Feb 28, 2008 10:13 pm US/Mountain
Coloradan Pays It 4Ward To Tenn. Tornado Victims
Written for the Web by Libby Smith, CBS4 special projects producer
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Tornadoes ripped through Union University in Tennessee on Feb. 6.
CBS
The idea behind CBS4's Pay it Forward Colorado project is to give $1,000 to a Coloradan (or group of Coloradans) who will use the money to change someone else's life. Below lies CBS4's Feb. 28 report.
BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) - On the small campus of Union University in Jackson, Tenn., the path of a terrible tornado is apparent. Dorm buildings lie in piles of rubble, cars are overturned and broken glass is scattered everywhere.
The aftermath on the campus of a series of rare winter tornadoes that struck Tennessee on Feb. 6 is striking.
"Cinder block walls -- that's what we had to dig through and take out piece by piece," a rescue crew member said in the aftermath of the tornado.
At least two dormitories were destroyed and several students were temporarily trapped in wreckage. About 51 students were taken to the hospital and nine stayed through the night.
One of the hardest hit areas on campus was the Journalism Department. The students' broadcast studio and most of their equipment were ruined.
"The students obviously are in a bind because they're on their academic track trying to progress, and anything that can be done to facilitate them doing things right away this semester is important," Broomfield businessman Paul Bailey said.
When Bailey and some of his friends hear about the bind these students were in, they wanted to pay it forward to get them going again.
"Things like insurance and rebuilding -- these things take time, and they will eventually get done, but at the same time the students can't just wait. They need to keep going and working," Bailey added.
Paul Bailey asked CBS4 for $1,000 to pay it forward to students he'd never met at a school he'd never been to. Then Paul's friend, Lori, wanted to pay it forward too.
"I'm going to match the pay it forward donation personally," Lori Bailey said.
So far, $3,000 is headed to Jackson from Colorado to help the journalism school's effort to rebuild.
Additional ResourcesYou can help the effort by donating directly to the non-profit foundation at Union at
colorado4union@gmail.com or calling Paul Bailey directly at (303) 520-0200.
(© MMIX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Video: Union University Video Shows Community Manifested From Crisis
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