Uniontown KAY students benefit from EM:HE visit

Hopes of lending a hand with the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition project in Joplin did not come to fruition for the Uniontown KAY Club, however the some students were able to serve as spectators and walked away with a lot more.

According to UHS KAY Club Co-Sponsor Malynda Tinsley, the journey to help in the build was rocky. The club had originally signed up for an eight-hour shift and waited several days before getting any response regarding the acceptance of their volunteer offer. Tinsley said in an e-mail to The Tribune that just days before their shift was to start she received an e-mail notifying her that the time slot they signed up for had already been filled. That e-mail was followed up the next morning with another that reminded them to bring the proper identification and paperwork when they arrive. When they arrived at the build site they learned they were not able to volunteer.

"We were a bit confused so we packed up 5 students and 3 staff members and we went to Joplin (Monday)," she said in an e-mail. "We rode a bus to the location and were told we would have to settle on being spectators."

Tinsley said that after initially feeling the trip to be a bust, the thought was quickly changed when she saw the student's reaction to the wake that was left by the tornado. She said that many of them had not had the opportunity to be that close to the damage.

"It was at that moment that (the students) realized that people were in the hospital when the tornado hit. People were in the homes/apartment buildings when the tornado hit. People were killed, lives were torn apart and the devastation was going to last a lifetime," she said. "They were completely moved to see the amount of people there working, donating their time and efforts, to help people that they didn't know."

The students and staff witnessed the volunteers and builders work for about two hours before heading home. Tinsley said that there was no doubt that the students benefited greatly from the visit.

"Yes, they were disappointed that they didn't get to pitch in and help," she said. "However, what they walked away with was a much more valuable lesson and I think it will have an impact on them for years to come."