FEATURE >> TLR Airmen lend a helping hand

By Airman 1st Class Cliffton Dolezal
19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

The country watched as tornadoes ravaged Oklahoma, May 20. The deadly F5 twister ripped through central Oklahoma, causing close to 13,000 homes to be disintegrated Memorial Day weekend, had a record breaking width of 2.6 miles, according to the National Weather Service.

“When you lose everything in a natural disaster, I couldn’t imagine what that must be like, so I had to do something,” said Staff Sgt. Creighton Cope, a 19th Operations Support Squadron air traffic control watch supervisor.

This was not Cope’s first encounter with devastation caused by a natural disaster.

In 2011, a tornado touched down in northern Alabama killing 238 people and causing $2.2 billion worth of damage. Cope, who had a close friend from Alabama, wanted to help with the relief efforts. Cope along with several volunteers took up donations and delivered more than 9,000 pounds of goods equaling over $20,000 to the victims of the Alabama tornadoes.
When he saw the effects of the tornado in Oklahoma he felt compelled to do the same thing for the people there who have lost everything.

“It was a great experience and something that I immediately thought of when this incident happened in Oklahoma, so I decided to see where it would go,” said Cope. “I sent emails to my 1st Sgt. and group emails searching for volunteers and it was a huge success.”

After numerous emails and phone calls, Cope set up a collection table at the Base Exchange. Manning it the first day he collected canned goods, diapers, toys, bottled water, first-aid kits and animal food.

The collection ran from Wednesday May 29 to Sunday June 2 and was run by base volunteers who worked the table, accepting donations from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. for a grand total of $3,600 and more than 4,000 pounds of goods for the people whose homes were ravaged by the deadly tornadoes that ripped through Oklahoma.

“It was great to see how many people wanted to help,” said Cope.

Cope does these things not for bragging rights or awards but rather for people who are in need of a helping hand, asking nothing in return. Cope humbly said that he has a heart to help people who are struggling.

For more information about volunteering or donations please visit www.tinker.af.mil/relief.asp.