The Illinois General Assembly passed a bill on Tuesday that grants $1 million to the M.P. Foundation for Naperville tornado relief efforts. House Bill 969 now awaits Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s signature.
“It means that we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel,” said Managing Director of the M.P. Foundation, Selvei Rajkumar.
M.P. Foundation has partnered with Naperville Tornado Relief to help those affected by the ED-3 tornado that struck the Naperville area in June 2021.
Small Fragments of glass, metal, etc make people’s yards unsafe
Even with the large debris gone, the homes impacted are still recovering from the damage. Small pieces of glass, metal and other fragments remain in the soil, rising to the surface when it rains. This has resulted in the need for soil replacement, which is not covered by insurance. About 3-4 inches of topsoil needs to be removed from the yards, followed by re-seeding, Rajkumar says.
M.P. Foundation and Naperville Tornado Relief are closer to their goal
Those involved in the project had a goal to raise $1.5 million in efforts to clear and restore the yards of tornado victims. With this grant, they’re now a giant step closer to reaching that goal.
Rajkumar said the M.P. Foundation, along with Kristy Kennedy and the Ranch View Area Community Assistance, reached out to several governing committees throughout the state, county, and city for help… Finding it in a local state representative
Help arrives from Naperville native and state representative
“We met with several people and Anne Stava-Murray is one of the representatives we met and she believed in us,” said Rajkumar. “She is the champion, she deserves all the credit for this and getting us the funds.”
Rep. Anne Stava-Murray (D.), a Naperville resident, was happy to help the people of her hometown.
“I live within just a couple miles of where that tornado hit and destroyed so many people’s properties,” said Rep. Stava-Murray. “So it was really meaningful to be able to try and help the people who also call Naperville home.”
Naperville News 17’s Joe Kennedy reports.
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