Indiana town aids La Grange recovery
Pastor finds friendship, compassion to go with donation of $43,656.
Jonathan Smith, pastor of First Baptist Church in La Grange, accepted a check for nearly $45,000 on Sunday from a community 1,300 miles away.
But when he visited LaGrange, Ind., a town with a population of around 2,700, he learned that compassion cannot be measured by money alone.
During a four-day stay, Smith met with teachers and students from the Lakeland School Corporation school district, city leaders and residents who wanted to help people affected by flooding from Hurricane Harvey.
The two small towns have more in common than their similar name, Smith said. Both are surrounded by rolling hills, have similar socioeconomic backgrounds and strong commitments to helping people in need.
“They even had the same number of Mexican restaurants as we do in La Grange,” he said.
Smith spent part of his trip with Lauren Harris, a teacher at Lakeland Middle School and chief organizer of multiple fund drives that raised $43,656 for flood victims. The check was made out to the La Grange Area Ministerial Alliance Good Shepherd Fund for disaster relief.
Harris said her town kept Smith busy the entire weekend. He spoke to four middle school classes, showed students photos of his town in shambles and talked about the volunteers who helped families displaced by the floods.
Smith was also co-grand marshal of LaGrange’s homecoming parade, tossing candy from his pedi-cab. He spoke on the radio broadcast of the football game. He met leaders of the chamber of commerce and talked with members at the First Church of God.
LaGrange schools were responsible for $30,758 of the money raised. There was $10,448 donated from Sunday church services and $1,250 from the chamber of commerce. Another $500 came from a town workshop and $700 from private donations.
Smith and Harris shared a story about a 12-year-old autistic boy named C.J. who attended a church service Sunday.
“As soon as the collection plate went past him, he went to go get it,” Harris said. “He pulled out his wallet and took out $2. He would later say the relief fund was more important than the candy he intended to buy.”