ROANOKE, VA – Kid’s Square is more than just a play museum - it’s its own little town - and now:
“The town is flooded!” Executive Director Felicia Branham said.
Last month - Branham walked into Kid’s Square to find her worst nightmare.
“We experienced water pouring out of the ceilings above us, and we discovered there was a water hose bust above us, and it flooded our entire town,” she said.
It started at their play bank, but she soon realized it was so much more than that.
“Oh, my word. We were in panic mode,” she said.
They saved what they could - and hoped to reopen in August - but the more they cleaned up, the more damage they uncovered.
“I mean it’s literally bare from here all the way down, and just thinking of all of the activities that were going on just a month and a half ago. I mean there were probably 40, 50 people playing in this space,” she said.
The damage meant more than losing out on day-to-day visitors. Field trips, birthday parties and more: canceled.
“When we walk in, we’re sad. We’re sad that our families aren’t here,” she said.
But those same families are helping them pick up the pieces whether it’s contributing to their Amazon wish list of new exhibit items, or simply sharing kind words - that Branham dubbed a ‘flood’ of kindness.
“I’ve got chills. Because that’s how incredible our community really is. Are families are just, ‘whatever we can do to put that place back together, let us know,” she said.
Insurance is helping, but rebuilding will still take a lot of time, and money.
But Branham says they’re using it as a chance to bring new life into the museum.
“Let’s reopen with new things for our families to enjoy,” she said.
You can find Kid’s Square’s Amazon wish list here. You can also click here to donate.