Recently the contributions of a certain selfless individual for the betterment of the Winona community were brought to our attention. A young woman by the name of Madison Vaughan took on a personal mission recently to clean up the landscape around Oakwood Cemetery.
“It was May of last year while attending services of family that I had noticed the elderly needing assistance to the sites due to the overgrowth of limbs and trees blocking the walkways of the cemetery,” she stated, when asked about what initially sparked her passion. “I hadn’t thought much more about that particular instance until recently when I saw people voicing their concerns on the upkeep of the cemetery.”
Following these observations, Vaughan expressed her interest in assisting in the cleanup stating, “That day I decided to go for a ride and take a look at the conditions of Oakwood. Riding through the cemetery I was saddened, I knew something had to change.”
Immediately Vaughan contacted Mayor Aaron Dees, offering her services in cleaning up the cemetery.
“With his permission, I started to move forward with the cleaning of Oakwood!” Vaughan reminisced.
With this, Vaughan got to work trimming trees and clearing walking paths around the grounds. While currently this is a personal project taken on by Vaughan, she expressed interest in involving others in the community who are invested in the project.
“Come this fall I plan to get a group of volunteers together so we can have Oakwood back into tip-top shape!” Vaughan enthused. In addition to helping here, she seeks to inspire others to uplift their communities, stating, “I hope this inspires others in the community to take action wherever they see help is needed.”
Vaughan cites Colossians 3:23-24 as a strong inspiration for her selfless acts. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
