When flooded-out Henry County residents evacuated their homes by boat, they were limited in what they could bring. The few items of clothing they had were wet and muddy.
“Laundry was an immediate need,” noted Henry Township Trustee Travis Lyall.
Lyall heard that a mobile laundry unit was on the way, but it was quickly diverted to Cambridge City, which was facing a greater need. He knew he needed to procure laundry cards for the people who were turning to his office for help.
He reached out to the Henry County Community Foundation (HCCF) for assistance. Because of generous donors giving to flood relief, HCCF provided immediate assistance in the form of reimbursement for laundry cards.
“The diversion of the mobile laundry unit ended up being a blessing, because even though it was free, there were only six washers and dryers,” Lyall explained. “The laundry cards were more convenient and allowed people to take care of laundry on their own time schedules.”
The generosity didn’t stop with donor-funded laundry cards. Family-owned laundromat Ladybug Laundry stepped up and matched the gift card amounts. They not only doubled the amount of laundry that flood-impacted community members could do, they provided a welcoming and comforting setting where they could clean and dry their laundry.
Ladybug Laundry Owner/CEO Logan Wuethrich owns 14 locations across the state, with the vision of turning the routine chore of laundry into an exceptional experience. He faced his own challenges, as five of his locations in Northwest Indiana were without power for an extended period. In the midst of these challenges, he looked to one of the company’s core values: “People Before Profit.”
“When New Castle was hit with flooding, and I recognized the displacement and damage occurring, I called both the city and the county to find out who was spearheading relief efforts so we could get our resources to the right people,” Wuethrich shared.
He referenced Proverbs 3:27: “When it is in your power, don’t withhold good from the one to whom it belongs,” and James 2:15 “If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, stay warm, and be well fed’ but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it?.”
“It was ultimately our joyful responsibility to provide what we had to care for our neighbors,” he concluded. He credits his team for going above and beyond to work with local leaders to provide extra on-site help when the community needed them most.
Ladybug Laundry was not the only company that stepped up to serve during flood relief efforts. Travis Lyall noted that most of New Castle’s pizza restaurants donated food to residents who were displaced, along with several other restaurants including McDonalds, Temptations, and Lee’s Chicken. Other companies who donated to the Trustee’s office directly were Rural King, Meijer’s in Anderson, Armstrong Farms, and Becker Farms.
“The list is infinite, there were many others,” Lyall said. “The town really came together when we needed to. Everyone stopped what they were doing and helped with flood relief.”
HCCF also received donations from companies and organizations including Eastwood Elementary School Students; United HealthCare Services, Inc.; The Duke Energy Foundation; Citizen’s State Bank Employees; Henry County Concert Series; Blue & Co. Foundation, Inc.; Henry County Republicans Central Committee; Henry County GOP Club; Castle Nails; Perfect Circle Credit Union; Eastern Indiana Federal Credit Union; McGowan Insurance Group; Tampa Jay; Star Financial Bank; and Norfolk Southern.
“We are continually amazed by the philanthropy of the business community,” expressed Jennifer Fox, HCCF’s President and Executive Director. “Their focus on the greater good leads us all to look for ways to serve our neighbors.”
The Henry County Community Foundation continues to accept donations for ongoing flood recovery efforts– https://henryccf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=1142