Of all the incredible stories to come out of the effort to rebuild Joplin, Missouri after the May 22, 2011 tornados, few are more powerful than that of the response from volunteers -- everyday people from all over the country and the world who poured into the community and returned again and again to help with the recovery.

In the year since the storm, more than 126,800 individuals put in some 755,300 hours of community service in the Joplin area. Their efforts in everything from clean-up and repairs to home construction represent more than 82 years of community service.

Learn more

• Read about the efforts to rebuild Joplin.
• Watch President Obama's commencement address to the 2012 graduates of Joplin High School.

Ed. note: This is cross-posted from HealthCare.gov

Judy Lamb from Colorado is an inspiration. Despite fighting breast cancer that has spread to her bones and liver and undergoing weekly chemotherapy, she has a positive outlook on life.

“I have three children, I’m married, and I cook dinner every night. It’s not really exciting, but it’s a wonderful life. I’m so glad I’m here, because without my treatments I wouldn’t be here,” she says.

She is able to maintain her positive attitude partly because the Affordable Care Act has removed a tremendous burden: the fear that her health plan would stop paying for her treatments.

Watch Judy's story here:

Ed. Note: The event has concluded. Check out the full Q&A below or on Storify.

Over the past few weeks, President Obama has traveled around the country to talk to Americans about a set of common sense initiatives that'll create jobs and help the middle class. The President is calling on Congress to act on a to-do list that will: help more Americans save money on their mortgages; invest more in clean energy and small businesses; help more veterans find work; and make it easier for companies to bring jobs back to America.

Do you have questions about the President's plan? On Tuesday, May 22nd at 12:00 p.m. ET, we're holding a special session of White House Office Hours on Twitter to answer your questions.

Here's how you can join:

• Right now, you can ask your questions on Twitter with the hashtag #WHChat
• Follow the Q&A live through the @WHLive Twitter account
• If you miss the live Q&A, the full session will be posted on WhiteHouse.gov and Storify.com/WhiteHouse

So, what's on the to-do list? Here are the items at a glance. You can learn more and check out videos at WhiteHouse.gov/todolist

To engage with Latinos active in social media, the White House Office of Public Engagement held a briefing for LATISM bloggers with Senior White House and Administration officials. Over 75  people from across the country attended the event at the White House to discuss a diverse range of issues important to the Latino community. Take a look at the tweets shared by #LatismAtTheWH attendees below or on Storify. Stay connected to the White House en español at WhiteHouse.gov/Espanol, follow us on Twitter @lacasablanca, and sign up for email updates here.

Learn more about the topics discussed during today’s briefing:

• College Affordability: http://wh.gov/double
• Education Civil Rights: Know your Rights (English) | Recursos de la Oficina Para Derechos Civiles (en Español)
• Health Care: Healthcare.gov (English) | Cuidadodesalud.gov (en Español)
• Nutrition: www.myplate.gov (English) | Mi Plato (en Español)
• Fixing Our Broken Immigration System: President’s Blueprint on Immigration Reform (English) | (en Español)
• The Hamilton Project Speech by Cecilia Muñoz: watch video here | text of remarks (English) | text of remarks (en Español)

While the cyber threat remains one of the most serious challenges we face as a nation, we have made some tremendous progress recently working together with industry on meaningful ways to secure our nation’s critical infrastructure.

Earlier this month, we gave the green light to two long-awaited Defense Industrial Base (DIB) efforts efforts designed to help companies protect critical information related to Department of Defense programs and missions. The DIB Cybersecurity/Information Assurance (CS/IA) program allows eligible DIB companies and the Government to share cybersecurity information. The Government shares cybersecurity threat and mitigation information with DIB companies to incorporate into their security practices, and, in turn, DIB companies report known intrusion events that may compromise DOD information to the Government and participates in damage assessments as needed. In addition, DIB enhanced Cybersecurity Services -- a joint DOD-DHS activity and based on lessons learned from the 2011 DIB Pilot -- is available as an optional part of the DIB CS/IA program in which the Government will furnish classified information that enables DIB companies or participating commercial service providers to counter additional types of known malicious activity for participating DIB companies. 

Ed note: In honor of Small Business Week, StartUp America is highlighting success stories from American enterpreneurs

Stockbox Grocers is a startup out of Seattle, WA that places neighborhood grocery stores throughout urban areas to increase access to fresh produce, essential staples, and good meals. Stores are tucked inside empty storefronts or reclaimed shipping containers that can be dropped into available parking lots. As a community focused for-profit, we’ve been able to leverage a wide range of support to grow our business from an idea into reality and we expect to continue to fund our development by further cultivating relationships within our community and across the country.  

In Fall 2011, Stockbox opened a prototype store that allowed us to test our unique business model, receive direct feedback from customers, and test key design features. We converted an 8’ x 20’ box into an inviting retail space complete with signage, curtains, community boards, a sitting area, and over 300 unique items sourced from a co-op distributor and local farms. Customers were blown away by the large variety of affordable and fresh food and this new alternative to local mini-marts. 

We were able to open the store in only a few months because of our supporters: community groups welcomed our concept with open arms; local non-profits and government offices helped with outreach and implementation; and we raised much of our funding via a donation-based crowdfunding campaign. This online fundraising platform allowed us to share our story and develop an even wider range of support, collecting almost 200 donors from Seattle and other cities, who contributed more $21,000 in 45 days. 

Carrie Ferrence and Jacqueline Gjurgevich are the co-founders of Stockbox Grocers, a Seattle-based startup that is working to fix the grocery gap in neighborhoods that don’t have access to good food.

The JOBS Act will expand opportunities for Stockbox and other startups to raise funds through similar crowdfunding websites – not just donations but true investments. Stockbox sees these new options as powerful tools in building relationships with investors who are interested in supporting community-based businesses, as opposed to the traditional venture capitalist format.  This will help us reach more people and raise more funds from ordinary Americans (not just the wealthy “accredited” investors currently allowed to invest in most private companies) in a way that is in line with our company’s mission.  And this provides us with resources to scale, in order to open more stores and create more jobs within communities.

This week, leaders from the 28 member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization will gather in Chicago for a summit aimed at discussing international security and the war in Afghanistan. This will be the 25th time NATO has held a summit and the first time the United States has hosted the event since 1999. It will also be the largest such event in the organization’s history.

Throughout the day on Sunday and Monday, the U.S. State Department will broadcast events with President Obama and foreign leaders. Click here to watch.

This week, we got some terrific news about new ways individuals can protect their privacy on the internet.

Twitter announced it will support the new Do Not Track feature in web browsers, giving users one-click control over whether or not Twitter keeps track of which websites they visit.  This is an important step is part of a larger Obama Administration strategy to encourage more consumer privacy protections on the internet.

As much as people use and love the internet and other digital technology, there has been a growing concern that rapid advances in technology can lead to an erosion of personal privacy.  As the Internet evolves, maintaining consumer trust is essential for the continued growth of the digital economy. That's why the Obama Administration unveiled a Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights in February, to give users more control over how their information is used online (download as PDF). Immediately an association of over 500 companies (including search engines, internet platforms, advertising networks and browser developers) committed to expanding individual control with “Do Not Track” technology before the end of 2012.  

Watch the West Wing Week here.

A quick glimpse at this week on WhiteHouse.gov:

Fight for Your Seat: President Obama traveled to New York City to deliver his first commencement address of the year at Barnard College, one of the famous “Seven Sisters” private female liberal arts colleges. HIs first piece advice to the graduates was: “Don’t just get involved. Fight for your seat at the table. Better yet, fight for a seat at the head of the table.”