May 20, 2013 an F5 tornado ripped through Moore, OK. killing 24 people including 7 precious children at Plaza towers elementary. CitiIMPACT, it’s volunteers and partners, have been honored to walk beside hundreds of families as they grieve the loss of loved ones and homes. We’ve relived that day through our friends, Ross and Danni Legg whose son Christopher died after he left his safe spot to comfort a scared friend in another classroom. He covered her with his body and she lived. Christopher lived and died a hero, may his legacy live on. The Legg’s home was also flattened and a lifetime of photos and memories were sucked away. Ross says, “In my haze of grief, I couldn’t provide a home for my family. CitiIMPACT did that for me.” Teams moved them out of a shelter and into a rental house . . . then they “took the time to make it a home”. Please pray for all who suffered this unspeakable loss, especially the parents and siblings who don’t need a calendar to remind them of the pain.
JD Smith, talks with homeowner who survived Mayflower tornado in his shower, and gives him relief supplies.
Relief, Recover, Resilience
Multiplied through Collaborative Partnerships
CitiIMPACT has delivered 8 semi loads (worth $1.2 million) of relief supplies toareas in MS and AR recently hit by tornados. 30,000 hot meals were also served. Thanks to key partners M25, World Vision, and Operation BBQ for connecting through us to reach these areas. CitiIMPACT CEO, JD Smith, visited each site and now guides local partners ( AR Dream Center, New Life Church Little Rock, Journey Church, Faith Church, First Baptist Louisville, First Baptist Tupelo, HOPE Church Tupelo, St Lukes Tupelo, Mayor’s office Mayfield) towards recovery.
CitiIMPACT walks with communities until they reach a place of resilience. Pastor Kirk Pankratz of Oklahoma City’s Church of the Harvest says it like this, “CitiIMPACT has stayed committed for the long haul not just the limelight”. Currently CitiIMPACT continues to serve Moore, OK; New Orleans, LA; and areas in NJ affected by Sandy with long term support. consulting, teams, and supplies. Semi loads of house kits and building supplies are still arriving at these sites.
Collaborative Partnerships is how we catalyze help and hope, like our ongoing efforts in LaPlace Louisiana where CitiIMPACT was recently awarded a community acknowledgement plaque by Pastor Neil Bernard and the Parrish President. Pastor Neil, said, “This is for ongoing efforts since day one. Without CitiIMPACT our recovery would have been so much slower. Thank you for bringing your network to help us in our tragedy.”
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