Rev. Paul Lydic is aiming high for help as he repairs a roof in Cameron, Illinois, on Wednesday.
"I'm concerned," he said. "Some of these people are longtime residents in Cameron, and they may not come back."
This hometown boy, who also lost a family business building, knows all about the hardship following a tornado in Cameron, Illinois, on July 16.
"It's kind of like a funeral," he continued. "The first week, you have all your family and support there. And after that, they're gone. We're still here, so it's hard."
It's still a surreal scene nearly two weeks after the tornado.
Volunteers and residents are making the most of a bad situation, but there's rubble everywhere.
It doesn't take long to find homes without roofs. A mailbox stands up among twisted metal.
"They're facing a lot of challenges just trying to put their lives together," he continued. "I've had many friends in town that have lost their homes."
New owners bought a nearby home just two weeks before the tornado. Fortunately, it is insured.
But the random, yet severe, damage in this community of about 400 doesn't qualify for disaster assistance.
"It's weird how it just bounces from one place to another, and then it would miss one place and not another," said Chris Shultz, a carpenter working on a damaged house.
That's why eight-year-old twins, Alexa and Ava Anderson, step into action in nearby Monmouth with WMOI.
They're raising money for the American Red Cross. Those cash donations will provide tornado relief.
"We're a small community, close community," said donor Kris Repp, Kirkwood. "Everybody wants to help everybody."
WQAD will host a cash collection for the American Red Cross on Friday.
The event runs from 9-5:30 at 3003 Park 16th Street in Moline.
It's the best way to help tornado victims in Warren County. Outreach that touches lives on the long road to recovery.
"I think the community of Cameron is going to be stronger for this," Rev. Lydic concluded.
For him, it's community pride to guide Cameron's future through its toughest challenge.