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Apr 26, 2007 11:33 pm US/Mountain
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Holly Tornado Victims Benefit From 'Pay It 4ward'
By CBS4 Producer Libby Smith
HOLLY, Colo
The idea behind CBS4's Pay it Forward Colorado project is to give $1,000 to five Coloradans (or group of Coloradans) who will use the money to change someone else's life. (CBS4) HOLLY, Colo. One month ago, the small eastern plains town of Holly suffered a major weather event. A tornado tore through a residential section of town and ripped through the park at the heart of the community.
"Our little town is just torn up," one resident told CBS4. "It just looks like it has a big wound that's got to heal now."
The Federal Emergency Management Agency estimated that 57 homes and businesses were destroyed by the tornado. That doesn't include the decades-old trees that shaded the park, or the shelter that can no longer serve as a gathering place in the park.
"We'd come play in the park on the swing sets," life long Holly resident Kelli Hess said. "It just makes me sick what happened."
That sick feeling drove Kelli to write a letter to CBS4's Pay It Forward Colorado program asking for $1,000 to repair the park.
"I couldn't pick just one person that I wanted to help, so I decided if I could pay it forward, I would give it to the town." Kelli said.
So with the help of her 10-year-old daughter, Ashlyn, Hess presented a check to the town's Mayor.
"I think it was a good idea because I like this park, and it was one of the best places in the town," Ashlynn said.
At a time when many residents are focused on repairing the damage to their personal property, now the town can address the damage done to the heart of the community.
"The park's rebuilding, the whole town's rebuilding," Mayor Tom Crum said.
(© MMVII CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)