May 2011 Joplin tornado

May 2011 Joplin tornado

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.

May 18, 2013
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.

May 18, 2013 1 Photo
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.

May 18, 2013 1 Photo
Jewish Disaster Response Corps
“Tikkun olam” is Hebrew for “repairing the world,” and the concept — of service to others, of helping those in need — is prevalent in Judaism.

May 18, 2013
Dorothy Maples
Dorothy Maples always felt a calling to volunteer, whether it was participating in a fundraiser or giving a hand to help someone in need.

May 18, 2013
Charlie Brown
As he walked through the devastation left in the wake of the tornado, trying to lend a hand to people in need, the thought was there in the back of Charlie Brown’s mind.

May 18, 2013
Mennonite Disaster Service
They call it the theology of the hammer. It’s built on the idea that rebuilding a devastated area includes more than the physical labor of constructing houses — it also includes fellowship and friendship with the homeowner, the volunteers and everyone involved in the process.

May 18, 2013
John Williams and Mike Hamilton
Two Joplin residents have found that retirement is a lot of work. But John Williams and Mike Hamilton, who spend most of their weekdays volunteering with local nonprofit rebuilding organizations, probably wouldn’t have it any other way.

May 18, 2013 2 Photos
VIDEO: Nearly 2,300 take part in second Joplin Memorial Run
Having just cruised across the line to finish in first place in the Joplin Memorial Run’s half-marathon, Andrew Webb paused for a moment to catch his breath and take it all in.

May 18, 2013 1 Photo 1 Slideshow
Disaster response team to hold tornado memorial ride
A group of motorcycle enthusiasts who focus on disaster relief plan to hold a motorcycle ride through Joplin on the second anniversary of the May 22, 2011, tornado.

May 17, 2013 1 Photo
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