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Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Walk of Unity Steeple Raising at Joplin Stake Center

Crane lifts steeple at site of under-
construction Joplin Missouri Stake Center of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Crane lifts steeple toward its resting place
on top of the Joplin Missouri Stake Center of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Workers move steeple, being lifted by crane,
toward its resting place
on top of the Joplin Missouri Stake Center of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Workers gently move steeple, being held by crane,
onto its permanent place atop
the Joplin Missouri Stake Center of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Creed Jones, Joplin Missouri Stake President,
speaks from the steps of the under-construction
Joplin Stake Center to Walk of Unity participants,
estimated at nearly 6,000.  

Workers wait in the shade of the new steeple
atop the Joplin Missouri Stake Center of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Guests at the Stake Center Steeple raising.
Those in the yellow shirts are wearing their
LDS Helping Hands shirts. 

After the steeple ceremony at
the Joplin Missouri Stake Center of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
Walk of Unity participants walk
between lines of buses toward the next stop, the ruins
of the Joplin High School.

The steeple is lowered to the ground after
the ceremony. It was raised and secured later in
the week at the Joplin Missouri Stake Center of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Friday, June 1, 2012

  • Wednesday, May 23 2012 12:55 p.m. MDT
A steeple was placed on a chapel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Joplin, Mo., on May 22 as part of the Unity Walk marking the first anniversary of a deadly tornado.
Joplin Missouri Stake President Creed Jones gave thanks for religious freedom and noted that many churches in Joplin were affected, the Springfield (Missouri) News-Leader reported. Only a few walls of the building were left standing after the tornado hit in May 2011, reported the LDS Church News.
More than two dozen church buildings in the community were destroyed by the storm and seven have been rebuilt, according to the Joplin (Missouri) Globe,
The estimated 5,000 to 6,000 people on the walk then went to a groundbreaking for the new high school, a ribbon cutting at a new business and then concluded with a progrram at Cunningham Park, according to the Neosho Daily News.
For more on the anniversary commemorations and remembrances, including a video and photo gallery, please see "Joplin remembers deadly tornado, one year later"

Joplin commemorates anniversary of deadly tornado

By Alan Scher Zagier
Associated Press
Published: Tuesday, May 22 2012 5:05 a.m. MDT
JOPLIN, Mo. — A day of solemn remembrances and forward-looking celebrations is planned Tuesday as Joplin commemorates the anniversary of a tornado that ripped the city in half.
The May 22, 2011, twister was the nation's deadliest in six decades, killing 161 people, injuring hundreds more and destroying thousands of buildings, including the city's only public high school. Groundbreaking ceremonies are scheduled at three sites for replacement buildings, including Joplin High School's future home.
President Barack Obama greets students before the
Joplin High School commencement, a day before
the anniversary of the twister that killed 161 people,
Monday, May 21, 2012, in Joplin, Mo.
Gov. Jay Nixon, who joined President Barack Obama on Monday night as a Joplin High School graduation speaker, plans to attend a sunrise service and "journey of healing" at Freeman Hospital honoring the city's medical workers and volunteers who have aided the recovery. The hospital has seen a surge in use after the tornado destroyed St. John's Regional Medical Center, which has since occupied a succession of temporary facilities but is being rebuilt at a new location — and renamed as Mercy Hospital Joplin.
A 4-mile unity walk through some of the city's hardest hit neighborhoods begins at 2 p.m. in neighboring Duquesne, where more than one-fourth of the community's 750 homes were destroyed and nine people died. The Joplin portion of the walk begins past a Wal-Mart where 200 people survived the storm by huddling together in employee break rooms, bathrooms and other designated safe zones. Three people, though, were killed inside that store.
The walk will conclude with a moment of silence at Cunningham Park at 5:41 p.m., the precise time when the EF-5 tornado packing 200 mph winds hit Joplin. The city park, which is across the street from the hulking remains of the St. John's hospital, has since been rebuilt.
While many of Tuesday's events will reflect upon the past year, community leaders are also looking ahead toward what is bound to be a long recovery effort.
In January, elected officials and other members of a 45-person recovery committee endorsed a long-term recovery plan that calls for the creation of four new business districts that would allow residents to live and shop nearby and a unified approach to rebuilding that ensures new construction meets certain design standards.
In March, the city hired Wallace Bajjali Development Partners, of Sugar Land, Texas, as its "master developer" to oversee the rebuilding plan.
The day's events are also expected to attract some of the more than 130,000 volunteers who descended on southwest Missouri from across the country to help out. That group includes a contingent of bicyclists who left New York City's Central Park nearly three weeks ago on a Cycle for Joplin fundraising ride organized by a group of former Joplin residents known as the Joplin Expats.

Obama praises Joplin's resiliency on tornado anniversary


Obama praises Joplin's resiliency on tornado anniversary
(Click on title above to go to Website with CBS Video and other related linkds)
(AP) JOPLIN, Mo. - One year after a deadly tornado devastated their city, President Barack Obama praised the residents of Joplin, Mo., for a spirit of perseverance and resiliency that he said could serve as a model for a nation still grinding its way through tough economic times.

Obama delivered a high school commencement address a day before the anniversary of the twister that killed 161 people. Declaring that they had "already defied the odds," he urged the graduating seniors of Joplin High School to hold close the lessons they learned in overcoming adversity as they enter the next phase of their lives.

"You are from Joplin. And you are from America," Obama said. "You will not be defined by the difficulties you face, but how you respond — with strength, and grace, and a commitment to others."

Obama jetted to Joplin immediately after wrapping up the national security-focused NATO conference in Chicago, the second international summit the president hosted over the past four days. He joined school leaders and local officials on stage in the gymnasium of a local college, listening to student speeches, choral performances and the school cheer.

The Joplin twister was the country's deadliest single tornado in six decades. Beyond the dead, hundreds more were injured and thousands of buildings were destroyed, including Joplin High. Five other Joplin schools were also destroyed, with four more among the damaged structures.

The twister arrived hours after last year's high school graduation. Will Norton, a member of the 2011 graduating class, was killed, as was Lantz Hare, who would have graduated next year.

"You've learned at a younger age than most that you can't always predict what life has in store," Obama said. "No matter how we might try to avoid it, life surely can bring some heartache. And life involves struggle. And at some point, life will bring loss."

Obama traveled to Joplin in the days after the tornado struck, meeting with residents and viewing the devastation. On Monday, he praised the city's residents for the determination they have shown over the past year in rebuilding their homes and businesses, as well as those from across the country and the world who stepped in to help.

Obama urged the graduates to never forget the kindness and generosity bestowed upon their town in the days after the tornado.

First Anniversary of Joplin Tornado: WJLA Story "Observed"

Joplin tornado anniversary observed
(Click on title to go to Website, which includes photos.)
JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) - Joplin began a day of solemn remembrance Tuesday with a sunrise service to honor the hospital staff, emergency workers and other survivors who sprang into action when one of the deadliest tornados in U.S. history carved through the city exactly one year ago.
Gov. Jay Nixon told those at the Freeman Hospital service that Tuesday's tranquil dawn reflected the sense of renewal and hope in Joplin since the May 22, 2011, tornado that killed 161 people and injured hundreds of others.
(WJLA Photo)
"Scripture tells us that the path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day," Nixon said.
The hospital has seen a surge in use because the tornado destroyed St. John's Regional Medical Center, which has since occupied a succession of temporary facilities but is being rebuilt at a new location - and renamed as Mercy Hospital Joplin.
The twister was the nation's deadliest in six decades, and it damaged thousands of buildings, including the city's only public high school.
Groundbreaking ceremonies are scheduled at three sites for replacement buildings, including Joplin High School's future home.
A 4-mile unity walk through some of the city's hardest hit neighborhoods begins at 2 p.m. in neighboring Duquesne, where more than one-fourth of the community's 750 homes were destroyed and nine people died.
The Joplin portion of the walk begins past a Wal-Mart where 200 people survived the storm by huddling together in employee break rooms, bathrooms and other designated safe zones.
Three people, though, were killed inside that store. The walk will conclude with a moment of silence at Cunningham Park at 5:41 p.m., the precise time when the EF-5 tornado packing 200 mph winds hit Joplin.
The city park, which is across the street from the hulking remains of the St. John's hospital, has since been rebuilt. Malichi Murdock, 17, was on stage at a community theater when the tornado hit. He was hit in the head by debris, and he doesn't remember anything from that night.
His face was so badly damaged that his parents initially didn't recognize him when they saw him at Freeman six hours later.
"It was like a war zone" at the hospital, said Susan Murdock, Malachi's mother. "The smell of blood, people everywhere."
Three people inside the Stained Glass Theater died, including the play's director.
While many of Tuesday's events will reflect upon the past year, community leaders are also looking ahead toward what is bound to be a long recovery effort.
In January, elected officials and other members of a 45-person recovery committee endorsed a long-term recovery plan that calls for the creation of four new business districts that would allow residents to live and shop nearby and a unified approach to rebuilding that ensures new construction meets certain design standards.
In March, the city hired Wallace Bajjali Development Partners, of Sugar Land, Texas, as its "master developer" to oversee the rebuilding plan.
The day's events are also expected to attract some of the more than 130,000 volunteers who descended on southwest Missouri from across the country to help out.
That group includes a contingent of bicyclists who left New York City's Central Park nearly three weeks ago on a Cycle for Joplin fundraising ride organized by a group of former Joplin residents known as the Joplin Expats.

First Anniversary of Joplin Tornado: "Day of Unity"

Day of Unity

(Click on title above to go directly to website, which includes pictures and video.)

This day marks the first anniversary of the devastating EF-5 tornado that ripped through Joplin, MO at 5:41 p.m., May 22, 2011.

As of the end of April 2012, 130,009 volunteers have provided 810,476.5 hours to the rebuilding of Joplin. In addition to all in our community who have persevered this past year, organizers encourage the many individuals, organizations and agencies who have come to our community to return to Joplin and join our citizens in this historic anniversary.

This website is designed to provide information about the Day of Unity and other events and activities surrounding the first anniversary of the devastating EF-5 tornado that forever changed the citizens of Joplin and the Four States region.

“We know there are many who have memories from this day, as well as the months following as we began putting our lives and our community back together. Residents, volunteers, business community members and our faith-based organizations all have been extremely important from the moments following the storm throughout today in our recovery efforts. We encourage all to participate in the Day of Unity activities in the manner they find most appropriate for them. Staying together as one has been significant in our success in recovery efforts, and it will continue to provide benefits as we work together and finish the rebuilding process for a stronger and better community.” Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr