Today is the last day for people to nominate those who have volunteered to help Joplin with tornado recovery for the 2012 Presidential Citizens Medal.
Nominations close at midnight. Mayor Melodee Colbert-Kean said she is asking that everyone who can access the Internet fill out a nomination form.
The presidential medal has been honoring Americans for deeds of service for 40 years, according to the award website at www.whitehouse.gov/citizensmedal. It is the second highest civilian award in the U.S., outranked only by the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Criteria for selection are that people have performed exemplary service outside their employment to combat a long-term or persistent problem, and that those acts provide inspiration to other people.
Former honorees include Roger Kemp, of Leawood, Kan., who founded The Ali Kemp Education Foundation in honor of his slain daughter. The organization teaches girls and young women how to defend themselves against aggressors, such as the stalker who killed 19-year-old Ali Kemp outside a public swimming pool in 2002 in Leawood.
In Joplin’s case, the movement is meant to recognize the 125,000 volunteers who have come to Joplin since the May 22 EF-5 tornado rather than one individual volunteer.
An effort to seek the presidential award for Joplin volunteers has been conducted by Colbert-Kean along with Cate Cassel Loch of Scrubs for Joplin and Rebecca Williams, an administrator of the “Joplin Tornado Info” page on Facebook. The mayor said the movement came about when the Facebook page was seeking a volunteer involved in Joplin’s recovery to nominate.
“I commented that it would be hard to pick out one person because so many have done so much,” Colbert-Kean said. From that, the three women began working on a project to try to honor all volunteers. The mayor said they have confirmed that it is acceptable to the White House to nominate all volunteers.
Colbert-Kean said an event being planned for the May 22 tornado anniversary is appropriately called a Walk of Unity, a 3.7-mile walk through the hardest hit section of the tornado zone, because of the unity that was shown in responding to what has been called the worst tornado disaster in the country in 60 years.
“What better way to illustrate that than submitting the Volunteer Joplin nomination, showing we are one?” she said. “The country came together as one to help Joplin. I did a submission myself, and I am encouraging all residents to submit one.”
Those who want to help with the nomination may submit a form that is located on the White House Web page. Organizers say to type in “Joplin” for the first name and “Volunteers” for the last name, and to use 50 for the age as an average of those who have helped.
Facebook page
A FACEBOOK PAGE has been established for the effort at www.facebook.com/volunteerjoplin
May 2011 Joplin tornado
Presidential medal sought for tornado volunteers
Joplin mayor encourages nominations
- May 2011 Joplin tornado
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Federal, state leaders salute Joplin’s recovery
A deadly May twister may have punched a hole in Joplin and Duquesne two years ago, but the resolve to repair it will help other communities stand strong when they face similar disasters. That was the message of state and national diginitaries to a crowd of about 2,500 who observed the second anniversary of Joplin’s devastating May 22, 2011, storm during a ceremony Wednesday in Cunningham Park.
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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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Banner from Joplin to be sent to Moore residents
A giant vinyl banner adorned with heartfelt messages from Joplin tornado survivors to the residents of Moore, Okla., became a centerpiece of Wednesday’s observance of the two-year anniversary of the May 22, 2011, tornado.
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Rick Rescorla award named for hero of Vietnam War, 9-11 terror attacks
The Rick Rescorla National Award for Resilience is named for a 62-year-old vice president of security for Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co. who directed an evacuation of the company’s 2,700-person workforce in the South Tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2011.
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Community gearing up for two-year anniversary ceremony this afternoon
With the playground full of children, it could be any other day at Joplin’s Cunningham Park, but the white tents popping up and neat rows of white chairs lined up nearby indicate something more is happening today.
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Farmers Insurance teams up with Rebuild Joplin
Farmers Insurance announced Tuesday that the company will team up with Rebuild Joplin for an initiative to help the community complete its recovery efforts. The company already has placed one of its executives in Joplin, and it is pledging additional funds and volunteer hours by company workers to go toward the city’s recovery.
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Joplin man continues struggle to recover two years after tornado
As the Joplin tornado passed overhead, sweeping the house at 2430 S. Pennsylvania Ave. away in its wake, there was a moment of calm. Delbert Mcguirk was on his back in the basement, where he had sought shelter along with his wife, daughter and two grandchildren. In that moment of relative quiet, he stared up into the eye of the 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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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.
- More May 2011 Joplin tornado Headlines
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