Keith praised for helping raise money to rebuild tornado-damaged school

Keith visited the rebuilt Kelley Elementary School on Thursday to help plant the first trees purchased with a $10,000 donation he made to Moore Beautiful. The money will be used to pay for landscaping the school's campus.

Moore officials will return to the school Saturday to plant 52 trees and 12 shrubs.

Keith attended Southgate Elementary while growing up in Moore.

When he heard that the May 1999 tornado destroyed Kelley Elementary, he knew he had to do something. He raised $20,000 for the Moore community during a benefit concert a few weeks after the tornado.

Keith donated another $10,000 to help rebuild tornado-ravaged Beth Haven Independent Church in Moore.

"You have to be responsible for helping people where you live," said Keith, who lives on a ranch in Norman. "Some can't give as much as others. But this decision was very obvious to me."

Moore school Superintendent Wayland Bonds said Keith could have made the contribution to any organization or group.

"But he decided to help his hometown and be an influence in the community."

Keith, who graduated from Moore High School, lived with his family a few blocks from Kelley Elementary before Keith hit it big in Nashville, Tenn.

His chart-topping "How Do You Like Me Now?," which spent five weeks at No. 1 on the country charts, raised the money with a benefit concert July 29, 1999. He heard about the tornado hitting Moore while he was in Los Angeles preparing for the Academy of Country Music Awards.

"I talked with some people in Moore about what I could do to help and this seemed to make the most sense," Keith said.

The F5 tornado that hit Moore and other parts of metropolitan Oklahoma City was part of a series of tornadoes May 3-4 that killed 44 people, injured nearly 800 and damaged or destroyed more than 8,000 homes.