While we may never know exactly why God chose to destroy the camp and take 4 precious children from earth, it is easy to understand why people have been opening their hearts and pocketbooks for the Dean family.
Nathan Dean, the park ranger at the scout ranch, his wife Tammy, and their children Axton, Avin and Aizley were home on June 11th when Nathan's father, Dan Fitzpatrick called the family to warn them of the upcoming storm. The alert, called in approximately 8 minutes before the tornado hit, was followed by another call by Fitzpatrick just minutes later. He said that there was rotation reported in the clouds, and this report prompted Nathan to alert the campground. The campers, 93 in total, along with their counselors, gathered in buildings prepared for the worst. The tornado indeed touched down, destroying everything in its path. Unfortunately, the path included the buildings the campers sought shelter in and the Dean's home. Nathan had returned home from alerting the campground just seconds before the tornado turned it into a pile of memories. With the fierceness of this tornado, many more lives could have been lost, and Fitzpatrick's call to his loved ones was an integral part of the low number of fatalities.
"He's an unsung hero," said Nathan. "His alerts gave us the time needed to seek shelter and saved many lives."
Six weeks after the storm, the Deans and dozens of campers from that camp session still recover physically and mentally and still grieve for the boys who died. While they heal, family and friends are guiding the way to replace some of the material things for the Deans; scrapbooks and pictures are gone forever. Over the weekend, Nathan's aunt Susan Lund and her daughter-in-law Shannon Lund turned the Battle Creek Community Center into a giant garage sale/bake sale. They opened the doors Friday and Saturday and were flooded with people wanting to find some bargains from the thousands of donated items and to purchase some homebaked goods while helping the Deans.
"People couldn't understand why we were doing this, why we'd hold a garage sale for them. It's simple. We wanted to help these people who lost everything," said Shannon."While we are helping Nathan and his family get back on their feet, we are still grieving for the 4 families who have lost their children. Their loss is a tragedy," added Susan.
While most of the items were given new homes thanks to the garage sale patrons, those that were not sold were donated to the Mapleton Food Pantry so that others needing material assistance may receive it.
On Sunday, an auction was held through Burgess People Care and Burgess Foundation in Blencoe to raise money for a new vehicle for the Deans. Again people opened their pocketbooks. However, there was a twist to the day's event. The auction funds could be used for other necessities for the family as Adams Motor Co. donated a 1997 Suburban to the Deans.
Prior to the auction, the Lunds presented the Deans with a number of gifts. Checks containing donations from the garage sale ($1,462.20), a special collection at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Danbury ($370), and cash donations written to the family which were received by the Lunds ($265) were given to the Deans. Tammy was also given three dozen wooden roses donated by Laura Frye. The roses signify the motherly instincts she used to guard her children with her life. Each of the children received handmade quilts created by Monica Broderson of Battle Creek. These were very much appreciated by the boys, something they can hold and be comforted with. Axton draped his quilt around himelf for the rest of the day, and Avin ran up excitedly to collect his as soon as he learned of the donation.
"We want to thank everybody for their support and understanding while we recover. It's amazing what people have done for us. They've put their hearts and checkbooks out there for us. Thank you to the hundreds of thousands of people for supporting us and the Boy Scouts. We cannot thank the people enough who spent countless hours organizing the auction and the garage sale. You will all hold a special place in hearts forever," Nathan said on behalf of his family. "Every act of kindness has helped speed up the healing process."
The Deans have been told that they will be able to move into their new home which will include a safe room in approximately three months.