Jacob Gonce of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma has seen his fair share of tornadoes in his upbringing. A notorious part of the infamous tornado alley, Oklahoma gets hit by cyclones on an annual basis that usually produce quite a bit of damage. On May 20, 2013, however, an EF5 class tornado hit the town of Moore, Oklahoma, causing more devastation from one storm than the state of Oklahoma had seen in decades.

News of the damage in Moore echoed through communities across Oklahoma. Twenty-five people lost their lives in the storm and over a thousand homes were completely destroyed, leaving damage estimates at around two billion dollars. The compelling stories and images of men, women and children without homes and scrambling for precious artifacts of their life struck a similar note with all residents of Oklahoma; but for Jacob Gonce of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, it was time to act.

Jacob immediately got involved in a number of relief efforts to help bring food and shelter to the residents of Moore. He donated hours at the Moore Distribution Center, an extension of the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma that was opened as a direct response to the extensive tornado damage in Moore. Jacob spent over thirty hours with the center, helping distribute food aid to those in need.

This was also around the time that Jacob volunteered with Habitat for Humanity. Through this program Jacob acquired his love for architecture through learning to build homes for others. Lastly, Jacob also joined up with the Journey Church to provide comprehensive relief services to victims of tornado damage. He volunteered over twenty hours with this religious organization, totaling for over seventy hours of volunteer relief work for the Moore, OK tornado.

It takes a special kind of person to see the good in such tragedy, however Jacob Gonce of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma took a look around at all the volunteers from different areas around the state and was touched by the sense of community that Oklahomans hold for one another. It made him proud of his upbringing, and inspired him to study architecture so he could one day create structures that would keep Oklahomans safe from tornadoes.