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Local woman raises thousands for tornado victims

Midwest Tornadoes
Posted at 8:11 PM, Dec 17, 2021
and last updated 2021-12-18 22:06:12-05

UNION, Ky — After five frantic hours in the dark, Kim Roberts got word that her daughter, Morgan, made it out of the storm alive. Morgan is a teacher and volleyball coach in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Some of her students lost everything they own. Roberts wanted to do everything she could to help, so she started reaching out to friends and neighbors for donations.

"I didn't know what to do and then Kim posted something," former neighbor Jackie Brock said. "I knew where it was going. I knew where Kim and Morgan's heart was. I knew what they were going to do with that money. I also gave to other avenues also. But, I just felt compelled after hearing the story of Morgan."

"It just got to me," former neighbor Molly Stewart said. "There's very rarely (a chance) when you're so far away that you can do anything and to have that direct connection just made me want to find a way to make an impact and get something in their hands that would be helpful."

Roberts raised $2,000 in six hours just by contacting people she knows. One week after the storm, Roberts had close to $11,000 in cash donations, nearly $5,000 worth of gift cards, one U-Haul trailer full of household goods, toys, and 50 pounds of barbecue with a message from Kentuckians wanting to help through someone they know and trust.

"I think that's how we were raised," Stewart said. "That's what Northern Kentucky is all about."

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