Ozarks Alive

A new roof can be cause for celebration.

I felt this a few nights ago when I got an email from Chief Maurice "Moe" Anna of the Cedarcreek Fire Protection District. A few months ago, I wrote about the very rural department's efforts to raise money (and grow volunteers) to help support the small department in rural Taney County, Missouri.

One of their biggest physical needs was a new roof for the firehouse, which is housed in the community's former school. The district closed in the early 1990s, and today houses the fire department and the Cedarcreek Resale Shop. Generally open on Saturdays, it helps raise money for the department and is a resource for community members in need.

The roof was a big financial lift for the small department, but crucial: If the roof went, so would the fire department's home and their main way of making money. A monthly social was started at a nearby church — both as a way to bring people together in the isolated area, and to take donations for the project.

It felt like a big thing to make happen — but they did it. In his email, Chief Moe told me work was happening on the roof this week.

Today, I got to see it for myself. The project ended up costing around $39,000 and most of it was gathered through donations. $8,000 or a little less came from savings, but now they hope to raise that back to restore the balance as it was before.

Of course, there are always more goals ahead. In Chief Moe's case, he wishes — as I'm sure do many other rural fire departments — that more folks would consider volunteering.

Cedarcreek has a department of about eight members, with five over age 65. Four are able to actively fight fires. "The others will help with the pumps and handle the hoses, which is just as important," the chief told me.

"It takes a team."

Yes, it does. It takes a team — a community — to make change. This moment is a reminder of the good that can happen when people come together — even in small places, and even when the task feels daunting. It’s together that projects are made possible, we help create the world in which we wish to live, and we are reminded of the good in our neighbors.

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