Lake Delhi residents need your help

I'm not a resident but three sets of my relatives are year-round at Lake Delhi. They have lost much but keep their generosity in helping neighbors, their good humor and their gratitude for each other and for what remains.

My father first visited Delhi at age 15 and, now 70, has retired there. He, like Iowans everywhere, is a hard worker. Two years, ago he built a barn there. He, my mom and my relatives work hard for a place for us to be together.

The lake is public - the association of residents pays beyond property taxes to maintain the dam, parks and beaches with public lake access. The dam didn't fail; the earthen levee/county road washed away.

Flooding is what damaged my family's property. They're working to save what they can. But if the lake is gone, how many residents will remain?

There are far too few places like this. It's not a casino; it's not a moneymaker for Iowa. It's a place to make incredible memories. Please, everyone who has enjoyed Lake Delhi, speak up to have it restored. These are not folks used to having their hands out for help; they're used to using their hands to do for themselves and others. But without public help, this public lake will be no more.

Tami Garvin

Cedar Rapids