home her late husband had dreamed and drawn out.
notes from the field
Lynn Cooper
More updates at www.mds.org
NORTH CAROLINA
A local nonprofit, Helping Hands of Juniata County, connected with the Cooper family, then with the Juniata/ Snyder MDS Unit. MDS volunteers have been working on the house every day, and they estimate that Lynn and the children, who have been living in two travel trailers in the yard, will be able to move in by the end of summer.
Children’s choir brings gift of music to hurricane-affected communities
Fifty-eight young people with the Mennonite Children’s Choir of Lancaster embarked on a musical tour from June 11-15, bringing the gift of music and hope to survivors affected by Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina. The concerts opened with the hymn “Morning Has Broken,” and included Namibian music and choreography. During their tour, the choir saw a bridge built by volunteers through “Bridging Together,” a partnership between MDS and Lutheran Disaster Response, and spoke with homeowners who MDS helped.
KENTUCKY
Volunteers on the ground after tornado
After a mile-wide tornado tore through southern Kentucky on May 16, MDS volunteers from Ohio were engaged in early response, removing damaged trees and debris in the London and Somerset communities. MDS Regional Board Chair Rollin Ulrich traveled to the area on May 23 to assess damages. He has been working with the Kentucky Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster to ensure early response volunteers have safe places to work and to stay. The volunteers reported that chainsaw work removing trees was the current focus. The Western Ohio MDS Unit was also reaching out to respond as more damage assessment becomes available.
Chris Cooper’s boot prints pressed into the concrete porch.
PHOTOS: NIKKI HAMM GWALA, MDS VOLUNTEERS
PENNSYLVANIA
Homeowners Nikiah & Cleann Coghlan in Lytton, B.C.
Not just a home—but a father’s heart
MENDED: A STORY OF HOPE MDS Children’s Book available to order online at mds.org/books
At first you don’t see the bootprints gently pressed into the concrete porch in front of the 1904-era home in Port Royal, Pennsylvania. But they tell the story of a place that holds the heart of a father whose children don’t want to live anywhere else. On March 15, 2024, Chris Cooper left on a Friday evening to go night fishing on the Juniata River with his 15-year- old son, Chase, and two friends. In a tragic boating accident, Chris lost his life saving Chase, who has autism that affects him both mentally and physically. Chris Cooper also left behind his wife of 17 years, Lynn, and two other children, 13-year-old Lexie and 19-year-old Mason. Lynn and Chris had bought the house in 2010 as a “forever” home to raise the kids. They knew they had a lot of work to do to make it structurally sound. Last summer, after becoming financially stable, they were just about to take out a loan to make major structural repairs to the home. But when Chris passed away, Lynn, who works a part-time schedule to care for Chase, did not have the means to continue the plans for the
BRITISH COLUMBIA
MANITOBA
ONTARIO
Help and hope after the limelight fades
Wildfires cause massive evacuation of rural and northern communities
Flooding, wind, fire and ice
MDS volunteers responded to wildfires in the Shuswap region and village of Lytton for the second consecutive year. Both responses ran April through June and consisted of one-house builds. In Lytton, the Coghlans will move into a new house four years after wildfire destroyed their family home. While there were delays to rebuilding in their community—like toxic ash removal, updates to the local building code and an archeological surveying requirement—Cleann Coghlan felt that this timing was perfect for her family, noting that she and husband Nikiah now have the mental space needed to process their losses and rebuild. Nikiah has worked alongside MDS volunteers daily to build his family’s new two- bedroom home.
The Ontario Unit is responding to a wide range of elements this year. MDS volunteers built an elevated home for a couple in Constance Bay, where three floods in seven years rendered their home unlivable. In late March, local volunteers cleared trees and debris off roads and personal properties after an ice storm affected thousands in central and eastern Ontario. And this summer, the unit repairs a fire-damaged home for three brothers in Orillia.
After the Government of Manitoba called a state of emergency over wildfires in late May, MDS partnered to service a Canadian Red Cross reception center in Winnipeg. Volunteers welcomed thousands of evacuees to the center, directing them to sleeping accommodations, and distributing food and essential hygiene supplies round- the-clock. Jerry and Doreen Klassen, seasoned MDS volunteers from Kelowna, British Columbia, came out of “retirement” eight years later to direct MDS’ response at the reception center. The assignment was different than any other the couple had taken on. Jerry and Doreen were quick to observe the uncertainties and frustrations present for many who felt uprooted from their homes and communities. “It’s been rewarding to… stand alongside [the evacuees],” said Jerry.
Did you purchase Mended at MDS Annual Celebration? After the book was released, it was discovered that there was missing text on several pages. To get your corrected replacement copy, contact Rebecca White at rwhite@mds.org or 717-735-3536 ext. 114. Also let us know if your copy was signed by the authors.
SAVE THE DATE 2026 MDS ANNUAL CELEBRATION THEME: Working Together DATE: Feb 27–28, 2026 LOCATION: New Holland, PA at Riehl’s Construction
Constance Bay, Ontario, homeowners Jeanne Gauthier & Steve MacKenzie
14 behind the hammer
behind the hammer 15
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