It’s been almost five months since a devastating F5 tornado tore through Joplin, an eternity in a world as fast paced as ours. While our lives keep moving, it’s important for us to take pause and realize there are still displaced families and businesses in Joplin struggling to regain a bit of normalcy after their world was effectively ripped apart.

One such couple, Mark Fowler and his fiancé, Nikki Strome, lost their house and everything in it to the tornado. As housing in the area was initially in very short supply, the couple took residence at a nearby hotel while they searched for a new home. After several unsuccessful attempts, they finally found a new house to call their own, but are still starting over.

Mark’s coworkers wanted to help, but when asked of his need, Mark simply asked that they replace the work boots he bought just before the storm. His coworkers suggested their company could do much more for him than new boots, but Mark said he would rather they gather items for small children that lost everything.

IMAX National Sales Manager, Susan Andrulis heard about Mark and Nikki’s situation from her husband, who works with Mark. Susan saw a need, and helped arrange for IMAX to donate products to help the couple’s new house feel more like a home.

“We cannot explain how much we appreciate the items given to us,” said Mark. “They are amazing pieces to dress up our home.”

Here are some snapshots Nikki took of the IMAX products in their new home: