[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 66 (Thursday, May 10, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E768]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       RECOGNIZING CONVOY OF HOPE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BILLY LONG

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 10, 2012

  Mr. LONG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Convoy of Hope's 
generous outreach following last year's tornado which devastated the 
community of Joplin, Missouri, on May 22, 2011.
  Convoy of Hope provides food, clothing, medical aid and other 
resources to disaster areas or to those in need. They are a shining 
example of the generous American spirit and the immense power of 
private faith-based charities to be a force for good in our local 
communities. Since its founding in 1994, Convoy of Hope has served over 
51 million people throughout the world. Hours after the tornado struck 
Joplin, Convoy of Hope was on the scene offering a helping hand to 
those in need.
  Convoy of Hope's initial response was coordinated with the 
cooperation of Ignite Church in Joplin where a mobile distribution site 
was established. Twelve local churches in Joplin and surrounding states 
organized volunteers to assist Convoy of Hope in the disaster response 
effort, which has provided more than 3 million pounds of food, water 
and supplies to help the community get back on its feet.
  Through a partnership with Pyramid Foods, Convoy of Hope operated a 
``compassion store'' where tornado victims received free relief 
products like rakes, shovels, trash bags and gloves to assist them with 
debris removal. The compassion store remained opened until November 
2011.
  In January 2012, Convoy of Hope announced their commitment to provide 
$1 million to help tornado victims on the series finale of ABC's 
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, which featured the building of seven 
homes in seven days in Joplin. In February, Convoy of Hope, in 
partnership with the Global Green Building, Project Safe Home and T.F. 
Concrete Forming systems, embarked on a mission to help build storm-
resilient homes for at least a dozen deserving families.
  Convoy of Hope is constructing homes that emphasize protections 
against strong winds and promote energy efficiencies. Convoy of Hope 
and its partners are coordinating these and future efforts with the 
Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency to provide guidance on other future ``resilient'' constructions. 
These new high-tech, low-energy buildings are specially designed with 
reinforced concrete walls and other innovations to be sturdier than 
traditional houses.
  Convoy of Hope and their 3,852 volunteers served 12,161 families, 
helped clear and clean 42 houses at no cost to the homeowners, and 
completed four major critical needs projects for homeowners who did not 
have adequate resources to address the safety concerns on their 
property.
  Convoy of Hope's generous spirit of outreach helped thousands of 
Joplin residents during a dark chapter in their lives. I know that many 
families impacted by this tornado are grateful for the helping hand and 
support they received from Convoy of Hope.

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