Scouts gather two truckloads of donations in five-hour drive

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Nevada, Mo. -- Local Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts worked together in a drive for donations for Joplin tornado relief for five hours and gathered $850 and about two truckloads of items they took to the Vernon County Ambulance District headquarters Friday morning, where they'll be sorted and transported to Joplin.

The ambulance district had just taken supplies previously donated to Joplin, but thanks to the efforts of the Scouts, the space vacated by those prior donations was quickly refilled by the new ones.

The scouts -- Cub Scout Pack 117 and Girl Scouts from local troops -- stationed themselves at Sutherland's, Ramey's, the Family Video parking lot and the Dollar General Store, armed with lists of items still needed, and the response from the community was "just so awesome. Everyone was just going shopping (for the items needed). It was awesome," said cubmaster Scott Theis. The drive had been announced on KNEM/KNMO, and "so many people came," Theis said. Den leaders who took part, along with Cub Scouts were Lori Black, Keith Spencer, Renee Kurdi and Kristina Tourtillot; Girl Scout leaders who took part along with Girl Scouts were Angie Theis, Carla Rainey, Kristul Wingert and Tara Charles.

Thinking of the need in Joplin is "just so humbling," Theis said. His two children, one a Cub Scout and the other a Girl Scout, took part in the five-hour drive, and were tired and hungry.

"We were doing all this, but we're going to go home to our own beds. There are so many who aren't. It's so humbling. I can't imagine what it would be like to start over with nothing," Theis said.

At Sutherland's, manager Courtney Black brought the scouts at least two cartloads of building materials for the effort as well.

"We want to do this again in about three weeks. People are just going to keep needing and needing," Theis said.