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(AP) -- Several Kansas City Royals players and associates are scheduled to be in Joplin to work with Habitat for Humanity building homes for victims of last year's devastating tornado.

The team says among the Royals in Joplin on Monday are pitcher Danny Duffy, former first baseman Willie Aikens, former outfielder Brian McRae and more than 30 front offices associates.

The work is part of Gov. Jay Nixon's Joplin Challenge as the community continues to recover from the May 22, 2011, tornado that killed 161 people and damaged a large section of the southwest Missouri town.

The Royals will work with staff from Habitat for Humanity on five homes in the "Royals neighborhood." They'll also be meeting with Joplin residents, including the families who will be moving into the neighborhood.

Nixon's Joplin Challenge aims to build 35 new homes in the heart of Joplin during 2012 to provide continued aid to the city’s recovery thanks to a partnership with the Joplin Area Habitat for Humanity and Missouri's major athletic organizations.

(KHQA contributed to this Associated Press report.)

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