Help Asheville's Out of the Woods Therapy team

Update Friday October 11, 2024:

I am not sure how to add another update properly and so I'm just going to do it this way...

We moved back into our home last weekend when the power had been restored. Most of our community is without water and we lived that way, too, up until miraculously the water started flowing in my neighborhood yesterday. Most of Asheville is not expected to have water back for weeks and there is still not an official estimation of restoration.

Of our three locations...our main office in the Montford neighborhood is still without power/water. Our Clayton Street office has power (but no water) and is currently operational. Our Fairview office is also operational - despite the fact that the property itself suffered tremendous impact and there are cleanup crew efforts under way.

I was prompted to run payroll yesterday and I managed to add almost 11,000 in a "bonus" section for several of the therapists who needed relief from cancelled sessions. It is a common practice in our industry for therapists to get paid commission for their work and that is how my operation runs. So when money doesn't come in, it has to come from somewhere. I used the donations that had been given thus far towards supply runs that we had been doing last week. We also received lots of supply donations by mail and have been distributing them throughout the community and continue to do so. It seems as if supplies are abundant in our area thanks to local communities sharing resources and tons of people who have come in to help from various places.

I am not afraid to take on debt to keep my business going and therefore I have applied for a disaster relief loan.

I know that there are lots of places to donate because so many need help and therefore I can't express how much I appreciate the donations we have received thus far and also any that might continue that will go towards helping me keep this practice alive and thriving.

If you cannot donate, but you really want to help... just listen to people who have been through this and give them your empathy. That is one of the most valuable resources that any of us can give.

original post...

Hi! I'm Jamie Zane Brazell. I am the owner of a group psychotherapy practice called Out of the Woods Therapy in Asheville, North Carolina and our community has been devastated by Hurricane Helene. My family evacuated to a family home 45 minutes from our house.

Two of the three locations where we serve clients seem to have no structural damage, but our third location is in a precarious situation and will need support. All of our staff have been accounted for and are currently safe.

I am requesting help to keep our practice going by paying the bills, provide support for our staff and clients who are in need, and to continue buying resource items of water, food, cat and dog food and other pet supplies, so that we can make daily runs to Asheville.

We are grieving so hard for all of those who lost their lives, their homes, and businesses.

Please help if you can and if you can't, please pass this along.

Thank you so much. And for anyone who knows me personally, please reach out and ask me how you can ship supplies or bring them to us where we are stationed.