06/06/2026
This will be a two-part post. The video you're watching was taken during Hurricane Helene in September 2025—a moment that forever changed our corner of Western North Carolina. For many of us, the scars left behind are still visible every single day. Homes were lost, people (my neighbor is still lost) lost. Roads disappeared. Rivers changed course. Entire communities were turned upside down, some communities like ours almost wiped away completely.
But in the middle of that devastation, something extraordinary happened.
People from all over stepped up.
Neighbors helped neighbors. Strangers became family. Thousands of people chose compassion over indifference, and because of that, miracles happened.
Since this video was taken, the GoFundMe mentioned in the original post raised an incredible $276,000. This weekend, we will officially close that chapter. The final $3,000 was used to purchase a climbing wall that will become the centerpiece of a new community gathering space here in our little holler—a place for outdoor events, youth programs, camps, and opportunities for people to come together, heal, and create new memories.
As we prepare to launch a new fundraising campaign for this project and for our own recovery, there is something important we want to share.
Not one penny of the $276,000 raised was used to repair damage to our home or business.
At the time, there were too many families who had lost everything. We chose to focus on helping others first. Looking back, I don't regret that decision for a second. But I do regret waiting nearly two years before beginning to address the damage we were left with ourselves.
Today, our historic 1890s farmhouse is still suffering from storm damage. Several floor joists on the back side of the house are broken from erosion and flooding caused by Helene. Damage totaling near $80k. Our business also still needs roughly $20,000 in stone and fill material to rebuild a second parking area that was washed away.
We aren't sharing this for sympathy.
We're sharing it because you've been part of this journey from the beginning, and you deserve to know what your generosity accomplished.
Here's what YOU made possible with $276,000:
❤️ $200,000 distributed directly to 31 families in northern Mitchell and Yancey Counties who lost nearly everything.
❤️ Four major river cleanups to remove debris and begin restoring our waterways.
❤️ Six community workdays focused on repairing riparian zones and restoring riverbanks stripped bare by floodwaters.
❤️ Support provided to:
Bradshaw Fire & Rescue
Fork Mountain Fire & Rescue
Rising Light Relief
The church at the top of Whitson Branch, which kept its doors open as a vital supply hub through December.
❤️ Multiple free community events including:
Easter egg hunts for children and adults
Two riverside vigils
A healing retreat for community members impacted by the storm
❤️ Partnership with PATH to provide after-school camps for approximately 65 children. Kids learned emergency preparedness and survival skills, and every child received a preparedness bucket containing roughly $100 worth of gear and educational materials.
❤️ A tree giveaway and planting project that distributed more than 1,200 trees.
❤️ A garden giveaway that distributed more than 1,200 vegetable and garden plants.
❤️ Partnerships with Trout Unlimited, Blue Ridge Community Foundation, United Carolinas Cavalry, and McDowell High School's Exceptional Children's Program.
❤️ The purchase of a community climbing wall that will soon become part of a new gathering place for our region.
This story isn't about us.
It's about what can happen when ordinary people choose to care.
Every tree planted, every family helped, every child prepared, every riverbank restored, and every smile shared at those events happened because people like you believed our mountain communities were worth fighting for.
Thank you for standing with us through the hardest chapter our community has ever faced.
If you'd like to make a final contribution before this GoFundMe closes Sunday night, now is the time. We'll soon share details about our next campaign and how you can continue being part of the ongoing recovery and rebuilding of Western North Carolina.
The work isn't finished.
But neither are we. ❤️
follow for updates and info on the new campaign
