Rose's Restoration Project Seeks Internet Support
The CCC/POW
restoration project has three phases:
Phase 1 — Foundation, doors, some recreational equipment, beginnings of a museum.
Phase 2 — Roof, windows and restoring the fireplace.
Phase 3 — Interior work, security system and museum.
Pepsi has a $5,000 grant, but to get it
voters must go online
By Fritz Polt
The Record
Asst. News Editor
Little did Emily Rose know that so much interest and support would flood in after she rolled up her sleeves for her restoration project.
Since September of 2008 Emily, the 18 year-old home-schooled daughter of Gary and Becky Rose from rural Conrad, has been working on fixing up the Civilian Conservation Corps/Prisoner of War recreation hall building at the Hardin County Fairgrounds. With the first of a three-phase plan completed, Emily is now seeking a grant from Pepsi to help with the other two phases.
In the past Pepsi had used $3 million to advertise during the Super Bowl, but this year opted to use that money to fund the grant program that Emily is trying to win via the Internet.
“The $5,000 would help fix the windows and roof that was damaged after the hail storm that hit us last summer,” Emily said. “The money would also go and help replace the fireplace that needs to be repaired. I think it is wonderful that Pepsi decided to make a difference.”
Helping Emily get that $5,000 grant is only a few mouse clicks away.
For those looking to lend Emily a hand, an individual simply has to go to www.refresheverything.com/index, click on the education tab on the screen, scroll down the page (there may be a need to click on the load more option at the bottom of the page) until you come across the “Restore the only CCC/POW rec hall in the U.S., using county youth.” When you click on that link, you then can read a thumbnail review of the project and what the money will be used for.
But the best part is that those looking to help are not handcuffed to just voting once. If a person wants to lend their voice and vote for Emily’s project, they will have to sign in, but they can vote up to 10 times a day. To vote that many times a person will have to log out and re-log in, but they can help stuff the ballot box for Emily’s cause.
But time is short, as the voting ends on March 31.
For Emily, who plans on attending Maranatha Baptist Bible College in Watertown, Wis. to study elementary education with a minor in speech and drama, the project has taken a life of its own since she decided to do the project.
“The camp was built in the 30s during the depression,” Emily said. “I am restoring the rec hall and in World War II it housed German and Italian POWs. It was not like a Japanese interment camp.”
In fact, it was the curiosity of one former prisoner’s sons that lead Emily to direct contact with the prisoner, Gerhard Sander. While at the camp, Sander worked on the Vogt farm by Reinbeck, where the POW’s helped bring in the harvest.
“He was captured on D-Day and was here,” Emily said. “His son wanted to know if the camp was still around and the Eldora Postmaster received those letters and gave them to Gene Foster who then gave me the Gerhard’s address and he is very interested in the progress.
Also, another POW, the late Kurt Kreush was at the Camp 13 (as it was called after the prisoners arrived, it was called Camp Flying Goose prior to that), and his wife Nelda has been in contact with Emily.
What impressed Emily after she got the project underway, was two-fold. First were the level of support from the general public and the historic value of the restoration.
“I have had people come up to me and tell me that they are rally enthusiastic about the project and I do not know who they are,” Emily said. “The other thing is that we have done some research and the building qualified to be on the State Historical Register.”
However, as fall comes closer every day, Emily’s plans to continue to work on the project will be shelved as she heads off to school. That doesn’t mean the project will just fall to the wayside. In fact, Emily pointed out that her younger sister Hannah, 14, will be taking over the duties to help complete the job of the third and fourth phases.
For now the task at hand is to get those votes to help get that $5,000 grant, which will go a long way toward continuing the restoration efforts.
For more information about the project, contact Emily at 641-486-5364.