U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
        Here’s how you know
    Goverment symbol**Official websites use .gov**
            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
        Lock symbol**Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
            A lock (
              A locked padlock
                 ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive
              information only on official, secure websites.
 Skip to main content JoinDonate
    About
    About
          About
        
About menu block one
  

        
        What We Do
                Our Impact
                Agency FAQs
About menu block two
  

        
        Our Team
                Careers
About menu block three
  

        
        Agency Overview
                            Budget and Performance Plans
                Disability and Accessibility
                Federal Register Notices
                Open Government
                Plain Writing
                Privacy Policy
                Strategic Plan

  

  
Serve
    Serve
          Serve
        
Serve menu block one
  

        
        AmeriCorps
                            AmeriCorps NCCC
                AmeriCorps State and National
                AmeriCorps VISTA
                AmeriCorps Seniors
                            AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent Program
                AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP
                AmeriCorps Seniors Senior Companion Program
Serve menu block two
  

        
        Volunteer
                            9/11 Day
                MLK Day
Serve menu block three
  

        
        Find Your Fit
                Serve FAQs

  

  
Partner
    Partner
          Partner
        
Partner menu block one
  

        
        How it Works
                            AmeriCorps NCCC
                AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent
                AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP
                AmeriCorps Seniors Senior Companion
                AmeriCorps State and National
                AmeriCorps VISTA
                Research and Evaluation
                Volunteer Generation Fund
Partner menu block two
  

        
        Partnerships
                Communities and Initiatives
                Funding Opportunities
Partner menu block three
  

        
        Partner FAQs

  

  
Members & Volunteers
    Members & Volunteers
          Members & Volunteers
        
Members & Volunteers menu block one
  

        
        Your Benefits
                Segal AmeriCorps Education Award
                Education Award FAQs
Members & Volunteers menu block two
  

        
        Alumni
                Members in VISTA
Members & Volunteers menu block three
  

        
        Member and Volunteer FAQs
                Safety and Security

  

  
Grantees & Sponsors
    Grantees & Sponsors
          Grantees & Sponsors
        
Grantee & Sponsors menu block one
  

        
        State Service Commissions
                State and National Direct Grantees
                State Subgrantees
                VISTA Sponsors
                Research and Evaluation Grantees
                Volunteer Generation Fund and Days of Service Grantees
Grantee & Sponsors menu block two
  

        
        RSVP Grantees
                Foster Grandparent Program Grantees
                Senior Companion Program Grantees
                Senior Demonstration Program Grantees
                NCCC Project Sponsors
Grantee & Sponsors menu block three
  

        
        Manage Your Grant
                Grantee and Sponsor FAQs

  

  
Newsroom
    Newsroom
          Newsroom
        
Newsroom menu block one
  

        
        News
                Blog
Newsroom menu block two
  

        
        Stories
                Events
Newsroom menu block three
  

        
        In the News
                Communication Resources



  
Contact
    Contact
    JoinDonate
search Breadcrumb
    Newsroom

              One Year After Joplin Tornado, AmeriCorps Still Hard at Work
      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:May 21, 2012
  

                    National Service CEO to Survey Progress, Meet Joplin Leaders, and Thank VolunteersJoplin, Mo. – One year after a devastating tornado ripped through Joplin, Missouri, the city is making a strong recovery thanks to the resilience of the Joplin people, a united recovery effort, and an extraordinary outpouring of volunteers and AmeriCorps members who have made a powerful impact and remain hard at work today.City leaders are preparing for tomorrow's anniversary with events to remember and mourn those who died, but also to demonstrate unity, progress, and gratitude for the more than 130,000 volunteers who have come from across the country over the past year -- what City Manager Mark Rohr has called the “miracle of the human spirit.”Coordinating volunteers and ensuring their service is focused on impact has been a primary focus of the national service program AmeriCorps, whose members arrived within hours after the tornado and continue to play an indispensable role in Joplin's recovery.“The tornado showed nature at its worst, but it brought out humanity at its best,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, AmeriCorps' parent agency. “The outpouring of volunteers has been extraordinary. Thanks to AmeriCorps leadership, tens of thousands of volunteers were able to provide assistance to survivors quickly and with an immediate impact, and we remain committed to Joplin's long-term recovery.”Spencer will be in Joplin for the anniversary to meet with local officials, survey progress and lessons learned, thank volunteers, and join community events, including President Obama's Joplin High School commencement address tonight and the city's Walk of Unity tomorrow. For details on Spencer's schedule, click here.AmeriCorps: An Indispensable RoleThe first team of AmeriCorps members arrived within hours after the nation's deadliest tornado in nearly 60 years ripped through Joplin, killing 161 people and destroying some 7,500 homes and businesses.Members of AmeriCorps St. Louis Emergency Response Team were first on the scene, arriving at 2:30 a.m. They immediately went to work, setting up a missing persons' hotline and opening a volunteer center at Missouri Southern State University to handle the 3,000 volunteers who showed up the next day.In the year since, more than 350 AmeriCorps members from across the nation have served in Joplin. They have removed tons of debris, provided homeowner assistance and casework, operated donation and distribution warehouses, coordinated donations, and managed a large-scale volunteer operation that has coordinated more than 75,000 volunteers to provide more than 520,000 hours of disaster assistance to more than 2,200 Joplin households. (See CNCSFact Sheet on AmeriCorps Response to Joplin Tornado)Joplin city officials reported to FEMA that the city received donated resources and volunteer hours totaling $17.7 million, the largest amount in Missouri's history and the largest amount ever recorded in FEMA's region VII. AmeriCorps members were instrumental in mobilizing this influx of volunteers and donations, which saved the city more than $17.7 million in disaster costs.The Missouri House of Representatives passed a resolution citing AmeriCorps as “indispensable to the recovery,” and Joplin Assistant City Manager Sam Anselm said, “I don't know where we would be at this point in the recovery without AmeriCorps. They were absolutely instrumental.”An Ongoing CommitmentAmeriCorps has an ongoing presence and long-term commitment to Joplin. One year after the tornado, more than 25 AmeriCorps members are still serving there, assisting with home-building and repair, offering legal services to low-income families, providing support to students in Joplin public schools, and managing volunteers, donations, and homeowner requests through the AmeriCorps Recovery Center led by AmeriCorps St. Louis.Working in partnership with FEMA, the Missouri Community Service Commission, the City of Joplin, and nonprofit and faith-based organizations, AmeriCorps members will continue to provide vital services to support the long-term recovery effort.“One year after the tornado, Joplin is coming back stronger, thanks to the resilience of Joplin's people and the volunteers who provided hope and help at a time of great need,” said Spencer. “To the volunteers, we say thank you for caring, for making a difference, for changing lives. We also say keep coming. Progress has been made, but the job's not done. Joplin needs more volunteers.”Lessons LearnedSpencer also noted how lessons learned from Joplin have already been applied to other disasters. Last summer, shortly after returning to Texas from Joplin, the American YouthWorks Environmental Corps was pressed into action. Central Texas suffered the worst wildfires in its history over Labor Day weekend, with more than 1,700 structures damaged. The Environmental Corps AmeriCorps members used the same volunteer management infrastructure and systems they had just used in Joplin to help coordinate more than 4,000 volunteers.The impact of AmeriCorps in Joplin also helped spur the development of FEMA Corps, an innovative partnership between FEMA and CNCS launched in March. FEMA Corps is a new 1,600 member unit of AmeriCorps' National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) whose members will be devoted solely to disaster response and recovery efforts. FEMA Corps will strengthen the nation's disaster response capabilities, expand opportunities for young people, and save taxpayer dollars.For one Joplin resident, FEMA Corps will provide an opportunity to help others who are faced with the challenges of natural disasters. Mariah Hutchinson, 17, survived the tornado and began volunteering through her church shortly afterwards. When AmeriCorps members visited her school in March to talk about their experiences, Hutchinson immediately knew that AmeriCorps NCCC and FEMA Corps were right for her.“I have always been the type of person who is selfless, and have always loved to help others,”said Hutchinson. “Being able to wake up every day knowing I have made a difference in someone else's life would be life changing for me.” Hutchinson will cross the stage tonight with 480 other graduating seniors at Joplin High Commencement.###
              AmeriCorps, a federal agency, brings people together to tackle the country's most pressing challenges through national service and volunteering. AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers serve with organizations dedicated to the improvement of communities. AmeriCorps helps make service to others a cornerstone of our national culture. Learn more at AmeriCorps.gov. Back to main content Sign up to hear about our latest news, events, and opportunities.
  Sign up for our newsletter
    Footer about
  

        
        About
                            What We Do
                Our Impact
                Our Team
                Careers
                Agency OverviewFooter serve
  

        
        Serve
                            AmeriCorps
                AmeriCorps Seniors
                Volunteer
                Find Your FitFooter partner
  

        
        Partner
                            How it Works
                Funding OpportunitiesFooter Members & Volunteers
  

        
        Members & Volunteers
                            Your Benefits
                Segal AmeriCorps Education Award
                Alumni
                Safety and SecurityFooter grantees & sponsors
  

        
        Grantees & Sponsors
                            eGrants
                History Checks
                LitmosFooter newsroom
  

        
        Newsroom
                            News
                Blog
                Stories
                Events
                In the News
                Communication Resources
      Bringing Americans together to serve communities

Follow us
  
  1-800-942-2677
            
    help@americorps.gov
    USA.gov / Office of Inspector General / FOIA and Privacy Act / Federal Register notices / No FEAR Act/ Employee Whistleblower Rights / Contractor and Grantee Whistleblower Rights / Office of Special Counsel / STOCK Act / Fraud Alert

Accessibility / Privacy policy / Site map / Donate / Join

**AmeriCorps.gov**
An official website of AmeriCorps. Produced and published at taxpayer expense. 
 You are leaving AmeriCorps.gov
 The website you’re going to is not part of the AmeriCorps domain and may not be under AmeriCorps’ control. Its privacy and security practices and policies may differ from AmeriCorps’. AmeriCorps is not responsible for the link, nor does it endorse the content of the third-party website. Click on the continue button to proceed to the external website; otherwise click cancel to stay on AmeriCorps.gov.
 Cancel Continue