Anderson Japanese Gardens Could Use Your Help

The recent heavy rains have taken a big toll on a lot of things, including one of our most beautiful spots.

Setting records comes with a price. We recently set records for rainfall here in the Rockford area, and there has been a pretty hefty price-tag to go along with those records: Storm damage all over the stateline area.

One spot that was hit particularly hard is Anderson Japanese Gardens (AJG), one of Illinois' most beloved and well-regarded places.

From the AJG website:

The Garden sustained significant damage as a result of the recent heavy rain events. The creek rose to unprecedented levels and runoff water from neighboring streets rushed through the heart of the Garden.

The results were washed-out pathways, large deposits of sand, stone and debris throughout the Garden, shorted-out electrical systems, the loss of a 160 year old oak tree and two electric guest transportation carts under three feet of water.

They've set up a support page on their website, and they're gratefully accepting donations to help offset the costs of getting things back on track post-storm.

Here's what they need:

• Replace two electric guest transportation carts – $10,000
• GFI electrical system replacement – $1,900
• Heavy Equipment & Operator – $2,400
• Professional Tree Service – $2,000
• Material to replace washed-out path network – $1,600

TOTAL NEED = $16,100

If you'd like to help, click here to go to the Anderson Japanese Gardens support page.