AmeriCorps director: Joplin's response to tornado 'changed America'

Speaking yesterday on the fifth anniversary of the EF5 tornado that cut a six-mile path through Joplin, the director of AmeriCorps said the community's response was one of a kind.

"Not only did they help change Joplin, but you changed them," Bill Basl said, speaking on behalf of the 450 AmeriCorps volunteers who came to Joplin. "And in so doing, you changed America.

"Thank you for making us a better national service agency and thank you for making us a better country."

He said the value of volunteer labor is now being used as a calculation whenever the federal government is determining how much assistance to provide for disasters.

Following the Joplin tornado, the city received $17.7 million worth of volunteer labor, according to The Joplin Globe.

Read more from The Joplin Globe.