Joplin Area Habitat for Humanity hosted its first annual Race to ReStore 5k, 10k, and 1 Mile fun run to benefit the Habitat ReStore, located at 315 Black Cat Road in Joplin, Missouri. The ReStore allows the public, businesses, and builders to donate used or extra building materials and household items. Everything sold out of the ReStore funds the building of more Habitat homes throughout the Joplin area.
Since the May 22, 2011 tornado, the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity has more than doubled the number of homes it is building in our community. As a result of the increased need, April Foulks, a Juvenile Officer, and Chuck Lonardo, a local attorney, teamed up with community volunteers from Commerce Bank, U.S. Bank, and Joplin Area Habitat for Humanity to form the Resource Development Committee. The Committee’s purpose was to bring additional awareness to the Joplin Area Habitat for Humanity and its projects, as well as raise additional funding for the building of affordable housing projects in the Joplin area.
The Race to ReStore began at 4:00pm on Saturday, April 6th. Attorneys Shelly Dreyer, Lauren Peterson, and Leon Kassab joined in the fun by signing up to compete in the 5k and 10k races, starting on Black Cat Road, just in front of the ReStore. All three ended up placing in the top three for their age bracket. Congratulations to all the runners!