Dear Community,
I hope this flood update finds each of you and yours safe, dry and well. To those who have been in touch, thank you for thinking of us and for helping. In case you have not heard, our office located at 15 State Street in Montpelier was destroyed by 2-3 feet of water when the Winooski river overflowed its banks, rushing from State Street in the front to Langdon Street in the rear of the building.
The best news is no one was hurt. One staffer had to evacuate her home. She and her family are ok and staying with relatives. Sadly our staff lost many personal precious things like photographs, art, plants, and other personal items.
The office was almost a complete loss. The raging water destroyed most of our printed materials, (curricula, flyers, posters, all outreach materials, etc.) dolls and children’s books for Care for Kids Kits, demonstration dolls for SBS/Safe Sleep, canvas bags, equipment, paper, shipping material, tents for events, WALK materials, furniture, pinwheels, etc. Really, it is nearly all gone. Some boxes of Vermont Parents Home Companions were on upper shelves and were able to be saved.
All salvageable materials were carried upstairs by staff, board members, friends, and a host of stalwart volunteers who just showed up. These stalwarts included the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps and many others from the community and afar. We were and are certainly not alone in it and that makes a great difference.
Our staff have kept all programs going virtually and created work-around ways to keep the Vermont Parents Helpline up and running. Staff were and are on hand and prepared to help with information about emergency services, where to find food, shelter, and other necessities.
We are so fortunate to be blessed with an exceptionally kind and generous landlord, who with his crew was there pumping water out of the basement, pulling up and tossing away all the carpet, bringing dehumidifiers and fans, working with electricians to check the power, getting an elevator technician there and coordinating the many jobs that need to be done.
We have kindly been offered additional rooms upstairs. We will have a large room for shipping and receiving, and other spaces for work stations as needed. Most of us will work from home. It is estimated to be at least a month before we can begin the process of moving back in.
As I write this update, after a couple of showers here in Montpelier, the sun is shining brightly and we are confident in our ability to continue our mission: To promote and support healthy relationships within families, schools and communities to eliminate child abuse.
If you would like to help us restock our inventory, replace equipment, and get back on our feet, please feel free to make a tax deductible donation. Every bit helps.
For Children, and with gratitude,
Linda E. Johnson
Executive Director