I have the pleasure of serving on the Board of Directors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Cedar Rapids. We operate two units in Cedar Rapids. One is on the southeast side of town. The other -- the "main unit" -- sat on a portion of Ellis Blvd. within the 500-year flood plain. Had the Cedar River crested at 29 feet, the 2nd floor -- on which many of the Club's contents had been moved -- would have been safe. 29 feet was still almost 50% higher than the all-time record. Instead, the river crested almost 3 feet higher than that 29 feet. Almost all of the contents inside were damaged beyond salvage.
Reuters had an article on the flood damage a couple of days ago in which it quoted our Executive Director John Tursi: "'Everthing is ... trashed,' said John Tursi, director of the Boys and Girls Club. 'There was grime and a sludge all over the floor and walls. There's still three feet (1 metre) of water in the gymnasium.'"
I drove through downtown today. Many individuals and businesses are in the same position of literally having lost all contents in their buildings. Some have buildings that will never be usable again.
One of our biggest fundraisers each year is a summer event that takes place in the Cedar River. That event is now jeopardized.
Roosevelt Middle School is graciously allowing us the use of the school building this summer for the kids that would have come to our main unit. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Cedar Rapids is in need of capital to purchase items to continue to serve its kids well. If you are looking for a place for your charitable dollars, please consider the Boys & Girls Clubs of Cedar Rapids.
