Moderators - If this post is inappropriate for Pinside I apologize and feel free to lock the thread or remove it.
Pinball really moved to the back burner last Friday, March 15th. We watched the flood waters rise at our home just outside Valley, NE, slowly all day and by 4am only a few feet from pouring in my egress window and filling our basement (both kids rooms, all pins, etc) completely. The water was not "flowing" as it was a block away in almost any direction, but this was somehow equally as terrifying as we were given hours upon hours to contemplate how high the water would go and how we would escape it. The water stopped rising by 6am and we began to realize our home would be spared. Our business, a mile away in town, was thankfully also spared as the water stopped rising 15ft from the front door. We were literally feet away from losing everything and it has rarely been more obvious to me how lucky we are.
What does this have to do with pinball? Nothing. It's a stark reminder of what is truly important. Nearly the entire town was underwater for days. Every road to an from the area was either underwater or washed out completely, so there was no way in or out. The water has mostly receded now, a couple of roads have reopened and the cleanup is in high gear. The community has been nothing short of amazing, organizing to get food and supplies to those in need. Seeing people helping friends and strangers alike has been maybe the most humbling experience of my life.
We have an online business (www.jswbodyjewelry.com) and as such have many shipping supplies including boxes, so when a post went up for someone looking for boxes I brought them to the family that had asked. I arrived to find a modest house and a family of 5 adding to piles and piles of destroyed possessions in the yard. I had a $100 Walmart gift card in my wallet that I had received from credit card rewards, so after unloading the boxes I handed it to the Mother. Her reaction will likely sit with me for the remainder of my life and is the reason I am hoping the pinball community can help.
Most lost something, many lost most and some lost all. For some the most immediate need might be food or clothing. For others it might be a water heater or furniture. I've even seen posts asking for a backpack, or for a notebook and colored pencils because their child loves to draw. Every persons needs will be different, and for that reason I am hoping for your help to get $50 or $100 gift cards into the hands of people in my community that could really use that next step back to some semblance of normalcy.
No amount is too large or small, and every penny (and more) will go DIRECTLY to those in need (I'm sure the Red Cross is a fine organization, but we haven't heard anything from them around here yet). I'll let them know that it came from pinball people. Anything you can give is appreciated more than you know. You can donate via Paypal here:
PayPal.Me/pinballforvalley (or [email protected]) - I will pay for all the fees so your full donation will go towards the gift cards.
Or you can Apple Pay to 402-707-5019
I will also be setting up a Facebook donation page and will post that later today. I will go every day and purchase gift cards with what we have collected so far, so your gift will be nearly immediate.
For a window into our current reality, please Google "Valley Nebraska" and/or watch this short 42 sec video of our area, starting at farmland and reaching town at the 8 sec mark:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=567272613757767