Support Families in Crisis in Bradford Park After Helene

Bradford Park is a community in Boone that was largely underwater due to the wrath of Hurricane Helene. Nearly thirty of its homes have been deemed unlivable after the storm. Many that remain are wet, moldy, and unbearably changed forever.

While efforts are being made to support this community, the need is far too large to be met with current funding and assistance. This community was largely underserved and overlooked before the storm. Now many of them are suffering without the means to reach for help, unable to relocate, and understandably unwilling to leave everything they have.

My name is LJ Brehm. I currently live in Chattanooga TN with my family. I am a clinical mental health therapist and the mother of four beautiful children. I have deep roots in Boone. I grew up spending summers at a camp in the mountains of Western NC. When it was time to go to college, I only applied to schools in those majestic blue ridges. Appalachian State is where I found myself, learned how to give and receive love, and decided to dedicate my life to helping others do the same.

My husband and I met and fell in love in those mountains. My children have visited Boone with us more times than we can count. We were in the process of finding property on which to build our forever home in Boone when Helene struck. Boone is home.

Last week, I had the privilege of driving many winter weather-rated sleeping bags up to Boone. The very first donation center I went to, Harvest House, initially informed me that they didn't have room for the boxes. Knowing how limited space was at donation centers, I fully expected to be rerouted several times.

As I was driving away, two men darted out of the building. One asked me how many bags I had and excitedly proclaimed that they would take them all. The other told me he'd made the decision to immediately deliver them to Bradford Park.

He shared with me that he'd seen people sitting on upturned buckets on "what used to be their front porch." They told him they were sitting outside because the stench and mold inside made them sick. They'd been sleeping in their wet, freezing front yards in and under nothing except the occasional fleece blanket.

Later that day, my friend and I visited a smaller donation center in Blowing Rock. We were asked to deliver a heater and some kerosene to Bradford Park. This endeavor gave me the opportunity to see where Bradford Park is and just a bit of the devastation in that area. It is gut-wrenchingly horrific to think about people, families, and children living in those conditions.

The goal of this fundraiser is massive. I feel unqualified to even look at this number, let alone ask for help reaching it. There are so many families who lost everything. The typical cost of a new single-wide trailer is $60,000-$120,000. I know we can't provide each of these families with enough to purchase a new home (though, wouldn't that be amazing?!).

What we can do is support them in getting their current homes gutted and rebuilt so that they are able to be lived in. We can fund heat and safety, school supplies, winter clothes, furniture, and bedding.

Any money donated here will go to the people in Bradford Park via the work of Harvest House Church in Boone (which is sending people in to clean up, gut, and rebuild the trailers in Bradford Park. Right now, they have begun work on two of the nearly thirty trailers that will need to be fixed. They are working hard to raise funds for the work they are already doing and will allocate funds raised here to their efforts at Bradford Park), a special account for the families of Bradford Park that are served by the School Social Worker at Hardin Park (who has been making frequent trips to Bradford Park to support and serve those who are still there, to help rehome those who were able to leave, and to meet other physical and emotional needs in the community), and Immigrant Connection (who is working hard to help provide emergency relief and assistance to the Hispanic community in and around Boone).

Please, if you haven't found a comfortable way to donate yet, or if you can imagine the pain of raising a family in complete and utter squalor and devastation, consider donating here. We need each other. We exist to serve our fellow humans. These humans need us right now. Thanks for your help!

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