JOPLIN, Mo. —
As the frame at 2630 S. Wall Ave. began to look less like a skeleton and more like a home, volunteer Norm Clearfield paused from hammering to tally on his fingers the number of countries in which he’s helped to build.
“There was China, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Mongolia, and then the next major one will be Vietnam,” said Clearfield, a Chicago resident and computer systems specialist by trade.
For the past 10 years, he has been affiliated with Thrivent Builds, first as a volunteer and more recently as a paid member of the staff. In that time, he put enough miles on his work boots to warrant retiring them a few weeks ago.
“It was an emotional moment; they’ve been on all my trips — 100,000 miles,” he said.
After a church trip to a Habitat for Humanity build in Alaska in 2006, Clearfield was hooked.
“I ended up in Americus, Ga., coordinating trips like this one,” he said.
In China, he helped build an apartment complex after the May 2008 earthquake destroyed a million homes. In Ethiopia, he finished four, and in Guatemala, his team would complete three after the catastrophic mudslide of 2010. In Mongolia, the project was 20 homes, while in Haiti, he was part of an advance team for a project that ultimately would complete 100 homes in one week. And in 2013, he’ll be among a group of 60 to travel to Vietnam for a blitz build — 35 homes in one week.
“You can do your tiny little bit to make the world a better place,” he said. “When you make that connection, you’re saying, ‘We care about you enough to come from all over the U.S. to help.’”
Thrivent’s work on the Habitat for Humanity home at 2630 S. Wall won’t be its last in Joplin; the group has planned 15 return trips in 2013. A one-week build requires a team donation of $8,000; a weekend build requires $4,000.
Clearfield said his trip to Joplin left him in awe.
“I sit at a desk a lot of the time,” he said of his “day job.” “You lose the people connection, sometimes. It’s so powerful to come here and to hear people tell their story.”
And he got much more out of the experience than he believes he gave.
“It’s such a testimony to the spirit of people. You keep hearing that word, and for me that’s a key word. If we don’t feel like we’re all in life together, then what’s the point? You will never know what that one small act of kindness is worth.”
May 2011 Joplin tornado
Related Photos
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Norm Clearfield, of Chicago, works on an exterior wall last week at a construction site on South Wall Avenue in Joplin. His association with Thrivent Builds in the past 10 years has taken him to place such as China, Ethiopia and Haiti, and next to Vietnam. GLOBE | ROGER NOMER
Discussion
Volunteer hammers on homes around the world
- May 2011 Joplin tornado
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Storms cause damage throughout the Four States
Four-State Area residents hunkered down twice Monday to ride out tornadoes and powerful spring storms, then went to work cleaning up. The worst damage from Monday night’s storm was being reported in Ottawa County, Okla., near Wyandotte. That followed a report of an EF-1 tornado early Monday morning near Carthage.
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SLIDESHOW: One year later, One day of unity, updated
Photos from a day of events commemorating the May 22, 2011 tornado anniversary
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Two plead guilty to post-tornado wire theft
Two defendants pleaded guilty Monday to stealing copper wire from utility poles in the wake of the May 22, 2011, tornado that struck Joplin. Timothy M. Silveria, 45, of Joplin, and Nycoa K. Kracht, 32, of Laurel, Ind., entered open pleas of guilty in Jasper County Circuit Court to felony counts of theft from a public utility.
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FACES OF RECOVERY: 176,869 volunteers help put Joplin together again
They initially came in droves, pouring into Joplin by the thousands during the months following the May 2011 tornado to clear debris, clean up damaged homes and businesses and distribute donations of food, water, clothing and other necessities.
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Therapy dogs
Any question that Louie was bred to put people as ease is put to rest when the golden retriever trots over to where a visitor sits and puts his head on their knee, the dog’s eyes filled with a gentle affection.
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Nova Kluseman and Jeanne Morrow
Nova Kluseman has staked her claim on Wednesdays at the Mercy medical office clinics where she volunteers. The staff at Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri will know it’s Thursday when they see Jeanne Morrow walk through the door.
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Greentree Community Church
Every two months, Joplin plays host to some now-familiar faces. They’re members of Greentree Community Church in St. Louis, and they have “adopted” the city as one of their mission projects since the tornado.
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Virginia Laas
Virginia Laas isn’t an accountant or bookkeeper by trade. But when the tornado caused significant damage to Joplin Schools, and subsequently spurred a massive landslide of donations to the district, Laas voluntarily stepped into those roles to fill a need that administrators were too busy to handle.
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Rebecca Williams
Two years after the tornado, Rebecca Williams remains committed to helping people around the world keep up with the progress that has been made in Joplin.
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Community Outreach Team
While it didn’t yet have a formal name, the seeds of Freeman Health System’s Community Outreach Team were planted in the hours following the tornado.
- More May 2011 Joplin tornado Headlines
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