Rebuild Lives after Devastation from Helene in Asheville

This fundraiser is spearheaded by 6th grader Oskar Mariani and his mom Jessica Chilton. We are reaching out to our community who has been asking: How can we help? As we feel waves of grief for all the loss and devastation in Asheville and the surrounding towns of Western North Carolina in the wake of Hurricane Helene, this fundraiser is one way we can do our part—together with your help.

100% of funds raised will go directly to support those we personally know who have lost homes, belongings, businesses, and the ability to meet their own needs. Oskar also wants to contribute to his school community as we discover which teachers and classmates need the most support and how we can help with the re-opening of his school.

We are grateful for all the aid coming to our region and all the organizations supporting us to rebuild. We recommend BeLoved Asheville if you want to give directly to a non-profit. If you want to give in a more personal way through this fundraiser, know that 100% of your donation will be distributed with the personal touch of Jessica and Oskar to specific families and friends who will be uplifted by your support.

Read on for full details and our personal update:

Whole amazing areas of Asheville (like the River Arts District & Biltmore Village) and entire surrounding towns we love (like Hot Springs, Black Mountain, Swannanoa, Lake Lure, Chimney Rock, Marshall etc.) are incredibly damaged or totally wiped out--far beyond anything we ever imagined could happen here.

The current situation includes no water for weeks, schools shut down indefinitely, waiting in lines for hours for food or gas or ATM access, no power or cell service or Wi-Fi for most.

We are still unsure whether some friends are safe, since many without cell service and power are cut off from communicating. We already know some friends who lost their house and all their possessions, and others whose businesses washed away, and still other friends who can’t leave their home for a long time since their access road washed out.

Of course, the major silver lining is all the bonding with neighbors, helping each other out, and deepening into community--which is what we are here to do.

Please hold the vision that this intense time brings out the best in all of us. I know humans can go either way when under stress. This is our time to experience more Love, Kindness, Support, and Compassion than ever before.

Oskar, Craig, and I are currently decompressing from survival mode as we have now landed in our cabin one-hour outside of town that surprisingly has water, power, and Wi-Fi. This will be our Home Base for helping others however we can. Craig is traveling into Asheville each day for work--he’s a property manager handling the full spectrum of challenges. Oskar and I are focusing in on how we can best help during this time.

Since Oskar is out of school indefinitely as the road to his school has been washed out, we decided to work together to set up a fundraiser. This is one way we want to help the people we know (and will get to know in the coming weeks) who have lost their houses, belongings, businesses and need support with rebuilding their lives.

Oskar and I will be deciding together how to distribute each dollar that comes from your generosity. I imagine this will be an impactful learning experience for him as a 6th grader. We will be giving 100% of the money to specific people we know who are struggling to rebuild their lives. Oskar chose the goal of raising $25,000 because it feels like an impactful amount. And even though he doesn’t know if we’ll get anywhere close, he wants to try. We will be grateful for every contribution made, no matter the amount we achieve.

If you prefer to donate straight to a non-profit organization, that is of course wonderful too. Our personal favorite is BeLoved Asheville. Oskar has raised money for them in the past and we will be volunteering in person through the coming weeks to help with their efforts in meeting basic needs every day in Asheville. Let us know (by leaving a note here) if you choose to donate directly to BeLoved or another Asheville non-profit so Oskar can also see that important ripple effect of his efforts.

In terms of the specific needs we are seeing in our community, here are some examples of whom we'd like to support with your donations:

~One of our friends was injured when a huge tree crashed through her roof and sliced her neck during the storm. She is okay after walking her way through downed wires and trees to get to the hospital. But their house and belongings are incredibly damaged.

~Two friends in my Improv Class lost their entire house and all their belongings in the flood waters.

~Oskar’s school will need support to re-open and he would like to support specific school friends and teachers who have been more severely impacted.

These are just a few examples, but my whole text stream and facebook feed is full of stories of devastation and RESILIENCE. Let's show them that they are not alone.

Since arriving here to the safety of our cabin, I was able to feel my feelings and the weeping began. I will ride the waves of grief, and lean into the acts of kindness and support we can offer.

We are grateful for anything you can donate to this cause.

Thank you for being such a loving part of our community!

Love,

Oskar & Jessica