GCA pushes toward $500K fundraising goal after Sinlaku damage

Grace Christian Academy has raised $90,000 toward a $500,000-fundraising campaign to rebuild facilities damaged by Super Typhoon Sinlaku, but school leaders say much more will be needed to fully restore the campus.

Michael Rodgers, senior pastor of Grace Christian Ministries and chairman of the Grace Christian Academy board, said the school community has been rallying support from alumni, former teachers, missionaries, pastors and other supporters in the weeks following the storm.

"We've officially hit $90,000 that we've raised so far over the last five weeks, six weeks," he said.

The fundraising effort comes as the school continues to assess extensive damage across its campus in Navy Hill. Rodgers said strong winds destroyed portions of classroom buildings and the sanctuary used for school chapel services and Sunday worship.

Among the hardest-hit areas were the third-, fourth- and fifth-grade classrooms, where much of the roof was torn away. The church sanctuary also suffered major damage after windows blew out and debris damaged equipment inside.

To make the campus more resilient against future storms, school officials are exploring replacing damaged roofing with concrete construction.

"Probably, we're looking at trying to get it all done in concrete right now so this won't happen again with another storm," Rodgers said.

He estimated the cost of installing concrete roofing and completing repairs at approximately $470,000.

While the academy's fundraising goal is $500,000, Rodgers acknowledged that the eventual cost of rebuilding could exceed that amount.

"Our goal is to reach $500,000, but realistically we're going to need a lot more than that just because of the repairs. There's just so much," he said.

The academy is also pursuing assistance through federal disaster recovery programs.

"We're working with [the Small Business Agency]. We're working with [Federal Emergency Management Agency] as well," Rodgers said.

Despite the challenges, Rodgers said the school remains committed to rebuilding and continuing its mission of educating students and serving the community.

The fundraising campaign remains open as Grace Christian Academy seeks additional support to restore damaged facilities and strengthen the campus against future storms.