On May 22, 2011, an EF-5 tornado struck my hometown of Joplin, Missouri. Nearly every resident was affected. The tornado destroyed approximately 18,000 vehicles, 7,000 homes, 5,000 businesses, and took the lives of 162 people, including two of my high school classmates.

At work when the tornado hit, I was away from all of my family and didn't have anyone to cling to during the chaos. After two hours of fighting traffic to get home, I was lucky to find both my family and home still standing. My aunt and uncle weren't so lucky.

This experience was something I feared, but never thought would happen to me. Joplin was unrecognizable in every aspect. My high school was completely destroyed and St. John's Hospital, where I was born, was severely damaged.

While volunteering at a disaster recovery center, I started noticing individuals in AmeriCorps uniforms. I had no idea who these people were, or what their purpose was.

All I knew was -- they were there to help.

In March, AmeriCorps came to Joplin High School and spoke to my senior class. I listened as members from different AmeriCorps programs told their stories, and it struck me:

I felt like this is what I was destined to do.

I knew there was something more to life; more than graduating high school, going to college, and getting a career. I thought about AmeriCorps for weeks. Finally, I came to the simple conclusion.

I want to give back to other communities like they have done for me. When everything was gone, and I felt like I had nothing left, people were there, giving me hope, confidence, and faith that everything would be okay. They gave up their personal time, to be that one smile, that one person, that one positive thing not only to make a difference, but to leave an everlasting impact.

I want to be that person for someone else.

Earlier this year, I was pleased to learn I had been accepted into the AmeriCorps NCCC program, and last month I traveled to Vicksburg, Mississippi to begin my journey as an AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps member.

Early on, I had the privilege of meeting Sean Kerr, a FEMA Corps Team Leader who last year was serving with AmeriCorps NCCC. He arrived in Joplin twenty-three hours after the tornado hit. Meeting someone who was not only selfless, but so proud to volunteer and help people in need, meant the world to me.

My whole purpose of sharing my story is simply this:

It only takes one second, one blink of an eye, for your world to be completely flipped upside down; to lose everything you've ever known, and not know where life is taking you from that point forward.

Be thankful for what you have, and try your hardest to not take things for granted; life is only so long. Help others while you can, share your story because you never know who you will inspire, or make an impact on. Today, I am an AmeriCorps NCCC member in FEMA Corps to make a difference, and that's exactly what I plan to do.

Mariah Hutchinson is a 2012 graduate of Joplin High School and a current AmeriCorps NCCC member in FEMA Corps.

The St. Louis Safety Service Corps, commonly known as the Emergency Response Team (ERT), answered the call time and time again after natural disasters scarred communities across the Midwest in 2011.
 

Paul Reickhoff, president and CEO of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, has an idea about a great, untapped American resource. He believes national service models based on AmeriCorps to harness and leverage the skills of military veterans and can “help people think about us as the cavalry, not as a problem."
 

Earlier this week I traveled to Joplin, Missouri, for a trip I will never forget. The Joplin story is one of a community that that never gave up, that demonstrated steely resolve in the face of tragedy, and that is coming back stronger and better than before. It is also the story of volunteers – 130,000 strong and counting – whose selfless service has lifted up an entire community when it needed it most.
 

Earlier this week, National Service traveled to Missouri to help the community of Joplin mark the one-year anniversary of the tornado that struck the town last year. The response to the destruction has been remarkable - with volunteers traveling from near and far to help rebuild Joplin. On Tuesday, May 22, 2012, thousands of Joplin residents, volunteers, and supporters came together to honor those lost and celebrate the last year's progress.
 

One year ago today, Joplin MO was ravaged by a devastating E5 tornado. In the 12 months that followed, the community responded with an unmatched sense of hope and a determination to rebound. National Service is proud to have been a part of these recovery efforts and continues to provide services there today.
 

Donations from around the country piled up and volunteers turned out in droves in the days and weeks that followed last year's devastating May 22 tornado in Joplin, MO. City officials estimate that Joplin received donated resources and volunteer hours totaling $17.7 million, the largest amount in Missouri's history and the largest amount ever recorded in FEMA's Region VII.
 

To mark the one-year anniversary of the May 22 Joplin tornado, we'll be featuring a variety of content on the serve.gov blog, including Q&As with those who served in the community, like this one.
 

To mark the one-year anniversary of the May 22 Joplin tornado, we'll be featuring a variety of content on the serve.gov blog, including Q&As with those who served in the community, like this one.
 

To mark the one-year anniversary of the May 22 Joplin tornado, we'll be featuring a variety of content on the serve.gov blog, including Q&As with those who served in the community, like this one.
 

To mark the one-year anniversary of the May 22 Joplin tornado, we'll be featuring a variety of content on the serve.gov blog, including Q&As with those who served in the community, like this one.
 

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:
 

Eight months ago, one of the deadliest tornados in U.S. history touched down in Joplin, Missouri, and took the lives of more than 160 residents and destroyed thousands of homes. The federal response began immediately. Within hours, Federal Emergency Management Agency teams were on the ground to work hand in hand with state and local officials to assist in response and recovery.
 

Just hours after a deadly EF-5 tornado struck Joplin, MO, in May 2011, AmeriCorps members began arriving to help with the recovery efforts. Now Missouri state officials are recognizing the national service volunteers who came to the city's aid after the devastating storm.
 

To those who have lived through devastation as complete as a tornado, every minute following the horror of wind and chaos is a perpetual memorial to the many who did not survive to see the skies run clear again.
 

Zack Rosenburg was living a comfortable life as an attorney in Washington, DC when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in August 2005. And while Americans came from all over to New Orleans to help, Zack took the extra step of leaving his job, moving to New Orleans and devoting himself fully to the recovery.
 

It's been seven weeks since we arrived in Joplin to set up disaster relief efforts, and yet we still see new faces and register new volunteers. Last week, we were introduced to a few of the volunteers from across the country, and asked them what inspires them to join us.
 

Volunteers motivate and inspire us. In the weeks following the tornado that destroyed much of Joplin, MO, we've received an outpouring of volunteers from various states and countries.
 

Below is a guest commentary by AmeriCorps Director John Gomperts that appeared in the July 7, 2011 edition of the St. Louis Post Dispatch. The commentary highlights the extraordinary volunteer response to the May 22 Joplin tornado and the key volunteer management role played by AmeriCorps in the wake of natural disasters.
 

No matter where disaster strikes, National Service is there. Our AmeriCorps members have been on the ground in Joplin since the F5 tornado touched down on May 22nd. More than 200 national service members have been engaged in the response and recovery activities including setting up and managing a Volunteer Reception Center, receiving and distributing donations, directing volunteers, and coordinating with FEMA and state agencies.
 

One month ago, a deadly F5 tornado ripped through Joplin, MO. This fierce tornado was the 7th most deadly in U.S. history and the deadliest since modern record keeping began in 1953.
 

Pulling up to the home of Joplin resident Linda Smith, Kari Shields, an AmeriCorps NCCC member with the Southern region, was overcome with emotion. Shield’s team had already visited homes affected by the tornado that day, but they had only needed minor support such as tarps installed on roofs.
 

The tireless efforts of our AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and other volunteers in disaster sites across the nation deserves recognition. On Thankful Thursday, we wanted to give others a chance to share in our gratitude.
 

At a press conference on Tuesday, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon had this to say about the AmeriCorps members serving in the Joplin area:
 

New Orleans knows a lot about service. The city has a rich history steeped in volunteerism and national service. They also know, perhaps more than any other U.S. City, that service plays a critical role in transforming a place that suffered unimaginable destruction.
 

At 2:00 AM, on May 23rd, just eight hours after a deadly EF-5 tornado tore through Joplin, MO, the AmeriCorps St. Louis Emergency Response Team arrived in a community devastated by the latest in a string of natural disasters.
 

In the wake of the nation’s deadliest tornado in six decades, more than 80 AmeriCorps members are working night and day to assist first responders and victims in the recovery efforts in Joplin, MO.