Sangha of Auspicious Companions

Tornado’s Legacy of Catastrophe Compassion, 15 Years Later

After a massive tornado displaced a third of the residents of Joplin, Missouri, and killed nearly 160 people in May 2011, stories of kindness and cooperation overwrote the tragedy – and still do. Almost 100,000 volunteers from nearly every state helped clean up debris and rebuild. Ranchers cooked for volunteers. A university dean, who lost his own home, set up cots at an emergency shelter. Someone dressed as a clown made balloon animals for kids at the shelter. Church groups used chainsaws to cut fallen trees. Harley Davidson riders bought school supplies for local kids at Walmart. Such ‘catastrophe compassion’ helps us focus on what makes us human rather than what divides us, and creates lasting bonds. Residents have used philanthropic recovery money to form One Joplin, which now serves the needs of Joplin’s working poor and advocates for more affordable housing. Jay St. Clair, who turned his church into a shelter for nursing home residents after the storm, now directs a transitional housing program called God’s Resort. “After something terrible happens, people, instead of falling apart and focusing on themselves, come together and try to do for one another,” says Jamil Zaki, director of Stanford’s Social Neuroscience Lab.

Be The Change

Don’t wait for a disaster to reach out to someone in need. Do a small act today that pushes you to nurture a sense of togetherness with a friend, colleague, family member, or stranger.