
Yona Frenchhawk - Lost home and all belongings in Hurricane
Donation protected
Hello. While thousands have been impacted by catastrophic damages and losses from winds, rain, floods, fallen trees, washed out roads, deaths, lost homes and interruptions of income in NC and TN with Hurricane Helene, I'm raising funds for Cherokee Elder, ceremonialist, and long time Asheville community member and Jubilee Church Minister of Indigenous Rituals, Yona FrenchHawk.
View his website here: http://www.yonafrenchhawk.com/about
Yona had to urgently evacuate his four-plex rental in Chimney Rock on September 26th with emergency orders from heavy rain and impending floods with clothes on his back.
When he returned weeks later as roads were washed out, everything was gone and as a result of extensive damage, home is uninhabitable.
Tragically, Yona also had storage units at the U-Haul in Swannanoa with a lifetime of personal possessions, including irreplaceable mementos from parents and grandparents, as well as numerous Native American Indian sacred items, drums and more he'd use for ceremonies at weddings, funerals, speaker events, church services, etc.
This is how Yona earned his livelihood, and now with cancelled weddings and other events in W. North Carolina, Yona has lost his income, as is the unfortunate reality for many others in region.
With minimal savings and temporary hospitality of friends for living space, Yona is in need of raising funds to secure long term rental housing, replace his furniture, kitchen items, clothing and more, as well as support himself throughout winter and into next year.
Like thousands in W. North Carolina, Yona faces daunting challenge of finding housing in a market over-saturated by those in need.
The area was already experiencing affordable housing crisis before Helene hit. Now demand for rentals has skyrocketed, and the cost of rents rising with it.
Yona has served as a long time minister at Jubilee Community Church in Asheville, and is a respected elder and member of Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. He is a well-respected spiritual leader in greater Asheville community and W. North Carolina.
His Indigenous connectedness to Mother Earth and the ease and grace with which he invites others to join him to honor, love, and respect nature is paramount to the recovery of our community.
Financial recovery for Yona is going to be a long, difficult road. This Go-Fund-Me has been established to raise funds to meet that need with humility, and gratitude, while reminding Yona he doesn’t walk alone.
Please help if you are able, or at least share this GoFund with others. Thank you!
PS - funds will be directly deposited into Yona's bank under his legal name of Emory Welch.
PPS - I am James Fleming, a resident of Weaverville, and have known of Yona since 2018 attending Jubilee Church Asheville.
Organizer and beneficiary

James Fleming
Organizer
Weaverville, NC

Emory Welch
Beneficiary