First the pandemic, then the loss of vital fundraisers and, of course, the collateral damage of local youths left with no place to hang out.
Somehow, things got worse this week at the Orillia Youth Centre.
In the basement of the Orillia Youth Centre’s 9 Front St. S. location, one of the water tanks burst, spewing all of its water, destroying an abundance of valuable items.
Director Kevin Gangloff believes the incident occurred on Thursday morning but can't be sure. Due to the pandemic, volunteers and staff have been frequently out of the building and in the community where they are trying to stay connected with youths struggling with isolation.
“When we came in on Thursday there was just under three feet of water down there,” Gangloff said.
“We were more optimistic before we started digging down there, but we’ve lost probably 95% of the stuff that was down there.”
Some of the lost valuables include clothing donations, Christmas and Halloween decorations, art supplies and paint, to name just a few items.
“We’ve lost a little bit of everything, and it’s gone now because it’s been sitting underwater and is now damaged,” Gangloff explains.
Volunteers and staff from the youth centre filled an entire dumpster worth of stuff and is waiting for the arrival of a second dumpster as they have more items to toss out than they originally imagined.
“It’s upsetting because there is a lot of value in the stuff we’ve lost because it goes back out into the community," said Gangloff. "People have supported us to provide these items and they expect to have them go back into the community.
“We are an organization that relies on fundraising and grants to get supplies for projects or those kinds of things, and now we’ve lost those items, it’s unfortunate," he lamented.
While the Youth Centre has been in the middle of the clean up process and trying to re-group, Gangloff has been fielding many calls and inquires from community members hoping to help.
“Since people found out about this, the community has rallied around us,” Gangloff said.
“Once the dust settles a bit more tomorrow and we finish our cleanup, I’ve promised people who have asked that we will put a list out there for stuff we would be looking at needing to replace," he said.
Gangloff says he has been amazed by how community members have rallied around the Youth Centre. He said staff, volunteers and youth who use the centre are grateful.
For people looking to help with replacing lost valuables, Gangloff will keep the community posted through the Orillia Youth Centre Facebook group.
A GoFundMe account has been set up to help. Click here if you are interested in helping.
