UPDATE: April 17 at 10 p.m.
Arbor Youth Services is now the home of two new water heaters, thanks to a donation from Restore Hope and Got Your 6 Plumbing LLC.
In a update to Facebook, Ryan Holland, the founder of Restore Hope, said that two new water heaters were purchased and installed on Thursday.
Arbor Youth Services shared that post, and saying that they "could not continue to provide essential support for kids in crisis without help from donors and community partners..."
ORIGINAL STORY:
Clean-up efforts from this month’s floods are ongoing across Kentucky, as we check in with various organizations impacted by the recent weather.
Arbor Youth Services located in Lexington provides safe alternatives for homeless or at-risk children, youth and their families.
The non-profit reported extensive flooding in their basement, resulting in thousands of dollars in damages.
“This is the crawl space and basement where the flooding took place,” Executive Director Joshua McKinley explained as he guided LEX 18 through the damaged area.
Arbor Youth Services provides emergency youth shelter,s and on April 5, McKinley received a call from the shelter coordinator about the flooding incident.
“The water reached almost the level of the steps,” he noted as he described the severity of the situation.
Unfortunately, two gas water heaters were damaged beyond repair, the HVAC system was malfunctioning, and a condenser pump needed replacement.
“Every storm that has hit us in recent months has caused issues. Just last month, we repaired roof damage, and now we’re dealing with flooding in the basement,” said McKinley.
As a nonprofit organization that relies heavily on public support for funding, the flood damage presented a significant financial burden, especially since it wasn't covered by insurance.
Fortunately, Ryan Holland, the founder of Restore Hope, stepped in to assist.
"He contacted us and said he could get the company that installed the water heaters to come out and assess the situation," McKinley shared.
Thanks to Restore Hope, the organization was able to cover the costs of replacing the damaged water heaters, which McKinley described as a tremendous relief. However, further repairs are still needed to prevent such incidents in the future, including the installation of a sump pump.
“It’s something we need to address because now we know it can happen. I’ve been here for over five years, and this has never occurred before,” McKinley stated.
The total cost to finalize all repairs is estimated to be close to $5,000. McKinley remains hopeful that the community will step up to support the shelter during this challenging time.
If you would like to assist Arbor Youth Services, donations can be made by visiting arborky.org/donate. Your support can make a significant difference in helping them recover and continue serving the youth in need.
