Last week, Irma shut down businesses, non-profits, and schools across the state of Georgia, some for multiple days. At HR Strategies, we were fortunate to not suffer any major damage at our Suwanee office. Our 2017 Choice Non-Profit, Extra Special People, like many other Georgia organizations, was not so lucky.

ESP’s Camp Hooray campus suffered damage of at least $30,000 not covered by insurance. Large trees leaned precariously over power lines. There was no running water or working electricity. They had a flooded basement, leaks, and roof damage on campus.  A massive tree lay blocking the entrance to the trail run and mud put. The Big Trail & Tug, an all-day, family-friendly fundraising event, had to be re-purposed as a skilled volunteer day for those with heavy duty landscaping equipment or experience with skilled labor.

ESP serves children and young adults with developmental disabilities and their families. They offer year-round thrive programs, family support, and community involvement through family retreats, counseling, and holiday events. Camp Hooray is the future home of a fully-accessible camp where every child of every ability would have access to every part of the camp experience. ESP will also use the campus for their daily programming and staff housing needs.

HR Strategies has joined other local businesses, churches, and civic organizations to be part of the restoration effort. Right now, Extra Special People’s most urgent need is for funds for professional restoration. To join HR Strategies in our effort to help restore an important piece of the ESP community, you can donate here.

For more information on Extra Special People or Camp Hooray, you can visit http://extraspecialpeople.com/and http://camphooray.com/. We hope you will join us in supporting this amazing organization.