Aid Bonnie and Charlie in Asheville's Recovery

As we all know, Hurricane Helene has caused catastrophic damage to the Southeastern United States.

One area that has seen some of the worst damage is Western North Carolina, in particular Asheville, North Carolina.

Our good friends and professional colleagues, Bonnie and Charlie Shew moved permanently to Asheville from their longtime home in Massachusetts in the Fall of 2023.

Bonnie (formerly Bonnie G and Company of NEAC) has scaled down her business in semi-retirement and continues to work remotely. The damage done by Helene has caused significant interruption to the power grid and water system. The internet is now (mostly) working but the road to recovery will take a long time for this region. Running water is still weeks off. Asheville's businesses rely on tourism, which is not possible for many months.

Charlie, who is now the primary breadwinner, works for a local business in Asheville which is now closed because of massive flooding and it is unclear when it will reopen. He also works as a professional musician part-time to supplement their income, but the massive storm damage will likely make those opportunities insignificant for the foreseeable future. He also volunteers with World Central Kitchen as their main southwestern headquarters is currently in Asheville.

Fortunately, their home did not sustain damage from the storm but they still have no running water or power.

This storm has significantly impacted on their ability to earn a living for the near future. They still need to pay their mortgage and pay for normal living expenses.

As their present and former colleagues, we are setting up a GoFundMe page to help them stay afloat (no pun intended) during this very trying period of their lives. Any funds that may be raised in excess of their needs will be donated to local charitable organizations with boots on the ground geared toward specifically to help local residents of Asheville recover and rebuild their once beautiful and vibrant community.

We hold Bonnie and Charlie in very high regard.

Thank you for supporting them in this disaster which struck a part of the US that is rarely impacted by hurricanes.