JOPLIN, Mo. -- Volunteers are continuing to give their time and energy to help Joplin begin the cleanup. While search and rescue has wrapped up, cleanup will take a long time. Every volunteer is doing what he or she can to make a dent in the destruction.
For volunteers seeing the destruction for the first time in person, many have the same reaction as Courtney Current.
"As soon as we saw through the windows just the destruction and just how unreal it is, I didn't even know how we were going to start to begin to help," said Current.
There is power in numbers, however. Sixty-five volunteers from Missouri State University in Springfield came to Joplin on Thursday.
"We knew that we could get them over here and we knew it was time to get dirty and start helping," said MSU Director of Student Engagement Jeremy Schenk,
They certainly did get dirty.
"I'm going to go back," Current said, "and my roommates are going to say, 'What happened to you?'"
Students, faculty, and staff all donned work gloves and dust masks,
"These are our friends, our family," said Schenk.
They hope to make a positive impact in all the devastation.
"You have to realize that every little thing helps, and it's taking dozens of us hours to clean up this lot, but there are other people like us helping with all the rest," said Current.
They're using their heads to work as efficiently as possible, and in their hearts.
"I just started crying, thinking about if this had happened to my home," she said.
They're feeling the satisfaction of doing something to help.
MSU easily filled two buses with 65 people for this trip to help with cleanup, and those here think coming to Joplin to help will be a continued effort on their campus. The bookstore is also selling "Bear Hugs for Joplin" t-shirts to raise money for disaster assistance.
----
2 busloads from Missouri State U. help in Joplin
city says volunteers will be needed all summer
Edited news release:
The City of Joplin has been humbled by the number of people who have come in from all over the country to assist residents with recovery efforts as a result of the tornado that hit our city on May 22. The miracle of the human spirit is on full display in Joplin, as literally thousands of people have given their time and financial resources to help the city recover.
To date, registered volunteers through AmeriCorps and the United Way alone have contributed more than 50,000 volunteer hours cleaning debris, accepting and sorting donations, etc. And this figure doesn’t even include the countless number of hours given by area churches, businesses, and other civic groups that are helping.
As cleanup efforts continue and the rebuilding process begins, the need for volunteers will remain throughout the summer. You too can be a part of the miracle of the human spirit. People wanting to help can call (417) 625-3543 or visit www.211missouri.org to sign up.
Again, the residents, businesses and staff of the city of Joplin are forever grateful for the outpouring of support for our community. Volunteers have touched the lives of our residents in profound ways, and while we grieve for those we have lost, we are given new hope and a fresh spirit from those who have rallied around us.
Continue to receive updates on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CityOfJoplin.
