SALISBURY, MASS. (WHDH) - The Salisbury Boys & Girls Club here in Salisbury is one of the heartbeats of the community, especially for the kids who treat it like a second home, and now it’s been robbed in more ways than one.

Executive Director Jim Keenan and Program Director Katie Beal walked into their offices Sunday morning to find them completely ransacked. Their windows were smashed, and the safes were busted.

“We were shocked when we saw the things smashed inside,” Beal said. “The mess, the drawers open, they went through every single drawer in the offices. They knew what they were looking for.”

The thief or thieves made off with almost everything they’d been saving for the club’s biggest fundraiser of the year which is set for Monday.

“Just breaks my heart that they would come in and do something like this,” Keenan said. “Every penny at this place means so much to us and they are taking money away from our kids.”

On top of the thousands of dollars in cash, checks and scratch tickets — replica Celtics and Patriots championship rings and GoPro cameras were also snagged. The scholarship money set aside for the club’s Youth of the Year is also gone.

“She’s overcome so many obstacles in her life,” Keenan said through tears. “It’s too bad that they did that to her too.”

Despite how painful it is to consider who may be responsible for all of this, the team said they are committed to bouncing back.

“I am just really disappointed. It feels like it was someone who knew the club, so it’s someone the club has benefited in the past,” Beal said. “For them to come back in and do that is not great,”

(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Join our Newsletter for the latest news right to your inbox