Natural Disasters

Auto dealer donates nearly $100,000 to help rebuild Joplin after tornado
Reliable Toyota Lexus BMS Audio and Scion also donated funds for other nonprofit groups in the Ozarks.

edited news release
3:01 p.m. CST, December 19, 2011

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- After the tornado in Joplin on May 22, employees of the Reliable auto dealership on East Sunshine Street raised funds to help the rebuilding efforts. They said Monday that their efforts raised $100,000 for

The dealership set aside $100 for every vehicle sold at the dealership between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Customers were able to designate a local charity to receive the $100 from their purchase. Those funds totaled nearly $50,000.

Reliable employees designated other donations to several nonprofit groups. The largest donation is to the Joplin Public School Tornado Fund for $45,100.


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Checks have already been going out and started with $1,200 worth of bottled water just days after the tornado stuck. The Joplin Public School Fund already received $10,000 and will get the balance this month.

In addition to the $100,000 raised during this effort, Reliable Superstore donated an additional $20,000 to the Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks, a local charity founded by Mary Beth O'Reilly to support woman and families impacted by breast cancer.

Toyota Motor Sales USA donated $20,000 of the $100,000.

Here are the contributions from the Reliable dealership's fundraising.

$1,278 Bottled water sent to Joplin
$2,800 American Red Cross
$5,000 Boys & Girls Clubs
$20,000 Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks
$5,000 Care To Learn
$100 Christ Community United Methodist Church, Joplin
$1,500 Community Foundation of the Ozarks Joplin Tornado First Response Fund
$2,500 Convoy of Hope
$2,500 Crosslines Food Pantry
$3,200 Family of Police Officer Jefferson Taylor
$700 First Assembly of God, Joplin
$100 Free Will Baptist Church, Joplin
$1,200 Humane Society of Joplin
$2,500 SW Missouri Humane Society
$3,521 Joplin Parks Department
$45,100 Joplin Public Schools Tornado Fund
$100 Missouri Conference of United Methodist Church Joplin Disaster Relief Fund
$2,500 Missouri Hotel
$2,500 Ozark Trails Council Boy Scouts
$2,600 Ozarks Food Harvest
$100 Peace Lutheran Church, Joplin
$5,000 Pershing School
$2,600 Salvation Army
$100 Samaritan's Purse
$100 Speed The Light
$200 Spring River Baptist Association Tornado Discretionary Fund
$1,100 St Mary's Catholic Church, Joplin
$3,200 St Mary's Catholic Elementary, Joplin
$200 St. Paul United Methodist, Joplin
$100 Stockton Humane Society
$2,500 The Kitchen
$100 Wildwood Southern Baptist Church, Joplin
Total: $120,000


http://www.ky3.com/news/ky3-reliable-auto-group-donations-20111219,0,7291916,full.story

This story is about a very nice hometown car dealership helping in the community. The joplin tornado took place this summer. This tornado was arguably one of the worst ever. This is because it went right through the middle of a major city. Before this happened it was a widely thought that a tornado wouldnt go right through a city.


VIDEO

http://youtu.be/xCI1u05KD_s

This video is taken by some storm chasers. I have to give these guys credit for how extremely close they get to this beast. This tornado in the video is a typical funnel tornado. I think this video also does a good job of showing the destructive powers of tornados to.