On May 19, 11,000 people in Midland County, Michigan were evacuated from their homes after days of heavy rain caused the Edenville and Sanford dams to give way resulting in major flooding in the area. More than 250 MICPA members live, work or go to school in the affected area. We launched a Flood Assistance page with more information. If you know of a CPA firm or member in that region that could use help, please contact the MICPA Member Services department at 248.267.3700 or membership@micpa.org.
It was terrible to see the photos and videos of the devastating effects of the flood. Through the MICPA network, we began trying to determine if any of our members had been impacted. Then on the front page of the Sunday, May 24 edition of the Detroit Free Press, there was a photo of Linda Geiger, CPA of L.L. Accounting & Tax, standing amidst the devastation of her office in downtown Sanford. (See the article here.) When I saw this my heart broke…I knew we had to do something.
It took several days, but I was finally able to get in touch with Linda, along with her daughter Tiffany. I wanted to find out how we could best help. She is a small firm practitioner who has been helping clients in her community for 30+ years. She has been a member of MICPA for 30 years, served as the Treasurer of the Village of Sanford for over 20 years, been the Treasurer of the Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Sanford Historical Society, Lions Club, Leadership Midland, on Midland County's Partnership for Education, American Legion and many more community service projects, committees, and task forces over the years. As you can tell she has really given back to her community! And now it’s time for us to give back to her.
Currently the Village of Sanford is in a devastated state. Businesses have been destroyed, many homes are not salvageable, and the future of the Village is uncertain. The current situation with the pandemic has made this even more challenging. Fortunately, her home wasn’t affected, so she’s working on recovering her practice at her dining room table with her three employees including her son Travis Raymond. The firm has more than 550 clients in the area. Linda was very gracious when I spoke with her and was more worried about others in her community. The pictures Tiffany sent me give you an idea of the devastation they experienced. The building was literally lifted off its foundation.
In talking with Tiffany as they work to get back up and running, she said their biggest need is basic office supplies and equipment. I told her the least we could do is to help them obtain these supplies. I asked them to put together an Amazon Wish List, where anyone can purchase items for them and it will be shipped directly to their house. This is just a basic list of some of the things lost which will need to be replaced soon. They are not at all picky and are just wanting to be able to get back to work as quickly as possible and get through this. We’re working with the MICPA Small Firm Practitioners Task Force to rally their group to help Linda, along with our Board of Directors. But certainly anyone is welcome to help! If people in the Midland area are willing to donate any equipment, we can work on figuring out how best to get those materials to Linda, please contact us.
Thanking you ahead of time for your help... We are truly Better Together!