Joplin Police Families to Receive Donations Collected from ISP Officers to Assist with Recovery from the EF-5 Tornado Devastation

 

SPRINGFIELD, IL - Illinois State Police today announced that a donation in the amount of $1,297 will be forwarded to the Joplin 10-33 Fund created to assist Joplin police families in need of assistance following the tornado devastation in May of this year.

 

Joplin, Missouri, was in the direct path of the tornado where 30 fatalities were reported, including the destruction of homes, schools, hospitals, churches, and local area businesses. Joplin First Responders remained on the frontlines at the expense of their own safety and the safety of their families.

 

“When we see our fellow law enforcement partners and their families confronted by such devastation, we must answer the call,” said ISP Trooper Cary Morin, a Crime Scene Services Investigator in the Division of Forensic Services. “We know firsthand about the dangers and risks officers take to protect and serve others, and we want our fellow officers and their families to know that we are here for them in their time of need,” he stressed.

 

Morin’s idea materialized when he read an article at PoliceOne.com about the difficulties Joplin, Missouri, officers were encountering after a tornado destroyed their homes and the surrounding area. Morin contacted the ISP Credit Union to formally set up the Joplin Fund. Trooper Morin accepted direct deposits, donations through a PayPal account, and received individual and group donations from ISP employees, family, friends, and officers from other departments in Illinois.  Morin then contacted Ten-Four Ministries to have them facilitate the donations received.

“The generosity of our nation and our fellow police officers continues to amaze and touch me,” said Joplin Police Chief Lane Roberts. “The Joplin Police Department is humbled and appreciative by ISP’s efforts and good wishes,” he added.