Heavy rains have caused more than $200,000 damage to a Variety Village location in Scarborough, putting several fundraising events in jeopardy and impacting programming for those with disabilities.

“The damage is mostly limited to the roof area near the weight room and the entire taekwondo studio and its equipment in the basement,” John Willson, CEO of Variety Village said in a release.

“Much of the cost to repair the damage will be covered by insurance, but we are still facing a bill totaling over $50,000 for restoration work not covered.”

Supplies for Variety Village’s annual Christmas party fundraiser were also destroyed.

“We are asking for the assistance of our community to help us recover from what nature has thrown at us,” says Willson. “As a cash-strapped charity, we seem to take two steps forward and then something like this sets us back one step.”

“We don’t know where else to turn,” he adds. “We are hoping our community will help us meet this unexpected challenge so we can continue to provide programs that have an incredible impact on people’s lives.”

Donations can be made to the Variety Village Emergency Flood Relief Campaign at 3701 Danforth Avenue, Scarborough, ON M1N 2G2 or online at www.varietyvillage.ca or by phone to Lisa Turza, 416-699-7167 x 235.

Variety Village Charitable Registration # 118955137RR0001

Variety Village is a not-for-profit charity that relies on individual and corporate donations and receives some government funding through grants.