Margie Moss thought she would be doing interior work Friday at Spiva Center for the Arts. Instead of measuring for blinds, she was blindsided with an announcement.
Staff members at Spiva used a going-away party for another staff member to surprise Moss with news that she won a bow tie design contest. Her winning design will be made into a new offering from BowTie Cause, a fundraising effort led by former NFL linebacker Dhani Jones.
Moss was visibly moved by the announcement.
“It was like winning a coloring contest as a kid, it was that kind of moment,” Moss said afterward. “It’s an honor, because the competition was very tough.”
Jo Mueller, director of Spiva, said more than 200 people entered 200 designs — some working collaboratively, she said. Three judges picked five finalists and submitted those to BowTie Cause, which picked Moss as the winner.
Her entry features a graphic-design style of art similar to her en plein air paintings, and includes depictions of construction tools, scissors and a red ribbon, buildings, plants, a butterfly, crosses and the words “Love, Joplin and Hope.”
She worked on it during late-evening hours and collaborated with her two grown children, Kate and Cole, on the design.
“Both of them have an artistic side,” Moss said. “I’d work on it late at night and email them designs, then they would email comments back to me.”
Designers with BowTie Cause will make adjustments to Moss’ design, then produce a line of bow ties made of high-quality silk.
Jones formed the fundraising company in 2010 after a friend was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Ties from the company have raised funds for more than 80 organizations around the country, from Ronald McDonald House to the Cincinnati Zoo.
Jones said in January that funds from the winner’s tie would go toward tornado recovery, and that this is the first time the nonprofit has received its design directly from the community.
Mueller said the contest was intended to be a community event, and the response was very satisfying. The most powerful part of the competition was the stories that entrants submitted: People as young as 6 and as old as 77 shared their stories.
“We billed this as a community event, and the response really filled that,” Mueller said. “The thing that touched me the most were those stories. There were things written by 6-year-olds that were just wonderful.”
Tie one on
Jo Mueller, director of Spiva Center for the Arts, said Bowtie Cause founder Dhani Jones will be in Joplin on April 27 for a formal presentation and lessons on how to tie a bow tie.
The bow tie benefiting Joplin tornado recovery will be available for sale at Spiva and at Bowtiecause.com. The anticipated price will be about $60.
May 2011 Joplin tornado
Local artist wins bow tie design contest; cause to benefit Joplin tornado recovery
- 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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