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Christiana Lions Club helping Hurricane Sandy victims

Seven months ago, Hurricane Sandy devastated parts of New Jersey and New York. People from Lancaster County are continuing work to help victims rebuild. Members...

Seven months ago, Hurricane Sandy devastated parts of New Jersey and New York. People from Lancaster County are continuing work to help victims rebuild.

Members of the Christiana Lions Club are on their way to Breezy Point, NY, a place they’ve become very familiar with since Hurricane Sandy. Since November, the Christiana Lions Club, Pennsylvania Amish and members of Calvary Church in Lancaster have been repairing damaged homes in New Jersey and New York.

Saturday, they plan to finish up the home of Patty Butler, who was injured in a car accident when she was seven years old, and is disabled as a result of the accident.

“Patty is such a wonderful person,” said James Groff, Christiana Lions Club president. “Very positive, nothing is negative about her. She’s a really go-getter type person.”

This Lions Club is not only helping Butler rebuild her home, but also her way of life.  The club is donating a special cart to her, so she can make money, one can at a time.

“She collects cans and does this just about every day of the week,” Groff said. “So she goes through Breezy Point and she collects cans to subsidize her income.”

Butler’s story struck a chord with Groff. Six years ago, the Lions Club donated a similar cart to Ralph Burkey, a disabled 64-year-old man who also collects cans to make money.

Burkey has since become a member of the club and will also make the trip up to New York to surprise Butler, which he says in an honor.

“She does the same thing that I do, so it’ll be nice for us to get together and chit-chat,” Burkey said.

Burkey and other members of the Lions Club plan to surprise Butler with the wagon on Saturday.

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