Passaic County children's charity raising money after burst pipe damaged offices 'like a waterfall'

WAYNE — A local charity that looks out for abused and neglected youth lost practically everything it owned when a pipe ruptured at its headquarters on Hamburg Turnpike.

Passaic County CASA for Children, which recruits volunteers to advocate for boys and girls placed in foster homes, is now trying to recover tens of thousands of dollars' worth of damaged computers, desks and other furniture.

Erica Fischer-Kaslander, the nonprofit's executive director, said she wept when she saw water cascading onto the floor of the industrial building.

"Like a waterfall," she recalled during a walk-through of the gutted office space.

She and other CASA staff were still cleaning up on Thursday afternoon, unboxing and throwing out expensive containers of Enfamil baby formula that had become waterlogged.

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"Everything that we worked for since I came here to build this agency was in rubble," she added. "The only thing more overwhelming than that day has been the support we've had."

The incident occurred when a worker hired as a subcontractor for a renovation project nicked the pipe in a wall being knocked down, Fischer-Kaslander said.

The pipe fed water to the fire-sprinkler system throughout the entire headquarters.

Every room of the office space was inundated by at least 3 inches of water. No one knew how to switch off the water supply, Fischer-Kaslander said, until a fire inspector arrived. Damage reported by neighboring tenants was minimal.

Jessica Mickley, the nonprofit's director of training and outreach, said the renovation will expand the offices by 3,600 square feet on a second floor. More room is needed, she said, because CASA got a $425,000 grant to pilot a program for infants and toddlers, requiring eight additional staff members.

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The landlord, CASA staff said, hired the general contractor for the renovation and will be responsible for repairing damage to the structure.

The Stro Companies of Ridgewood, which owns the industrial building, did not respond to a media inquiry about the incident on Friday.

Insurance adjusters have visited the premises multiple times, staff said, but they have not yet assessed all of the damage or determined fault.

CASA is benefiting from the generosity of donors in the meantime. More than $15,000 was collected through an online fundraiser, and the organization has been promised a matching grant of $25,000 from the Turrell Fund, a charity from Montclair.

Fischer-Kaslander said many CASA staff members are currently working out of office space that was lent to the charity by AAA North Jersey Inc., whose building is across the street. Others are working at home, or in a trailer brought to the industrial building's parking lot.

Fortunately, some irreplaceable items were salvaged. Confidential records kept for each child served by CASA got damp, but they were not destroyed.

"They're damaged to the point that they'll always be wrinkly," Fischer-Kaslander said.

However, the baby formula and donations of clothing, diapers and wet wipes were ruined. Those items would have been given to families in CASA's network of child welfare.

CASA, which stands for court-appointed special advocates, served 299 children last year. The local chapter was founded in 2007 and now has more than 150 volunteers.

To donate money toward CASA's recovery, visit its website at passaiccountycasa.org.

Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: devencentis@northjersey.com