The brothers say they plan to continue to chop wood in Monson for as long as there is a need.
From right to left, Shane A. Chase, 13, and McKinley A. Chase, 16, of Ludlow, stand with their chainsaws in front of a wood chipper at 34 Ely Road in Monson on Saturday. The boys have been helping clear properties in town since the tornado struck on June 1.
MONSON - After the tornado struck Monson, 13-year-old Shane A. Chase told his dad, Alan, that they had to help.
Since then, Shane and his older brother McKinley A. Chase, 16, have spent most weekends somewhere in Monson, armed with their seven chainsaws, and ready to help wherever they can.
Saturday was no exception, as volunteers took advantage of springlike temperatures to continue to clear trees downed by the June 1 twister.
Amid a small cadre of volunteers, the Chase brothers used the chainsaws they got for Christmas to help clean two properties, one at 20 King St., the other at 34 Ely Road.
With their father, Alan, watching, the boys from Ludlow explained why they like coming to the small town that still bears tornado scars.
“As a boy scout, you try to help whoever you can. Honestly I like helping people, and I like cutting wood so it’s a win both ways . . . I like helping the people that went through the tornado,” Shane, an eighth-grader at Baird Middle School in Ludlow, said.
Shane said they started coming to Monson a day or two after the tornado hit.
McKinley, a junior at Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School in Palmer, recalled that it was Shane who suggested they bring their wood-cutting skills to Monson. McKinley said they learned how to use chainsaws by cutting trees in their backyard.
“We get to do what we like and we get to help people at the same time, so it helps everybody. And I’ve had a great time doing it. It’s an awesome experience, and just to say that you’ve done it . . . How many 16 year olds and 13 year olds do you know that can say, ‘What do you do on the weekends? I go cut trees down in Monson that are storm damaged,’” McKinley said.
While their father is disabled and cannot do the type of work his sons are performing, he is there watching them, making sure they don’t get hurt. Alan Chase said if it weren’t for Shane’s insistence to go to Monson, he wouldn’t be there.
“It’s for them. It’s not for me. I had days where I didn’t want to be up here this summer, but Shane wanted to go,” Alan Chase said.
At 34 Ely Road, homeowner Mary E. Kostorizos said she was grateful for the help.
“It would take me years to do this and a lot of money,” Kostorizos said. “The kids have been great. Everybody has been working hard.”
“They’re awesome. It’s refreshing to see the younger generation out here and helping out,” Timothy White, a member of the street angels and Monson tornado volunteers groups, said about the boys.
Alan Chase said they accept donations to keep their equipment running and pay for fuel and oil; they have their own Facebook page, Chase and Sons Chainsaw Volunteers; checks also can be sent to Chase and Sons Chainsaw Volunteers, c/o Alan Chase, 174 Poole St., Ludlow, MA, 01056, and made payable to Alan Chase. They temporarily halted their work in Monson after the October snowstorm to help other communities.
“After the snowstorm we were all over the place, helping people for that,” Alan Chase said.
Shane said he has logged 300 community service hours since he first started in Monson. The boys are part of Boy Scout Troop 164 in Palmer.
Alan Chase said the tornado had a big effect on his younger son, and shook him up. But he said coming to Monson is like therapy for Shane. Alan Chase said some of the homeowners want to keep the wood, while others don’t. They plan to donate some wood to the boy scout troop.
Baird teacher Rita N. Laferriere, in a letter to the editor in the Ludlow Register, referred to Shane as a “hero” for helping those with tornado damage. One of the people Shane and his family helped was her son Michael and his wife Geri, who live on Ely Road.
“While other students his age are devoutly enjoying video games and sports, Shane is out there making a huge difference in many lives,” Laferriere said.
Geri Laferriere said the boys have been coming to her house since the end of August, up to 20 different times. She said they couldn’t find anyone with a chainsaw big enough to cut up a tree on their property. That’s when the Chase brothers entered the picture.
“It amazes me that all the weekends they have spent helping, and not just us. For them to take their time and do all this has just been great. They come after school . . . We consider them like family,” Geri Laferriere said.
As for Shane and McKinley, they say they will continue to go to Monson and cut wood for as long as there is a need.