Nonprofit Shake A Leg Suffers Major Loss Due To Hurricane Irma

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COCONUT GROVE (CBSMiami) – A mangled mess of boats of all kinds and a dock in shambles at Monty's Marina in Coconut Grove the spot shared with a shake a leg a nonprofit organization that helps kids, adults and veterans with disabilities to find independence on the water. Harry Horgan founded it 27 years ago.

"We're a nonprofit organization that partners with City of Miami to use the marine environment to help people become empowered and improve their independence and quality of life," Horgan said.

When Hurricane Irma blew threw it was a large yacht, moored in the middle of the bay, that came loose.

"As far as we understand that boat broke loose and came down like a bowling ball and just took our boats," Horgan explained.

Shake A Leg lost nine sailboats and four power boats.

"The handicap accessible boats, those are the  ones that are mostly damaged and they were all tied up correctly," Horgan said "We stripped them of all their sails, we double tied them. The Pearson behind us, that's another wheel chair accessible boat. Its engines are shot."

Former Shake A Leg sailing counselors Daniel Kaplan and Kevin Rodriguez started a Go Fund Me page to help cover what insurance wont.

"We started a go fund me page just to get any donations," Rodriguez said. "Shake A Leg has been such a help for the community we feel we should support the and bring them some help."

"These are kids who have lived a rough life, many are disabled. It gives them these pure joy and happiness," added Kaplan.

"Mother Nature really knocked us down but there's really a lot of power on the getting out on the water and rebuilding," said Horgan.

For more information on Shake A Leg, visit their website at www.shakealegmiami.org.

The GoFundMe page created by Rodriguez and Kaplan can be found at www.gofundme.com/helpshakealegrebuild.