Earlier this week, Chief of Program Operations, Idara Nickelson, accompanied Kelly DeGraff, Senior Advisor for Disaster Services on a tour of disaster areas throughout Missouri -- Joplin, Branson, and Kimberling City. Her first time at a disaster site, she snapped the above photo and had this to say:

It's heartening to see so many of the right things happening -- community partnerships, innovation, intergovernmental collaboration -- in the wake of the tornado. The community's resolve and resilience comes through in every conversation. Local citizens and officials are turning what could have been the end of the story for this community into a story of success. They're taking bold and important steps to rethink how their kids are educated, how their buildings are built, how to help people faster and better.

Disaster response and recovery is a cornerstone of the national service mission. Since 1994, Corporation for National and Community Service programs have provided critical support to millions of Americans affected by disasters. We are honored to be able to provide those services to affected by the most recent storms and tornadoes.