Stephanie Gander, director of the area’s Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services program (EDS), was recently charged with securing a $100,000 canteen vehicle custom-built for the unit, whose mission is to assist first responders and victims during natural and man-made disasters. The Dane County Corps is penny conscious to a half cent, and she was able to secure money from divisional headquarters to assist in the (long-overdue) purchase. However, there was nothing in the budget to cover transportation of the vehicle from the manufacturing plant in Pennsylvania to Madison.
Here’s an account of what a “creative solution” means to an SA staff member!
To there and back – the trip as told by Stephanie
“Due to budget constraints, I was concerned that flying out to PA would use quite a bit of the EDS budget, [however] a longtime EDS supporter did not hesitate to donate $500, enough to cover the cost of the entire trip for airline ticket, hotel, food, and fuel. Praise the Lord!
“Tuesday, Feb. 5: My flight plan was to fly out of Madison, with a layover in
O’Hare, and then fly to the Pittsburgh airport. Snow and rain delayed everything. Ugh! While in the air to Chicago … I’m not a frequent flyer, but I don’t think turbulence in a tiny plane is something I could ever get used to.
“At O’Hare, I was shuttled to a random gate and then had to sprint to my gate. I arrived only to find out I just missed my plane by 10 minutes. Grr! I waited and waited for the next flight. Delay, delay. When we finally got onto the plane, the captain apologized for the delay and stated it was due to ‘plane breakdown.’
“I landed in PA at 4:15 p.m. without further incident or delay. Keystone Coach Works, Inc., picked me up from the airport and took me to a warehouse to pick up the new canteen. I was supposed to get a one- to two-hour training session and tutorial on the canteen, but since they close at 5 p.m., this became a 20-minute speed training.
“Somehow I managed to find my way to the hotel, 15 miles from the warehouse. When I parked the canteen at the hotel, a [rough-looking] guy started yelling at me. What did I do? What had I run over? Did I hit something?
“Nope. He was just warning me to watch my step, as I had parked on black ice. He definitely saved me from an embarrassing slip and a painful fall.
“Thank you, God!
“I checked into the hotel and found out they upgraded my room. How nice! Intermittent sleep throughout the night.
“Wednesday, Feb. 6: I had planned to hit the road at 4 a.m. However, there was snow and rain and the local schools had a two-hour delay. I decided to play it safe and crawled back into bed, waking up to enjoy a complimentary breakfast. I left the hotel at 9 a.m. I was trying to think of something to use to scrape the snow and ice off the canteen, but when I got there, much to my surprise, there was no snow on the canteen! All the other cars in the parking lot had snow and ice, but the canteen was untouched. This reminded me of the Bible story about manna.
“I said a little prayer before I left the hotel parking lot. ‘Lord, I’m not asking you to part the Red Sea, but please keep me safe.’ As I pulled out of the parking lot, I followed a large truck that had a ‘wide load’ sign and was moving at a snail’s pace. Perfect! I followed this truck for 20 miles until I was comfortable driving without its assistance. Thank you again, Lord!
“Pennsylvania: Very hilly. Ears popped 31 times. Yes, I counted.
“West Virginia: Drove through in five minutes. Next time, I will stay longer.
“Ohio: Too … many … farms.
“Indiana: Greeted by the largest pothole ever! And gee whiz, what is that smell?!?
“Illinois: I think Stephanie from Full House said it best: ‘How rude!’
“Fun fact: I heard Taylor Swift on the radio approximately 24 times. Every
30 minutes, she was breaking up with a guy or getting dumped. Well, I guess that isn’t too much of a contrast from her real life.
“Other facts: 2 planes, 2 stops to refuel, 2 bathroom breaks, 2 caffeinated beverages, 2 cell phones, 2 unplanned ‘detours,’ and 2 hands on steering wheel at all times.
“Real facts: Six states; 11 hours, 34 minutes; 690.07 miles.
“I am so thankful for a safe and successful trip!” (Continued)
Showing a little gratitude
I know I can speak for the Corps (as a board member) in saying we’re grateful Stephanie had a safe and successful trip, too. Now what she needs most are more volunteers to go with that new shiny red truck. If you, or someone you know, would like to join her on her next adventure, sign on! To be trained to be on call for area and/or national emergencies, contact Deb Crye at the Salvation Army. You’ll be committing to a monthly training meeting and an on-call schedule that works with your lifestyle, and you’ll gain an experience (and training) that will stay with you forever. And, really, wouldn’t you like to meet Stephanie now?
I’m an Illinois native and even I think she’s wonderful!
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