ANCHORAGE - Shocking and heartbreaking. Those are words staff at the Muscular Dystrophy Association have to describe the damage done to their office.
“To see all that hard work, all of that heart that you put into everything just thrown around and ruined. That’s the hardest part is it’s just ruined,” said Fundraising Coordinator Erika Shedlarski.
Police arrested a 17-year-old boy in connection with the vandalism, which happened sometime Sunday morning. He’s facing felony charges of second-degree burglary and third-degree criminal mischief.
In addition to completely trashing the office, he also flooded it.
“The faucet normally stands up. He mashed all of this and he had a baseball bat,” Shedlarski said, pointing to gaping holes in the wall. “He mashed the back of it and he mashed the faucet and when he got tired of that, he actually ripped it off so you can actually see the exposed pipe where the water flooded out.”
The suspect smashed almost every electronic device. He threw papers around the office and tossed around food from the refrigerator. Water damage destroyed hundreds of dollars in pamphlets.
MDA also had special adaptive equipment in its client closet that took a hit.
“So we’re going to have to see if it’s even salvageable,” said MDA Board President Kristin George. “Some of it has blood on it. Some of it he just damaged. It’s just heartbreaking. I’ve been with Muscular Dystrophy Association for a really long time and it breaks my heart. I walked in here today and I just started crying because it’s heartbreaking to see how much damage is done.”
“I come here every day. It’s not just a place you work. It’s your family,” Shedlarski said.
George also said the outpouring of community support has been overwhelming. Businesses have offered to help replace phones and fax machines. One person stopped by to bring them lunch.
MDA has two big events coming up in March, the Shamrock Sales and the Lock-Up. Staffers encourage people to keep fundraising while they work to clean up the mess.