WATSEKA -- Sixteen combines and some 100 area farmers and friends came to the aid of an Iroquois County farm family Saturday.

It was just another familiar act of what farm families do to help each other.

And friends of the Clint and Jolyn Schaumburg family can't say 'Thank You' enough.

It was a farm community stepping up.

"It was just outstanding. The farm community really came together," Alissa Stevens, a friend of the family said. "They cleaned up the field in just a few hours. This is what Clint and Jolynn would do for anyone."

Farm combines and wagons brought in the grain for the stricken-family that has much more important things to deal with right now.

Clint & Jolyn's son, Hayden, remains hospitalized in the intensive care unit at Loyola Medical Center. Hayden suffered a broken neck in a recent high school football game (Oct 17). The 16-year-old is recovering. While the family is occupied with medical concerns, the farm community's playbook took control. The equipment and players lined up in formation (Saturday) at 7 am. And by 3 pm the field was cleared.

Shawn Peters, a friend of the Schaumburg family, said the rush was on; no one was going to stop this group from reaching the goal line.

"These guys picked between 900 and 1000 acres. It was just amazing," Peters told WGFA News.

And the "Prayers for Hayden" support group has expanded well beyond the local Watseka community. Schools from all over, from Central, Iroquois West, Milford and Manteno, PBL and even St. Joe-Ogden and Tuscola have pooled donations from 50/50 raffles and extended the donations to the Schaumburg family.

94.1 WGFA