JOPLIN, Mo. —
A benefit for the developmentally disabled in Joplin in the aftermath of the May 22 tornado is now being planned for the end of October.
“Day of Hope,” scheduled for Oct. 28, will include a picnic and a community dance, with proceeds to go toward organizations such as Community Support Services, Alternative Opportunities and Special Olympics Missouri, organizer Kelly Daniels said.
“In talking to people down there, they got a lot of attention right after the storm, but then after a while when things settle down, people really start to feel the impact of what happened,” said Daniels, who lives in the Kansas City area. “What I saw was that they are so sad.”
The event is tentatively scheduled to include an afternoon picnic for the community and a dance in the evening, with optional Halloween costumes. Bake and the Tenderhearts, a Motown group from Kansas City, have been tapped to provide the music; MK Mueller, author of “8 to Great: The Powerful Process for Positive Change,” is scheduled to speak.
Additionally, Home Pro America is renovating its Northern Oaks building, 3110 Upland Road in Joplin, specifically to host the benefit, employee Ashley Benford said.
“We’re actually gutting it; we’re doing new everything,” she said. “It’s pretty amazing. It’s going to be a challenge, but it’s fun. We’re looking forward to it (the benefit).”
The catalyst for the benefit is Daniels’ sister, Lori, a 52-year-old with Down syndrome who has lived in Joplin for 30 years.
“It has always been a really supportive community for special needs people,” Daniels said of Joplin.
Daniels said her sister has had a rough time since the tornado ripped through Joplin four months ago. She lost five friends, including a group of three men who lived together in a home for the developmentally disabled on Iowa Avenue.
Joplin also suffered the loss of the Special Olympics Missouri office at 2700 McClelland Blvd. and the offices and gymnasium of Community Support Services, 2312 Annie Baxter Ave. Joplin Workshops Inc. also lost part of its laundry business when St. John’s Regional Medical Center, a major client, was destroyed.
The benefit is based on dancing because Lori’s favorite activity is the monthly dance for those with developmental disabilities sponsored by Community Support Services, Daniels said.
Angie Turner, with Community Support Services, said the gymnasium where the dances were held was destroyed by the tornado, leaving behind only a piece of the framework and the concrete slab. Dances have since been held at the Boys and Girls Club, which has donated its building. October’s dance is expected to be held once again in the gym, which should be rebuilt by then, she said.
For more information
To get involved with the “Day of Hope” benefit, call organizer Kelly Daniels at 800-419-0444 or email kelly@8togreat.com.
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October benefit scheduled for developmentally disabled
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