This past May, the residents of Joplin, Missouri had their lives turned upside down -quite literally. The tornado that struck the town was so devastating that it reached an entire mile in width, killed at least a 162 people, and is considered one of the worst tornado’s ever witnessed in our country.
Needless to say, its been a hard 5 months for Joplin residents as they’ve tried to rebuild their homes and lives. But what they didn’t know, was that someone very special – ahem, David Cook – has been paying attention to their heartache and needs.
David Performs at Homecoming Dance
Cook, who hails from Blue Springs, Missouri, has kept close tabs on Joplin and its rebuilding process. Recently Joplin’s Wal-Mart invited him to play at the local high school’s Homecoming Dance which occurred this past weekend.
Without much thought, Cook accepted the invitation and hoped that his guest appearance would come as a special surprise for the students and faculty of Joplin High School. Alas, he’s become too popular for his own good.
The night before the dance occurred, Cook was spotted eating at the local Olive Garden. From there, the message that Cook was in town, spread like wildfire. By the time Cook stepped on stage at the dance, there wasn’t one surprised soul in the audience — just a whole bunch of excited and enthusiastic teenagers ready to hear an Idol winner who hailed from their state.
Boost in Morale
The concert must have been great, but more important than the music was simply Cook’s appearance in the tornado-ravaged city as he boosted the morale and spirits of students and teachers alike.
According to one news report, Cook really wanted to do something special for the community of Joplin, which he firmly accomplished according to the principal of Joplin High School.
JHS Principal Kerry Sachetta, made this comment to a local Joplin news reporter, saying, “It just makes you feel how much people really care, and how much people want to make sure the kids feel good about what’s going on and getting back to school.”
What made Cook’s sacrifice even more special, was the fact that he had a concert with Gavin Degraw on Penn State campus that very same evening! After finishing in Joplin, Cook caught a plane to the “kick-off” concert for he and Degraw’s nationwide tour.
That being said, his concert in Joplin was probably just as important, if not more.
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