This month, the Mendenhall River flooded our Riverside community, including our first group home on Northland Street, purchased in 1984. We were not alone in this traumatic experience; this natural disaster affected many family homes and personal belongings. Our heartfelt sympathy goes to all affected, especially the four residents and our staff at the Northland home.
I am thankful for our strong REACH family support, which is an essential factor when facing difficult situations. We lean on our families for support, comfort, and compassion! And families can come in the form of co-workers, team members, and community members! The Mendenhall River flooding event of our Northland Group Home reminded me how widespread and strong our REACH family is!
For example, Jerry, Brandon, and Miles Godkin arrived at our group home with their industrial-sized sump pumps to remove nearly 58,000 gallons of glacier water from our crawl space for no cost! Their heroic act of generosity left us profoundly moved. It melted my heart when Jerry said he was there to help the “REACH Family”! I looked at Miles, Jerry’s grandson, and told him real-life heroes (his dad and granddad) surrounded him. The Godkin family's legacy of service, from Jerry's snow plowing and dirt work to Brandon’s continuation of the family business, was instrumental in preventing further damage due to mold and speeding up our recovery process. Thank you, Jerry, Brandon, and Miles!
Equally important were the efforts of our REACH team. Hannah Ashenfelter, Ralph Bullman, Tamara Marshall, Laurel Stafford, and Tim Marshall demonstrated remarkable resilience and teamwork, addressing the emotional and practical challenges posed by the crisis. Joy Demmert and Jeana Varney fielded calls and offered technical support at the home office. I am also deeply grateful to the parents and care coordinators who offered patience and understanding while we worked to ensure the well-being of the displaced residents.
A special thank you goes to Bill from Juneau Electric, who diligently checked our electrical system, and Seth from PEAK Construction, who responded swiftly to our urgent request, helping us remove wet and damaged materials from the home and leading the reconstruction efforts. Seth’s crew has completely removed all the wet and damaged materials from the home. Now, we await new materials to arrive to begin the repair process.
Although we don’t yet know how long it will take to restore the home, the overwhelming support and compassion from our community, REACH staff, family members, and care coordinators have been a beacon of hope. We are truly thankful for each and every one of you. Please see the CBJ website for flood recovery services and information.