Flooding From Nor'easter Leaves Toys Ruined At Long Island Charity
WANTAGH, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A charity that runs holiday toy drives for needy and sick children was dealing with a blow from Mother Nature Wednesday.
As CBS2's Jennifer McLogan reported, the torrential rainstorm that stemmed from the nor'easter on Tuesday flooded a site in Wantagh, Long Island that was filled with toys – ruining everything.
"Our area got over 3 inches of rain, and it just flooded in the back, and it just came in," said John Theissen, the founder of the children's foundation charity that bears his name.
A day after the storms, water was still pouring through the downspout at the charity. The ceiling buckled and gave way during the rainstorm, gushed down the staircase, and seeped through the foundation
Hundreds of donated toys being sorted to deliver to needy children were left soaked.
"It was all flooded here," Theissen said. "See, we ripped up the carpet."
At the John Theissen Children's Foundation, hundreds of toys and sports memorabilia had been at the ready. The charity had been preparing for an auction this month to benefit underprivileged and sick children.
Theissen himself was once one of those children. He suffered from a brain tumor as a teenager.
"When I was 17 years old, I was hospitalized, and I had surgery, and I was at a children's hospital," he said. "And I met a lot of kids who were sick, and a lot of them had no family support."
Theissen recovered, and became inspired to give back.
"I didn't know how long I had to live, and had no idea that would be the start of a new life for me," he said.
What began as a simple toy drive has expanded to tens of thousands of yearly gifts to 185 New York area hospitals, child care facilities, and agencies dependent on the kindness of strangers.
Peter Calabro is among those who donates to the organization.
"My wife and I, every year, try to donate whatever we can. This time of year is the time to do it," said Calabro, of Wantagh. "So what we want to do is find out what's needed."
But after the rain storm, many of those donated items were rendered broken and useless.
"We had five game systems that the boxes got soaked. The water got into the frame from behind. I mean, this would have been great for a boy or girl in the hospital, and now we can't even use it," Theissen said. "We completely lost bags and bags of brand new Barbie dolls and arts and crafts items."
Through word of mouth, calls have been coming into the nonprofit.
"We have a few weeks to make it up, and I don't know how it's going to happen," Theissen said. "This is my life, this foundation. When I see this, it's absolutely devastating."
With so many depending on the charity, the children's foundation has been planning fundraisers and toy drives to make up for what was lost in the rainstorm.
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