In 1977, when Charles was just 5 years old, he lost his mother to a tornado that swept through the Smithfield Estates neighborhood in Birmingham, AL. Watch his story and see what was the same and different about the tornado that struck on April 27, 2011.

To read about his story and see photos of the relief effort, visit our blog: bit.ly/ jrVenk

To make a donation to Operation Blessing's disaster relief efforts: bit.ly/ lIglbF