A generous gift for the Vancouver Lake Crew Club

A generous gift for the Vancouver Lake Crew Club

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Story Published: Jan 19, 2008 at 7:18 PM PDT

Story Updated: Jan 19, 2008 at 9:07 PM PDT

By Joe English and KATU Web Staff

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VANCOUVER, Wash. - One of the stories that really stood out when a tornado ripped through a portion of Clark County was the damage done at the Vancouver Lake Crew Club.

The tornado tore apart everything the club's founder, Bill Kalenius, had worked to build. More than 50 rowing shells were left splintered on the lake's shore and the crew's buildings were demolished.

What happened was doubly tragic in light of the fact that Kalenius is suffering from cancer and had just finished chemotherapy and radiation treatment during the holidays.

However, help has been pouring in and the effort hasn't just been about cleaning up, it's been about getting the crew back on the water.

Saturday afternoon, members of Seattle-area rowing clubs drove to Vancouver with 14 rowing shells in tow to replace some of the ones that were destroyed in the tornado.

About 30 shells have been donated so far, along with a lot of other equipment. Fred Meyer has also donated $5,000 that the crew will use to replace more of what they lost.

The Vancouver Lake Crew Club has about 90 members, many of whom are kids involved in youth and high school programs.

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