Nowhere near Joplin when the tornado ripped through the town, Bob Cordero came to Joplin from Chicago after hearing about Habitat for Humanity’s Ten for Joplin project. He wasn’t sure in which capacity he wanted to be involved, but with a background in architecture, he decided building homes was his calling.

What he thought would be a cleanup process six months to one year in the making turned out better than he expected. He revisited Joplin in October, noting that everything was relatively cleared-off. “The feeling that I had [six months ago] is pretty much erased,” he says.

But for him, the time it takes to rebuild isn’t concerning. What matters is that steps in the rebuilding process exist and continue to flourish as the city regains its strength. Seeing scores of volunteers cleaning, building and helping in any way possible gave Corder the initiative and the confidence to get involved and lend a helping hand.

Video produced by Derrick Ho & Nicole Garner; Text by Justin Whaley