Joplin says ‘Thank You' to volunteers

JOPLIN, Mo. -- For every volunteer who fed and comforted victims of a deadly Joplin tornado, the community wants to say: "Thank you."

Cards from grateful residents will begin hitting the mailboxes of volunteers around Thanksgiving. There are estimates that about 110,000 people helped out after the May 22 twister killed 161 people and destroyed more than 7,000 residences. Notes will be sent to 50,000 to 75,000 of them Tuesday when the city will mark the six-month anniversary of the disaster with a memorial service.

"Not only is it the anniversary, but its Thanksgiving. What better time to say thank you?" said Kate Massey, director of Rebuild Joplin, speaking Friday from a card-signing event at a Walmart store that had to be rebuilt after the twister.

Her group, which is coordinating the effort with entities such as the city of Joplin and the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce, said hundreds from the community are helping to sign and mail the cards to registered volunteers. People who didn't register as volunteers can still get a card if they request one.

There also will be billboards and TV public service announcements expressing thanks. She said some families canceled their vacations and choose instead to volunteer in Joplin. They were joined by church groups and even international volunteers.

"We will forever be grateful to the thousands of volunteers that came to our community," Mark Rohr, the city manager said in a news release. "This project can help show our appreciation to those that came in our time of need."

Groups including churches, schools and businesses are helping to sign the cards. Joplin high school students were using Friday's lunch break to express thanks. This year, seniors and juniors are taking classes in a converted big-box store, while freshmen and sophomores are meeting in a building across town. The former high school was so badly damaged in the twister that it has to be rebuilt.

"It's very humbling," Superintendent C.J. Huff said. "This event, as horrible as it was, it really brought out a lot of good people. We continue to be amazed by the outpouring of support, not just from Kansas and Missouri, but from across the country."

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Online:

Rebuild Joplin: https://rebuildjoplin.org/