<div><strong>Help Families and Farmers in Western NC</strong>
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<div>Hi everyone,
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<div>As many of you know, Western North Carolina has been hit hard recently by Hurricane Helene, and the situation is dire. I live 3 hours east in Raleigh, and I’m organizing a supply run this Thursday to deliver essential items to families and farmers who are struggling. Having grown up on a farm in northern New York, I feel strongly about assisting farmers in need, and I will also be participating in work projects to help NC farmers recover.
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<div>Right now, many rural communities are facing severe shortages of livestock feed, fencing materials, shelter supplies, and veterinary care—critical needs that have not yet been addressed by federal support.
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<div>For many of these families, their farms are their sole source of income. Losing their homes and livelihoods in such a devastating event is unimaginable. Our goal is to provide immediate relief to help them get through this tough time until long-term solutions are in place.
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<div>Without adequate food, farm animals face serious consequences. They may experience malnutrition, weakened immune systems, and in extreme cases, starvation, which can be fatal. Farmers may be forced to make heartbreaking decisions, such as selling or shipping animals away or, in the worst cases, euthanizing them to prevent prolonged suffering. This loss not only affects the animals' health but also places a heavy emotional and financial burden on the farmers.
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<div>I’ve been in touch with an NC State Cooperative Extension coordinator who has provided a list of urgent items we need to collect. They are organizing distribution, including air delivery to farmers who are still cut off. This list and the needs are fluid but this is our starting point. Here’s a rough idea of costs for donations:
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<li>Animal feed: Approximately $15 for a 50-pound bag
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<li>Fencing supplies: Roughly $300 for basic fencing materials
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<li>Shelter supplies: Around $75 for tarps or bedding
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<li>Veterinary supplies: Varies, but can start at $20 for basic care items
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<div><strong>Funds are needed urgently, as we plan to make our first supply run this week.</strong>
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<div>If you’re able to help, please consider making a donation. Tomorrow, I’ll be heading to Tractor Supply with some coworkers, taking two trucks and a trailer, so we have plenty of room for feed and fencing supplies.
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<div>I will keep everyone updated on our progress and how your donations are making a difference. If we continue to have success in raising funds, I will organize additional supply runs to ensure these communities get the support they desperately need.
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<div>Even if you can't donate, sharing this campaign can make a huge difference! Thank you for your generosity and support!
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Support NC Farmers and Families After Hurricane

<p>Bryan Rogers died unexpectedly yet peacefully in his sleep on November 1, 2021 at the age of 35 years. He was a devoted husband to Danielle and an adoring father to Wyatt.<br /><br />Bryan’s death occurred literally in the only few-months window in his entire career in which there is no life insurance. His new policy was set to begin in January, 2022. Having just started a new position in September, Danielle’s spousal benefits were also not set to begin until the new year.<br /><br /><strong>Please help cover the cost of Bryan’s funeral and establish a fund for Wyatt’s future. </strong><br /><br /><br />While only 35 years old, Bryan had already made significant contributions to science in the fields of biochemistry and tumor immunology. After five years in the industry, working as Senior Scientist I at AbbVie, Bryan was lead author of a report on antibody-based therapeutics that was published in the prestigious, peer-reviewed <strong>Journal of Experimental Medicine</strong>. Working on such a report is impressive, but being lead author of such a report pre-PhD is remarkable. Just months later, in August 2021, Bryan began PhD studies at the <strong>University of North Carolina Chapel Hill</strong>. His acceptance letter to the program said there had been no better candidate. His advisor, close to retirement, was not planning on accepting any more PhD students--until she read Bryan's materials and made an exception. At the time of his passing, Bryan was working on a similar article as second author. While fate had other plans, those who knew Bryan have no doubt that the future Dr. Rogers would have changed the face of cancer treatment for generations.<br /><br />Bryan's wife Danielle is also part of the Tar Heel community: after years of nursing in pediatrics and oncology across the country, Danielle joined <strong>UNC Health</strong> as an Oncology Nurse Navigator in September 2021.<br /><br />Bryan loved all things historical and had a singular capacity for compassion. In his free time, he studied classical architecture and Baroque guitar. He was so inspired by exploring his family roots that he claimed <strong>dual citizenship between the US and Italy</strong>. From Bryan’s study of the ancient arose a desire to see archaic and oppressive norms give way to <strong>greater equity, freedom, and love</strong>. He and Danielle travelled the world together, learning about different places and their stories and cultivating deep senses of compassion and humanism. <br /><br />Bryan and Danielle hoped to expand their family in 2022. It was their mission to raise loving, kind, and open children. They dreamed of taking baby Wyatt to Italy (where he is also a dual citizen) and beyond. They filled their home with music and even enrolled the youngster in Spanish-immersion daycare, all to instill in him a value for the vastness of the world and its peoples. It’s clear that they were succeeding: bouncy and bubbly, <strong>Wyatt is the image of a well-nurtured spirit</strong>. He is curious and affectionate, with a love for dinosaurs, trains and trucks.<br /><br />***


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<div style="font-size:12pt;word-spacing:1px;font-family:Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;border-color:rgb(0,0,0);"><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size:1rem;border-color:rgb(0,0,0);">"I </span><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size:1rem;border-color:rgb(0,0,0);">am overwhelmed with sadness that Bryan, a young man with such enthusiasm and excitement for life and science has passed so suddenly.  Before he joined the UNC graduate program, he was in touch with me for almost a year, expressing his interest in eventually joining our lab.  Since September of 2021, he started a rotation in our lab, and brought his happy energy to work.  Despite the short time that he was with us, I had the privilege of knowing about his love of family, his dreams for his career and his numerous interests. Our lab members really enjoyed his presence and collegiality.  Bryan had such a happy nature and positive outcome.  I miss him dearly, and his immediate and extended family are on my mind constantly." - Jenny Ting</span><br />
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<div style="font-size:12pt;word-spacing:1px;font-family:Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;border-color:rgb(0,0,0);"><span style="font-family:Calibri, sans-serif;font-size:1rem;border-color:rgb(0,0,0);">"When I first met Bryan, he told me he planned to finish graduate school in 3 years.  As a new postdoc who had just gone through almost 6 years of graduate school, I initially thought he was being extremely ambitious.  However, after working with him for only a short amount of time and experiencing his enthusiasm and aptitude as a scientist, I figured he was most likely going to prove me wrong.  Bryan always did the most he could to help anyone in lab with any problem they might have and was a constant well of fresh ideas.  We will miss his positivity, insightfulness, and friendship.  His family will be in our thoughts." - Austin Graves, colleague in the Ting lab </span>

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<div style="font-size:12pt;word-spacing:1px;font-family:Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;border-color:rgb(0,0,0);"><span style="font-size:1rem;border-color:rgb(0,0,0);">"</span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:12pt;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);border-color:rgb(32,31,30);color:rgb(32,31,30);"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:1rem;border-color:rgb(0,0,0);color:rgb(0,0,0);">Bryan was self-motivated and full of positive energy.  He has a clear research direction and interest.  We talked about many projects during lab meetings, in which he brought fresh views and professional angles.  It is a great loss for us.  May he rest in peace."</span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:1rem;border-color:rgb(0,0,0);color:rgb(0,0,0);">​ - Sirui Li, colleague in the Ting lab</span></span>

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<p>“Bryan’s aptitude for science knew no bounds. He was always eager to learn and broaden his expertise far beyond the constraints of his formal training. Despite his biochemistry background, he was able to conduct and publish a cutting edge immunology research article as lead author. This accomplishment is usually reserved for PhD level Immunology scientists with many years of specialized experience; however, he was able to complete this endeavor while only armed with his curiosity, enduring scientific drive, and guidance from a few nearby colleagues. Bryan’s shining example has and will continue to inspire the scientific community, colleagues, friends and family.” - <span>Gabe Starbeck-Miller, PhD; mentor, colleague, and friend</span>

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<p><br />Many thanks to UNC postgraduate student and colleague, Austin Graves, for providing additional context about Bryan's professional accomplishments.



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<p>This GoFundMe is being coordinated by Frankie DiCiaccio, Bryan’s first cousin. The funds raised will go to Danielle Rogers (Bryan’s wife) for her and their son, Wyatt.
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Bryan Rogers Memorial Fund

In 2016, while completing coursework towards earning my Master in Community Health Nursing, I had the privilege to travel to Africa and learn about healthcare delivery aimed at women and their children in developing countries. During my time studying, I worked with many brilliant and devoted care providers, but none moreso than a certified nurse midwife (CNM) named Kylie Wilson Gyubi. <br /><br />Nurse Kylie, who lives and serves the community near Mt. Kilimanjaro in Arusha, Tanzania, has been delivering healthcare to women in her community for over 15 years. She successfully created and runs a midwifery practice and The Parents Club, an organization aimed at eliminating health inequities by empowering women to make health decisions that are grounded in evidence-based best practices. While the program provides breast-feeding training and education to young mothers under 25, it delivers a variety of other programming aimed at improving maternal-child health and breaking down barriers to care within communities in the region.<br /><br />The aim of this fundraiser to provide Kylie with funding to create her own clinical space, including beds and medical equipment. Once this funding is in place and the clinic has opened, the government in Tanzania will provide financial support to keep her clinical practice running. <br /><br />Please consider contributing to this fundraiser by helping Kylie to get this great endeavor off the ground. It  will positively impact thousands of lives in a beautiful part of the world inhabited by beautiful and caring people!<img src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/51283936_1600347242364054_r.jpeg" width="100%" media_type="3" alt="51283936_1600347242364054_r.jpeg" />

Peter Farina

Peter Farina

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Support NC Farmers and Families After Hurricane

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