By Sheryl Watts, F285470
February 2012
Last year was a time of celebration for the Ozark Ridge Runners. The chapter, which is based in the Ozark Mountain area of northwest Arkansas and southwest Missouri, celebrated its 10th anniversary as an FMCA chapter in 2011 “” 10 years of great travel, fun rallies, and new friendships.
As members gathered at rallies early in the year, it was decided that our chapter anniversary seemed an appropriate time to find a charitable cause in one of the communities that we visit. Unfortunately, our cause became quite apparent when tragedy struck the town of Joplin, Missouri, which is located in the heart of our chapter’s geographic area.
On May 22, 2011, an EF5 tornado hit Joplin in the late afternoon. The tornado was one of the deadliest in the United States in more than 50 years, leaving 160 dead and more than 900 injured. More than 500 businesses were destroyed and 7,500 homes or individual apartments demolished. This included many of the Joplin city schools.
At our June rally, a chapter member who is a retired teacher explained how quickly kids go through shoes and how difficult it is for financially strapped families to afford replacements. The chapter quickly decided to present “running shoes” to schoolchildren in Joplin as a way of helping out. Our chapter name is frequently associated with running as a sport, and we love to explain that we “run” in our comfortable motorhomes. The concept hit even closer to home when chapter member Jean Medlock revealed that she attended Emerson Elementary School, which was one of the schools damaged by the storm. What a wonderful way to honor this generous lady and provide for the youngsters of her childhood neighborhood. Thus the “Shoes for Joplin” project began. A committee was formed, shopping ensued, and soon careful selections were made to meet the needs of a range of children’s ages. Jean and her husband, Larry, added 240 pairs of socks to the bounty.
On August 26, several chapter members made the trip to Joplin to present 83 pairs of athletic shoes to children in kindergarten through fifth grades at Emerson. We heard remarks such as “They’re awesome!” “Cool shoes!” and “I am really happy you did this!” A fifth-grade girl said, “It is so cool that you raised money, “˜cause some of us don’t have enough money for shoes this year!”
One ancillary staff member who observed the shoe presentation said, “I am so thankful for these shoes. I have seen too many students come to school in cold weather with flip-flops, shorts, and no coat. You have made life better for these kids.”
Sadly, a third-grade Emerson student was one of the 160 residents who died in the storm. Many students lost family members. It was estimated that 40 to 50 percent of the students attending Joplin schools lost their homes, while many other homes were damaged to the point that they were uninhabitable.
While in town for the presentation, our chapter group toured several areas that suffered the heaviest damage and saw the destroyed neighborhoods and schools. Most interesting was a drive by the temporary site of St. John’s Regional Medical Center, housed in medical army surgical hospital (MASH) tents. The hospital sustained extensive damage during the tornado, including broken windows, damaged exterior walls, and upper floors completely destroyed.
The Ozark Ridge Runners wish to thank Academy Sports + Outdoors stores in Fort Smith and Rogers, Arkansas, for providing a discount on the shoe purchases. The Academy Sports store in Joplin was completely destroyed, but the company plans to rebuild it.
When asked about additional needs, Lila Vance, principal of Emerson Elementary, recommended that contributions be made to Bright Futures Joplin. This is a program that meets emergency needs of Joplin students in a rapid-response manner, as staff members determine an issue. Contributions can be specified for particular buildings. Information is available at www.brightfuturesjoplin.com, or contributions can be made by mail to: Bright Futures Joplin, Attn: Kim Vann, 3901 E. 32nd St., Joplin MO 64804.