U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and former U.S. Sen. John Danforth, R-Mo., visited the Joplin Chamber of Commerce yesterday to announce the creation of the Joplin Tomorrow Foundation, a nonprofit organization that plans to raise $10 million to assist Joplin rebuilding efforts.
The foundation will provide low or no-interest loans to assist businesses building in Joplin for the first time or expanding or modifying operations that were in place prior to the May 22 EF-5 tornado that adversely affected more than 400 businesses and resulted in the loss of more than 4,500 jobs, according to a news release from Blunt's office.
The nonprofit, which plans to solicit donations from individuals, companies and foundations, already has received a $500,000 grant from the Danforth Foundation and a $25,000 grant from the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“I applaud Sen. Danforth’s efforts to help rebuild Joplin in the aftermath of this disaster. Joplin Tomorrow represents what Missourians do so well - helping one another in times of need,” Blunt said in the release. “I’ve said many times that in Joplin, neighbors were each other’s first responders, and they will be the last responders too.
"Southwest Missourians are resilient, and I’m confident Joplin Tomorrow will help restore the business community and attract new private-sector job creators as we work to rebuild.”
The Joplin Tomorrow Foundation will be managed by a board of five private-sector Joplin citizens who will decide which applicants qualify for assistance, amounts to be received and terms of loan agreements. The five board members are Michael Palmer, vice president of Empire District Electric Co.; Mike Pence, retired owner of Electric Motor Supply; Dwight Douglas, general counsel of Freeman Health System; J.D. Seller, former CEO of EaglePicher Technologies LLC; and Glenn Brown, retired CEO of CFI, which is now Con-way Truckload, according to Joplin Tri-State Business Journal Editor Chris Roberts.
“Joplin Tomorrow will seek not only to restore many of the businesses that were destroyed, but also to attract new ones and thereby help the city rise to a new level of industrial and commercial prosperity,” Danforth said in the release. “Just as New Orleans is now beginning to thrive, so can Joplin. Joplin Tomorrow is a critical tool for securing that future.”
Beyond the Joplin Tomorrow Foundation, Blunt has been active in the Senate attempting to push a tax relief recovery bill for areas hit by natural disasters.
Blunt and a handful of other senators, including Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., have co-sponsored The Southeastern Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2011, a bill that would provide myriad tax provisions for individuals and businesses adversely affected by the Joplin tornado and in southeast Missouri, where flooding hit several areas. Eight other states also would be eligible for assistance, according to
Springfield Business Journal archives.
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