Making a Difference: Shining a spotlight on those helping with Miami Valley tornado relief

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

The Miami Valley is coming together to make a difference after more than a dozen tornadoes hit the area Memorial Day night and left behind a path of destruction.

>> Tornado relief: How you can help

I have lived in this community more than 17 years.

And what we have been through the last five days has not been easy. But I always say,  here in the Miami Valley, we are Midwesterners: we work hard, we care about each other.

Amid so much devastation from the 15 tornadoes, so many people are making a difference, touching the lives of folks they never met before this week.

Monday night’s destruction was like something from a movie. A scene no one would expect to see in their own ZIP code. The wreckage someone else’s heartbreak, someone else’s home destroyed.

But late Monday night, that devastation became a reality for the Miami Valley.

>> How to get out and help Daytonians impacted by tornadoes this weekend

“It hurts my heart. I’m devastated,” said Johnston, who was at one of the American Red Cross Shelters set up to help people left without a place to call home.

In the minutes and the hours after 14 tornadoes hit, people, strangers, human beings started showing up to help. 
There are too many people to thank, like the firefighters who saved 6-week-old Anthony after a tornado destroyed his family’s apartment. A
nd there’s 10-year-old Jack and his aunt Allison. They filled a box with three dozen spaghetti dinners for strangers in Dayton. 
“It’s devastating,” Allison said. “A lot of people didn’t have much to start with anyway.”

>> Red Cross needs volunteers for Miami Valley tornado recovery

Others wanting to make a difference left water at curbs and street corners. 
Even in the small town of Brookville strangers drove from hours away to serve food. 
From dropping off ice by the truckload from donating enough food at the Dayton Dragon’s game to make thousands of meals, the Miami Valley is coming together in the face of destruction.

>> Red Cross needs volunteers for Miami Valley tornado recovery

As we look at what happened here this week, maybe for a minute or two all this devastation came be a blur and everyone making a difference can be the main focus.

“The best of Dayton. I’m proud. We’re strong, united, we get through this. It’s gonna be all right,” Johnston said.

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>> NFL wide receiver, Jefferson HS grad Cody Latimer helps tornado victims

>> Trotwood-Madison football team cleans up debris after tornado hits

>> John Legend, Ben Stiller, Lin-Manuel Miranda other celebrities donate money to help Dayton following 15 tornadoes

>> Daytonians volunteering after tornadoes

>> American Red Cross offers shelters, food, supplies and assistance to those affected by tornadoes

The Miami Valley is coming together to make a difference after more than a dozen tornadoes hit the area Memorial Day night and left behind a path of destruction.

>> Tornado relief: How you can help

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