BOZEMAN — The Rock Youth Center is a popular and safe place for high schoolers in the Bozeman area to come hang out. But recently, tragedy has struck, causing them to shut their doors.

“Friday morning, my co-director came in at 8:15 a.m. to the floor flooded and it pouring out heavy water,” says Rhonda Cahill, co-director of The Rock.

A nightmare scene, as she explained it. A space usually hustling and bustling with high school students? Now empty and torn up.

“It saturated the subfloors underneath the laminate and the vinyl. It went into the walls, and it poured into our venting system. And then in addition it poured into and flooded the basement,” Rhonda explains.

If you’re unfamiliar with The Rock Youth Center, it opened in 2005 after a couple lost their daughter in a drug deal gone wrong after school. Since then, The Rock has offered a safe place for students to spend time.

“It's a wonderful thing for the staff at BHS and for parents to know after school, if the kids need a place? Me and my staff are here and they trust us,” says Rhonda.

But flooding has caused this safe place to shut its doors. And because The Rock is a nonprofit?

“We’ve actually been just trying to build our base funding. And that's still behind schedule. So then to have an emergency like this...”

Leading to an emotional past few days for the staff.

“It's definitely been a hard hit. I truly believe there’s rainbows after floods. But, it makes me cry,” Rhonda said as she began to let the tears flow.

But Rhonda says the support from the community, especially the high schoolers, has been overwhelming.

“They walked by earlier today when we were all out and said ‘Hi!’ Some came over and asked if they can help. I don’t have anything for them to do right now, but I'm missing them," she says.

Rhonda tells me some of the high schoolers were even donating money to help get the Rock back up and running.

As of now the cause of the flood is unknown, and there’s no telling how long it may take to fix the damage. So, Rhonda and the rest of the staff are asking the community for help.

“What we’re doing here is really important. And if you feel led, we would love to have your support whether it's for flood relief or for future support as we keep going. These kids are thriving that we get to pour into. And this is for the next generation," Rhonda says.

If you want to help, visit The Rock's GoFundMe page.