MNN - Mother Nature Network

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - An anonymous couple whose $130,000 bid won singer Sheryl Crow's 1959 Mercedes convertible in an auction for tornado-damaged schools in Joplin, Mo., has donated $130,000 more to the cause.

 

The couple bought the white Mercedes 190SL convertible at an Aug. 22 auction in California along with one of Crow's Gibson guitars, two concert tickets and a photo opportunity with the star.

 

Their winning bid exceeded the car's estimated value of $50,000 to $80,000, and the couple decided to match it with a donation, according to the Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri, which is raising money for Joplin schools.

 

"I am so touched by the donor making this very generous contribution on my behalf to Joplin schools," Crow, a former teacher and a Missouri native, said in a statement released by the foundation.

 

The couple has chosen to remain anonymous.

 

"Donations such as this demonstrate the long-term commitment to individuals and organizations from across the country to get us back on our feet," Joplin schools Superintendent C.J. Huff said in a statement.

 

The tornado that struck on May 22 has taken 162 lives. It destroyed Joplin High School and two other schools while damaging seven other buildings. Losses totaled more than $150 million, officials said. School reopened on Aug. 17, but thousands of students are in temporary facilities.

 

(Reporting by Kevin Murphy; Editing by David Bailey and Cynthia Johnston)

 

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