Donate: Round Lake Elementary School Asks For Help Rebuilding Flooded Library (Updated)

Flooding ruined the WJ Murphy Elementary School library in north suburban Round Lake. You can help rebuild by donating books. Photo via Sam Yingling FB page. You may have heard about the wild storms that hit the area Wednesday night, and the incredible rainfall. Tom Skilling reported north suburban Lake County received three entire Julys' worth of rain in just 12 hours. In addition, the Des Plaines and Fox Rivers are overflowing their banks, with record water levels predicted as they continue to crest. The north suburban town of Round Lake Park was one of the hardest hit, with neighboring Round Lake Beach receiving the highest rainfall total recorded in Illinois for the storm, at 7.38 inches. All of the communities in Lake County need help, from Gurnee and Libertyville to Grayslake and the Round Lake communities, as businesses and property are threatened and in some cases lost. W. J. Murphy Elementary School in Round Lake Park suffered a particularly devastating loss, seen above, as their entire school library was submerged by floodwaters. Now, the community is asking for help to rebuild that library and give the children in the community something to read when they come back from summer break. Here's the official statement from the school, and information on how you can help:

Murphy Elementary School library was destroyed in the flood. If you are able to donate any books: We are happy to announce that we are accepting donations of books at the district administrative office, 884 W Nippersink Rd, Round Lake, IL 60073. For more information, please contact Lori Placek at 847-270-9003 or lplacek@rlas-116.org. In addition, we are partnering with Bernie’s books for help with sorting, collecting, and distribution of the books collected

You can also help the affected community in the following ways. This comes via a statement July 15th from the Round Lake Area School District: We are so thankful for the huge outpouring from our staff and community interested in donating books, clothing, money, etc. While it may be enticing to accept a donation and arrange for the personal pick up of such donation, please refrain from doing so as there are public places that have been set up for this purpose. It is important that all remain safe during these trying times.