When tragedies of epic proportion hit the United States it seldom strikes home and this time is no different.

However, hurricane Ian has affected someone from our close knit community, our own beloved Foreign Language teacher, Anne Newell.

Many of us were blessed to be taught by the both her and her husband, Hartsel at Tri-West. Once the Language Arts duo retired, they move to beautiful Fort Myers and settled into a mobile home retirement community in the middle of paradise.

Last week tragedy struck and Anne was many of thousands displaced by hurricane Ian. Anne weathered the storm on her neighbors back porch and by the grace of God, survived but had lost everything but the clothes she was wearing. All her belongings, her memories on paper and her home have been destroyed.

Like the majority of those in the community, Anne did not have hurricane or flood insurance and is need of funds to pick up the pieces and put her life back together.

Please find it in your heart to help one of our very own during the time of tragedy.

I am one of Anne’s many students and I too am from Pittsboro and I have seen what our community can do. Let’s help Anne. All funds will be given to Anne directly for her to secure basic necessities and shelter.

Thank you.

Anne’s own words

I survived by staying on my neighbor's back porch throughout the storm. A little bunny swam in and I tucked him into my jacket. He shivered and trembled for a while and finally went to sleep. When the water finally receded to below the floor, I put him down and he stayed with me until he could hop down to the yard. I finally got into my house and dozed until morning; he was still outside.