MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A well-established children's ministry and after-school care is now scrambling and asking the community to help.
A burst pipe at a gym used by Memphis Athletic Ministries means no basketball for hundreds of kids who play there and it's leaving families without programming they depend on.
Nearly 60,000 gallons of water flooded the Grizzlies Center basketball court.
It was set to open next week, but the after-school ministry is trying to find a temporary place where the hundreds of kids they see each week can go. Especially with school just beginning this week.
“After school care recreational sports, we have Bible study," said Johnathan Torres, Memphis Athletic Ministries president. "We Have a place where they belong, have a place where they’re cared for, a place where they’re loved.”
Torres explained now construction crews are working quickly to tear up the gym plank by plank.
“Right now, we’ve got kids who are having to stand in the cold and wait for a ride home instead of being in here with us in a safe place,” Torres shared.
MAM said December’s freezing temperatures burst a pipe that lead to the center's washing machine. It not only flooded the gym but restrooms, lobby and cafeteria. Only two rooms were left undamaged.
MAM is speaking with Believe Memphis Academy and Alcy Elementary for possible alternatives. The cost is estimated at $1 million.
“We’re still in conversation with our insurance company to see how much they’ll be able to cover and what that will cover," he said.
He said it will take another 3-6 months before it’s all fixed and safe for students.
In the meantime, MAM is looking for spaces to continue serving families. Torres is worried about the impact of kids not having a safe place to go in the community.
“Obviously we all know about the rising crime and the rising issues we have in our city," he said. "Not having a place for them to be, that is safe and is encouraging them to live a life that we want them to live is detrimental. Even being down for a couple of weeks is huge."
Torres believes it could change the trajectory of the neighborhood – since they work to keep kids positively engaged daily with free transportation from school to the center.
If you can connect the ministry with a space or you want to donate you can visit the Memphis Athletics Ministries website.