Experience in Joplin with the Smart Mob (Juan Franco)

During the 2011 Summer an F-5 Tornado hit the City of Joplin in Southwest Missouri, not only leaving a destructive path behind it but killing hundreds and virtually wiping out the city. Aid from all over the world started to flow in, but as it is expected after a natural disaster of that magnitude recovery was slow. I was witness to this when Drury University organized a smart mob to help in the reconstruction effort of a memorial. As we drove through the “city” I saw destroyed houses, abandoned buildings, trees at awkward angles and despair in peoples faces. However as soon as our bus pulled up to the construction site cheers erupted in our honor since we were there to make a change. I feel that the Smart Mob organized by the University was highly efficient, in contrast to the Extreme Makeover crew who I felt was there as an act or show. We worked throughout the day and at the end the result was extremely visible, something I also heard from the Architecture students that had been on site for the duration of the week. Overall it was a great and humbling experience and I would most definitely like to do it again in the near future.  
-Juan Franco

Smart Goal

My Smart Goal for a long term is to maintain friendship with this kids and spend time with them. I'm really excited to watch how they apply all that we have learn with us. Hopefully we are going to maintain a nice friendship and help each other in the future.
Danny Loza

Smart Mob

On August 29 Joplin was victim of one of the most devastating hurricanes in human nature. Irene hurricane took the life of more than one hundred people and thousands get injured.  After the hurricane hit Joplin thousands of people and foundations came to relief Joplin. Hundreds of supplies and tools were given to Joplin. Two months after hurricane Irene, Drury University decided to create a memorial based on the experiences and the symbolic meaning of all this help and the reconstruction of Joplin. 

Architecture students were in charge of designing the model and with the help of architects and the community we were going to create a magnificent memorial. The 23^rth of October Smart mob group which was willing to help Joplin and to help build the memorial went to Joplin to bring happiness and hope. I was in the Smart mob and this event was one of those moments that could change your life. Ten minutes before arriving to the park I was able to see the devastation that Joplin had suffered. Broken houses, roofs, wood and materials everywhere was this city at first site.  After two months of the devastations and Joplin still wasn’t completely recovered, for me was surprising how much damage Irene Hurricane did in this city.  After I get to the site I was in charge of helping putting the grass together, taking the rocks apart and instead put some flowers and plants. Besides that we were in camera since extreme make over was present and were surprising about the development of the memorial they interview some of the guys and the professors of what we planning to attempt. We are a group of people willing to help and give Joplin not only a memorial but a site were they could leave away all those bad experiences and keep going forward in their life.  

This day was a great experience for me because I could interact with people of the community and also help this Joplin to become a better place for everyone. There are always unfair events in our lives but there is always going to be good people willing to help and motivate you.

Danny Loza

What do I plan to accomplish is this remaining weeks in Pipkin Middle school

Well so the semester is coming to its end and I had had an amazing time in my school and the great new experiences that the present offers me. One of the things I’m really thankful and happy about is all the things that I have learn from Pipkin middle school, this tiny but special place where I do community service had teach me thing that no other class or sport could teach me. Such things as people willing to change even the bad circumstances or the inspiration of watching a kid doing better in his life and maturating to fulfill success and happiness in his life. For this next weeks my goal will be not longer just talk to the kids about my experices and now its will be the acting part. This acting commitment will be that after talking we have to put It in practice. In that case the kids will learn quicker and it will safe time to talk about more things.

Also I was thinking in a location were we can gather together, since my class its of twenty students, and have a nice dinner before Christmas holiday. In that way be can learn more about each other and the different view of people personality than we your in the school.

Danny Loza 

Smart Goal

My Smart Goal is to implement a monologue technique which consist in organize and plan the week. Each kid need to create a goal like for example, get good grades or do something good for somebody. This will make the kids more organize and having a goal help to organize better your lifestyle. This also will help the kids to socialize and know each other better. Maybe some kids have the same goal and they can help each other to accomplish it.
Danny Loza

Joplin Smart Mob

The monday we joined Smart mob to volunteer in Joplin, was a week we will all remember. It started by passing through the devastated buildings and how we can see the images of what the tornado whipped out. It was a life changing experience because all of the great things we could do to help the community. We worked helping moving and placing grass sods on the garden. We took about an our to plant all of the sods and to create the garden in the surrounding of the memorial site. This was a hard work which I enjoyed because we could work as teams for a more effective work. After that we helped in other site to move the dirt and to place more grass sods to create the exterior parts of the building. It was a long day but it all had its reward and it was helping a community that needed help from everyone. This is an experience that makes you feel complete inside because you don't care if they pay you or they say thank you, but you will feel that you did your job with the people who need it the most. As an experience this is one that could take your stress off by helping the community and could make you see that to help other people is what makes you really happy, and to see their smiles after a long time of suffering thats what makes me happy.

SMART Goal

"Play entertaining and fun games with the group of 15 kids every 2 weeks in this current semester for 1 hour each day. This will make kids to be more engaged and attracted to the program."

Juan Fernando Calderon