A nonprofit in Muscatine that helps adults with disabilities and the elderly is reopening its holiday fundraiser after vandalism and theft shut it down.
Crossroads Incorporated set up a holiday light show in Muscatine’s Weed Park earlier this month and Marc Hines, the organization’s CEO, says the person who went to flip the switches for Tuesday night’s show discovered the problem.
“She thought: ‘That’s weird. Why isn’t that on?’ and thought maybe is was just rain and went to check at the outlets and saw that, ‘Oh, there’s 500 feet of extension cord not here,’ and go to the next display and it’s gone and the next and
the next and the next.”
Hines estimates up to 80% of the electrical cords for the 40 light displays had been stolen or cut. Hines says a donor in Muscatine reached out after hearing the news and pledged to provide the money to replace all the electrical cords. “Shortly after we made our post that we were going to attempt to reopen, online donations just lit up,” Hines says.
This was the first year for this Illuminate Light Show fundraiser and the organization now expects to exceed its $50,000 goal. “If you would have asked me at 4:30 on Tuesday when we found the problem…’Hey, are you going to do this again next year?’ I probably would have hestitated to give an answer,” Hines says. “It maybe would have been laden with expletives, but by 9:30 yesterday, that tune changed keys really quickly and we’re absolutely resolute not only that we’re going to reopen on Friday and Saturday, but next year I think we’re going to come out guns ablazing.”
This all happened as Hines and his staff responded to an elderly client’s request to stay at home rather than enter a nursing home for end of life care.”It’s been a pretty emotional week, watching people come together around someone like that and what’s happened in the last 48 hours has been a real incredible way to end the year,” Hines says. “…I am glad to sit where I’m sitting today.”
Hines says if the group’s bulk order of electric cords can’t be filled in time, he vows to “clear out the shelves” in every hardware store in the area to get the electrical cords they need to reopen the display Friday night.