LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kosair for Kids needs help from the community after dozens of books and toys worth thousands of dollars in storage for an upcoming holiday party were destroyed by flooding. 

Kosair for Kids is a nonprofit that has been helping children with medical conditions for 100 years in Kentuckiana.

On Tuesday Kosair officials said a pipe on an air conditioner malfunctioned and flooded part of the basement at its headquarters at 982 Eastern Parkway. Donations of books and toys stored there were destroyed. Leaders said Kosair Kids were set to receive the gifts in December at its holiday party. The nonprofit posted about it on its Facebook page. 

The toys and books were worth thousands of dollars. 

Workers were stunned when they discovered the destructive flooding last week. Stephanie Smith, vice president of special events for Kosair for Kids, said that's when she went to the basement to gather items for an upcoming event and was met with a very unpleasant surprise.

"When I walked through those double doors, I was immediately greeted with soggy flip flops," said Smith said. "And the farther I came down the hall, the deeper and deeper it got."

Now peeling paint and the sounds of humming fans are all that remain in the storage room. 

"You wouldn't know it now, but we're standing in what used to be our toy room -- our workshop -- where all of our toys, books, games, stuffed animals and party supplies were stored for our annual Kosair Kids holiday party."

Most of the gifts were already wrapped when they were submerged in several inches of water. 

Storage room for Kosair for Kids damaged by flooding

Pictured: this image dated June 26, 2024, shows the Kosair for Kids storage room at its headquarters at 982 Eastern Parkway in Louisville, Ky. Dozens of wrapped holiday gifts and books were destroyed after an AC pipe malfunctioned and left the room flooded with several inches of water. (WDRB image)

"Usually 500-700 kids show up, and it's not just about the Kosair Kids," Smith said. "We invite the siblings and their families, and they get to see Santa. And there's games and activities."

Paula Beamon brings her 9-year-old daughter, Caroline, to Kosair for therapy, and she fondly remembers last year's holiday party. 

Paula Beamon outside Kosair for Kids headquarters

Pictured: Paula Beamon and her daughter, Caroline, outside the Kosair for Kids headquarters on Eastern Parkway in Louisville, Ky., on June 26, 2024. (WDRB image)

"We went to the last party last year," Beamon said. "And I don't even know how many kids, there had to be hundreds of kids. And they each got a toy, and she got her toy and had so much fun. We still have it at home."

We still have it [the gift] at home."

The flooding also ruined hundreds of books. 

"This used to be a wall of books," Smith said, gesturing to a now empty wall. "They were in cardboard boxes, and it got so soggy that it gave way, and everything on top of them fell to the ground as well. And those just couldn't be salvaged."

This week Kosair Kids welcomed its Christmas Dreams Experience, which treats select Kosair Kids to a mobile North Pole visit from Santa to get into the spirit early. 

Now the nonprofit is issuing its own Christmas Wish.

"We're so grateful for everything this community had already done to make this party a success, and now we're asking for their help again," Smith said. 

You can help fulfill Kosair for Kids' wish several ways: by ordering items off their Amazon Wish List, dropping toys off at the headquarters at 982 Eastern Parkway, or making a monetary donation.

Click Here to find out how you can help.

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