Joplin Tornado First Response Fund to Award $350,000 in Grants

JOPLIN, MO-- Joplin's Tornado First Response Fund will soon hand out $350,000 in grants.

Fund committee members cut the initial list of applications down from 35 to 19 - keeping only those which help tornado victims, rebuild infrastructure or help with emergency preparedness.

Committee Chair Phil Stinnett said, "They're excellent requests - obviously there are other organizations going through funding for this type of stuff. But it's not fun. There's no way it can be fun to deny somebody who has a need."

Besides tornado safe room funding, applications came in from:
- the Area Agency on Aging to help with Meals on Wheels
- Ozark Center for an anonymous disaster assistance helpline for Joplin area students
- Salvation Army for a case manager, utilities and rent related to disaster recovery
- Independent Living Center for accessible alerting devices and emergency preparedness education for individual with disabilities
- Boys & Girls Club for replacement flooring in the gym where disaster supplies were stored
- Freeman Health System for light towers for performing medical procedures and treatment during disasters
- Rebuild Joplin/St. Bernard Project, Inc. for costs related to rebuilding and repairing 100 tornado impacted homes
- Legal Aid for services to tornado victims
- Arc of the Ozarks toward a six bedroom duplex for residents with disabilities
- Economic Security Corporation to replace playground equipment at Head Start
- Joplin Family Y to help children traumatized by the tornado
- Jasper County Sheltered Facilities for tornado safe rooms at three client living sites
- Big Brothers Big Sisters funding for program expenses
- Joplin Family Worship Center for tornado recovery outreach
- Joplin Area Habitat for Humanity for acquisition of a lot and construction of a new house
- Joplin Area Long Term Recovery Committee for furnishings, appliances and resources for tornado survivors
- American Red Cross for disaster preparedness and recovery seminars and programs
- Catholic Charities of Southern MO for safe rooms and major appliances