Convoy of Hope has handed over a new home and new future to a family that survived the deadly tornado that decimated Moore, Oklahoma last year. KSMU’s Alissa Zhu has the story.
Over one year ago, Jamie Baker crawled out of the wreckage of her home that had been destroyed by a tornado. On Tuesday, she received the keys to a brand-new house built with donated funds on the same property where her old one had stood.
Convoy of Hope, a Springfield-based organization that helps individuals and communities affected by disasters, built this house for Jamie, a single mom, and her teen daughter, Kaylee. This is the first of many houses that Convoy of Hope, with the help of partner organizations in Oklahoma, will build and give to survivors of last May’s deadly tornado.
“It’s really the blowing out of the birthday candles if you will.”
Jeff Nene is the national spokesperson for Convoy. He attended a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Baker’s new home.
“It’s a culmination of those months of hard work and effort and to be able to see the joy in the faces of the new homeowners, to be able to see the excitement in their eyes and know their lives are going to be changed forever because of something you and your partners were able to do,” said Nene.
Nene said Convoy of Hope wants to help people who have no way of helping themselves. They were amongst the first responders at the scene of the natural disaster and have been aiding the Moore community by providing basic living needs and cleaning supplies.
“It was amazing to watch because as people in the Ozarks saw what was happening, they were able to respond and people just gave and gave towards the victims and towards what was happening here. And because of that, we raised enough money that we’re now able to come back and work with some of the agencies and institutions that exist here in Moore,” said Nene.
A second family in Moore will receive the keys to their new home Wednesday, and Convoy hopes many more will follow.