our sister-in-law's pineapple upside down cake the best he'd ever had. Incidentally, the Best Meatball winner was Randy Swanson. Only in America could a Swedish Chef win a prize for the best Italian meatballs at an Episcopal Church. Ya' gotta love it.
The backbone of this wonderful evening was Father Matthew Scott and our Trinity Church Family. Whether you cooked, sold auction tickets, helped organize of offered prayerful or financial support, you have our heartfelt gratitude. You all showed that real Trinity Spirit. The same sincere thanks go to my wife's family members who traveled from Erie to help. A major thank-you goes to all those individuals who gave of their time, talent and treasure. They all came together for something far more meaningful than a team effort. They made it a family gathering. With deepest gratitude and most sincere prayers of thanksgiving, we thank everyone who in any way helped a tiny infant.
As for Ryan, the ups and down continue. Dire warnings from Duke Medical staff are offset a day later by words like "optimism." Our prayers continue. Again, thank-you, all.
Dick and Mary Klancher
Tidioute