Helping Hands Initiative

Help Rebuild and Support Massage Therapists Affected by Hurricane Helene

My name is Hope DeVall, and I am the founder of the Western North Carolina School of Massage in Asheville, NC. Our school is currently closed due to the aftermath of the storm, and we are focused on supporting our local massage community.

We have partnered with the founder of Living Sabai, Jill Burynski to create the Helping Hands initiative, which aims to assist therapists in Western North Carolina access lost or damaged equipment and provide them with funds to renew their license and register for CE classes towards that renewal.

With many therapists unable to work and potentially going through a loss of housing, we undestanding that dire help is needed. NC renewal is right around the corner and many folks may not even have the funds to pay their renewal or late fee, much less to register for a class to obtain the required hours. We hope this initiative will aid in the many obstacles local therapists are jumping through currently.

We have created this GoFundMe where every cent donated will go directly to therapists in need of financial help with licensure renewal fees and CE registrations. Money donated here may also be used to purchase requested equipment if we do not have any phyiscal donations of that item. We are now in stage 2 on the recovery, and these are the only 3 things that donated money will be used towards.

We ask that if you want to donate items to therapists, please have them sent to our office at 70 Woodfin Place, Ste 403, Asheville, NC 28801. Amazon, UPS, USPS, & Fedex are operating back to normal. *Please do not send items outside of the list below*

Acceptable Donation Items:

New - Unused linens, blankets, table covers, and face cradle covers

New - Gently used massage tables, chairs, mats, stools, and hot towel cabinets

New & Un-Opened oils, creams, and lotions

New - gently used bolsters and pillows

New - gently used massage tools (cupping set, hot stones, scraping, etc.)

If you are a WNC massage therapist who needs any of this help, please email us at [email redacted] with the subject line 'Helping Hands Initiative—Request'. We will get back to you promptly!

If it says “email redacted” please just look up our website for Living Sabai and contact us through there. We are navigating tech issues. Thank you for your patience!

We will also be holding a drop-in event for local therapists to look through what supplies we have collected on November 15th (location TBD). Please stay up to date with us on Facebook for more annoncements.

These massage and bodywork therapists are the people who have dedicated their lives to helping others, and now they need our help. Every donation, no matter the size, will go directly toward supporting their recovery and ensuring they can continue their work and rebuild their lives.

Please consider donating today. Your support means everything to the students, staff, and therapists who are struggling to move forward in the aftermath of this disaster.

Together, we can help them rise above these challenges and restore their ability to provide service to others.

Thank you for your generosity! Every bit makes a difference.

In gratitude,

Hope DeVall - WNC School of Massage

Jill Burynski - Living Sabai

Christine Osborne

Stephanie Ashcraft