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Area’s generosity shown once again

We’ve said it before, but it bears repeating again.
Fayette County residents are among the most generous people anywhere. Period.
We’ve seen people pitch in when natural disasters strike their neighbors. We’ve seen them gather around friends and family when they lose loved ones. And we’ve seen them respond selflessly when someone is stricken with a medical condition.
To a degree, it’s just what small-town people do to help their neighbors. But frequently, it goes well beyond the normal compassion for others. It moves into an entirely different category.
Such was the case with a fundraiser held late last month by 6-year-old Carson LaDage, a young man fighting to overcome a tumor on his brainstem. The son of Todd and Darla LaDage of Pekin and grandson of Bill and Sharon LaDage of Vandalia held a unique fund-raiser to benefit St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
He set up a lemonade stand.
And in the four hours that Carson served cool drinks to people who came by County Market to see him, Fayette County residents contributed $5,000. It was an astounding amount to be raised anywhere, but especially here in Fayette County.
We’re not a rich county. In fact, the demographics show we’re among the poorest. But those stats don’t take into account the compassion and generosity that characterize Fayette County residents.
Bill and Sharon are well-known and well-liked educators, so their prominence certainly helped bring out the support. But it was just another example of what we’ve seen many times – people willing to give sacrificially because it’s the neighborly thing to do. Thank-you, Fayette County, for coming through again.
As the LaDage’s thank-you ad in last week’s Leader-Union said: “You are awesome!”
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