Rebuild Celo: Support a Unique Community in WNC

Hurricane Helene has inflicted catastrophic damage on Western North Carolina. The scope and scale of the damage is simply incomprehensible. Like many of you, we want to HELP, but the needs are everywhere and seem so insurmountable.

We need to start somewhere. For us, that somewhere is Celo, a small rural community in the Valley of the South Toe River in Yancey County, NC. Celo is a unique and exceptionally special place.

Celo is home to the Celo Community, an intentional community founded by Quakers in 1937. The land is owned communally and local government is by consensus. The community is based on ideals of cooperation between residents and care for the natural environment.

Madie (Sarah’s daughter and my stepdaughter) spent several summers at camp there — Camp Celo — and her time there was incredibly meaningful for her. Celo played a huge role in the amazing woman she is today.

Celo has been devastated by Helene, with much of the community severely damaged or destroyed.

If you want to help your WNC neighbors but don’t know where to start, help us help Celo to rebuild. Every little bit helps.

(We are coordinating with folk in Celo to ensure anything/everything we raise goes to the Celo community. When if figure that out - once the situation on the ground stabilizes - I’ll update this to ensure maximum transparency.)

NOTE:  When you donate it says that your donation will benefit Brian Clarke, but I want to be clear that it will not.  Everything raised will go to a TBD group in Celo for the benefit of that community.)