<p>Often it feels like there are so many natural disasters, it can be hard to tell one from the other. But if you are from Washington, Illinois, you won&#8217;t soon be forgetting the EF4 tornado that ripped through as many as 1000 homes and killed at least six people in the state Nov. 17. One source said it was the most powerful to hit Illinois in November since 1885, with wind speeds exceeding 200 mph.</p>
<p>Randy Nieukirk of rCards is a native of the area, and was there visiting family and friends when the tornado hit. &#8220;Luckily, my family was not hurt or injured, but several friends did have their homes and belongings destroyed!&#8221; he told me. &#8220;I&#8217;ve created a Washington Strong card representing the strong sense of community in Washington, Illinois, and new beginnings. They are only available in &#8216;Washington Strong Orange&#8217; and feature the city&#8217;s &#8216;old&#8217; water tower. They have been a BIG success in Washington and surrounding cities.&#8221;</p>
<p>Earlier this month, Randy gave away boxes of cards to the people of Washington; any resident was able to get a free box of six. Now rCards is donating 50% of all proceeds of ANY cards sold from their website during the month of December to the City of Washington Tornado Relief Fund. These images showcase the Washington Strong rCards, but again, 50% of ANY cards sold on www.rcards.net will go towards the relief fund.</p>
<p>So if you&#8217;re still searching for a last-minute gift, take a moment to browse. You may see something you like, and your money will go to a most worthy cause!</p><div class="inline-post clearfix"><div class="see-also byline">See also</div><div id="block-wrap-67441" class="block-wrap-native block-wrap block-wrap-23 block-css-67441 block-wrap-classic columns__m--1 elements-design-3 block-ani block-skin-0 tipi-box block-wrap-thumbnail ppl-m-1 clearfix" data-id="67441" data-base="0"><div class="tipi-row-inner-style clearfix"><div class="tipi-row-inner-box contents sticky--wrap"><div class="block block-23 clearfix"><article class="tipi-xs-12 clearfix with-fi ani-base tipi-xs-typo split-1 split-design-1 loop-0 preview-thumbnail preview-23 elements-design-3 post-10019316 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-favorites category-off-the-press tag-design tag-gift-bags tag-greeting-cards tag-richard-scarry tag-ring-dishes tag-sarah-schwartz tag-stationery tag-stationery-design tag-stationery-designer tag-stickers tag-swedish-discloths tag-thank-you-stationery tag-thomasin-foshay tag-toute-petite tag-wavehill" style="--animation-order:0"><div class="preview-mini-wrap clearfix"><div class="mask"><a href="https://thepapernerd.com/beyond-the-cover-toute-petite/" class="mask-img"><img width="100" height="100" src="https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/0W0A4942.jpg?resize=100%2C100&;ssl=1" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image" alt="" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/0W0A4942.jpg?resize=100%2C100&;ssl=1 100w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/0W0A4942.jpg?resize=120%2C120&;ssl=1 120w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/0W0A4942.jpg?resize=275%2C275&;ssl=1 275w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/0W0A4942.jpg?resize=372%2C372&;ssl=1 372w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/0W0A4942.jpg?resize=567%2C567&;ssl=1 567w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/0W0A4942.jpg?resize=24%2C24&;ssl=1 24w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/0W0A4942.jpg?resize=48%2C48&;ssl=1 48w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/0W0A4942.jpg?resize=96%2C96&;ssl=1 96w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/0W0A4942.jpg?resize=150%2C150&;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/0W0A4942.jpg?resize=300%2C300&;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/0W0A4942.jpg?resize=50%2C50&;ssl=1 50w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/0W0A4942.jpg?zoom=2&;resize=100%2C100&;ssl=1 200w" sizes="(max-width: 100px) 100vw, 100px" /></a></div><div class="meta"><div class="byline byline-2 byline-cats-design-4"><div class="byline-part cats"><a href="https://thepapernerd.com/category/favorites/" style="color:#b79b0d" class="cat">Favorites</a><a href="https://thepapernerd.com/category/off-the-press/" style="color:#b79b0d" class="cat">Off The Press</a></div></div><div class="title-wrap"><h3 class="title"><a href="https://thepapernerd.com/beyond-the-cover-toute-petite/">Beyond the Cover: Toute-Petite</a></h3></div><div class="byline byline-3"><span class="byline-part date"><i class="tipi-i-calendar" aria-hidden="true"></i> <time class="entry-date published dateCreated flipboard-date" datetime="2025-10-24T17:27:04+00:00">October 24, 2025</time></span><span class="byline-part likes-count"><a href="#" class="tipi-like-count " data-pid="10019316"><span class="likes-heart"><i class="tipi-i-heart-o" aria-hidden="true"></i><i class="tipi-i-heart" aria-hidden="true"></i></span><span class="tipi-value">0</span></a></span></div></div></div></article></div></div></div></div></div></tipimidc>
<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2277" alt="washington_strong_instagram_promo_image" src="http://thepaperchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/washington_strong_instagram_promo_image.jpg" width="700" height="700" /></p>


This Just In: Washington Strong!
