We have had a beautiful start to the month of May here in Iowa and I'm excited to share with you about this month's Comments for a Cause program. To start though, let's talk about last month's cause, the
Ashland Community Foundation Fire Relief Fund. In the month of April I had a total of 53 comments, creating a $26.50 donation to help ranchers from Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado that lost livestock and their homesteads due to the wildfires. Before I go on, I have to let you know that this part of the country has been given another brutal hit by Mother Nature. Last week a devastating and unimaginable April snowstorm hit Kansas and Colorado, leaving over 20" of snow in many parts. Ranchers were unprepared and the snow has killed cattle and damaged the area's wheat crop. To learn more, please read my friend Nicole of
Tales of a Kansas Farm Mom's latest post.
Now moving onto May, I'm excited to be helping a local cause, the
Franklin County Freedom Rock. During the month of May I'll be donating $0.50 for every comment made on my blog to assist with the cost of having my county's Freedom Rock painted.
The Franklin County, Iowa Freedom Rock is a part of a the
Freedom Rock Tour, where artist Ray "Bubba" Sorensen II, is painting Freedom Rocks in all of Iowa's 99 counties. Back in 1999 Sorensen painted the very first and original Freedom Rock in rural Adair Conty as a way to honor America's
veterans. It became so popular, and so many people were moved by it that in 2013 he started the Freedom Rock Tour. As of today,
59 county Freedom Rocks have been painted, and many more, like Franklin County's are ready and on the list to be painted next. Sorensen is able to paint 10-12 Freedom Rocks a year and estimates the program will take 10 years to complete.
The Franklin County Freedom Rock was moved to its final resting spot at the end of February 2017 in Coulter, Iowa, at the trailhead of the Rolling Prairie Trail that goes from Coulter to Waverly, Iowa. The 20 ton rock was donated by Martin Marietta of Mason City and moved courtesy of Dave's Crane Service of Union. The rock will be painted in the future by Bubba Ray Sorensen in its own unique way that honors America's
veterans. So far the rock has had all donated costs and services, but a fund has been set up to pay for the painting of the rock. I'm excited to help support my county's rock!
What I love about the Freedom Rock Tour is that it not only pays respect to
Veterans, but many rocks have local ties to them and shares the faces of real, local veterans. The original Freedom Rock even has ashes of veterans in the paint. I also love the tourism aspect of the tour. My family and I have checked out a few county Freedom Rocks and I hope to visit the original sometime soon.
And for those of you who aren't from Iowa, the Freedom Rock Tour is now going national! Bubba Ray Sorensen is now setting out to paint
Freedom Rocks in all 50 states. He has rocks in Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin so far, and plans in place for the state of Washington's next.
Have you ever seen one of the Freedom Rocks before? Have you ever been to the original Freedom Rock? Remember to
Comment for a Cause all month long!
