Support Asheville: Donations for BeLoved Asheville

Hi everyone, my name is Kayla Donnelly and I have created this GoFundMe along with 10 of my bridesmaids in Massachusetts (Jessica Fernandez, Lexi Ventura, Gina Costa, McKenna Cobb-Adams, Julia McLucas, Emily Schallert, Kayla Martin, Samantha Conkey, Andi Thomas, and Nalya Moore) to raise money to send to the citizens of Asheville, NC through BeLoved Asheville. We are desperately trying to help our new-found friends. On September 26th, we embarked on a bachelorette trip to Asheville that turned life-threatening due to Hurricane Helene. We were left stranded in the mountains with extremely limited resources, no power, no running water, and no cell phone service. Luckily for us, we were in good enough physical health to hike three hours down the treacherous mountain through debris and hundreds of fallen trees to then be rescued by an incredibly kind retired firefighter, TJ.

Unfortunately, not everyone has been so lucky. Many of the people we met on the mountain are still trapped and running out of food and water. They have gone days with no power, only able to contact us through satellite messaging. Some are elderly, sick, and many have children and dogs, making them unable to make the trip down the mountain. These individuals are desperate. Without their guidance, them providing us with water and non-perishables, and giving us emotional support, we may not have made it home safely to Boston. We are now trying to raise money for the people who helped us so incredibly much up on Elk Mountain Preserve.

If you are able to donate, it would mean the world. We really want to pay it forward to those who helped us in one of the most traumatizing weekends we could have imagined. As we mentioned, we will be donating all funds raised to BeLoved Asheville, an organization committed to supporting the Asheville community during this time of crisis. I (Kayla) will be receiving all the donation money and sending it directly to BeLoved Asheville on their website via debit card. BeLoved Asheville uses funds to provide those in need with food and water, lifesaving supplies, shelter, and more. Additional details can be found on their website here: https://belovedasheville.com/