It is hard to believe we are at the one-year mark from when Hurricane Helene struck Western North Carolina and left so much devastation. We are grateful for the huge amount of work that has been done. Yet, we know there is still a long road to travel. Nonetheless, on the brighter side, let us share how extremely excited we are to see the “re-opening” of several businesses in our beloved Chimney Rock Village and the full-time opening of Chimney Rock State Park. Please continue to encourage family, friends and visitors to come. While they must drive here from the Lake Lure side, the only thing not open is our Lake. There is still the beauty of our mountains, the magnificence of our Gorge, gorgeous sunrises and sunsets, peacefulness of restored hiking trails, delicious restaurants, charming hotels/bed & breakfasts/Airbnb’s, live music scenes, game rooms, outdoor activity centers, Meadery, concert events, the return of the Lake Lure Arts & Crafts Festival in October, and award winning vineyards breweries within a 25-minute drive. Such scenic beauty and activities to keep you engaged and entertained.
Let us talk about the Foundation. In a previous article, we shared how the Foundation was formed and our mission. However, our board, and I, still get asked a plethora of questions. So, here is a little Q&A I thought would be helpful.
Q: What does the Foundation do? A: The mission of The Foundation is to enhance and ensure long-term sustainability and resilience in the communities of Lake Lure, Chimney Rock, Bat Cave, Gerton and surrounding areas. Even though Helene is the “event” we currently are providing grants to REBUILD, our long-term mission is to ensure our business communities THRIVE for generations to come through our financial support.
Q: Do you offer memberships to your Foundation? A: No, we are a 501(c)(3) charitable organization established to accept donations to provide grants to applicants during our open grant application timelines.
Q: There are many non-profits in the area, what makes you different? A: Yes, there are several amazing non-profits in Western North Carolina. They have been extremely helpful in many ways and are critical. Our communities need all the financial and resource support they can get. What sets us apart is, many non-profits are set up to only provide financial support to other non-profits. We are established and approved by the IRS to specifically provide grants directly to our area businesses.
Q: Doesn’t FEMA and Insurance help our businesses? A: No, it is why we formed this Foundation. FEMA was established to help individuals and families. Only if an individual or family lives in their business, and their home/business is destroyed, will they help. Regarding insurance, most of our businesses did not carry flood insurance. Most of Chimney Rock Village was not considered a flood plain so flood insurance was not necessary. Consequently, those businesses did not receive insurance funds.
Q: Being such a small community, how do you determine who will receive grants? A: Our grant application process is set up through a software program, designed and managed by Trifecta Consulting. Trifecta works with and designs grant application and donation processes specifically for charitable non-profits. The application answers have a weighted scoring mechanism that helps to alleviate the emotional aspect and provide a more objective process.
Q: Where is your office? A: Currently, the board and officers of the Foundation work remotely. We want to ensure 100% of the donations go to support grants for our businesses. At some point, long term, as we grow, we may need to make changes. We will always ensure our number one priority is supporting our businesses through not only Helene, but all future natural and human-caused disasters that will occur.
Q: Who are your partners? A: We have been fortunate and blessed by several; Board of Directors/Hickory Nut Gorge Chamber of Commerce, Sunnee Clark & Curt Dennis/ Visitchimneyrocklakelure.com, Bryan King/King Law, Tegan Shaver/Perrywinkle Accounting, Jenni Wallace/Trifecta Consulting, Tammy Tappan/Equine Instincts, Michelle Thorne/Giving Friends Foundation, and Scott Freerksen/Restore Lake Lure. If you are interested in being a partner, feel free to email us at info@foundation4LLCR.org.
Q: Can you share any of your donors? A: We have tons of donors, many who wish to remain anonymous and we are required to follow confidentiality rules. However, we do have a few grants we can mention. And there are a few of our donors who have given us permission to share publicly; Giving Friends Foundation, Lake Lure Community Education Foundation/Lake Lure Music Festival, Conserving Carolina, Restore Lake Lure, Lake Lure Olympiad, Bank of America Chartable Gift Fund, DAF Giving 360, Keys Open Door Foundation, and Swadleys Smoked Meats, Inc. are just a few. Again, there are many donors, but unless we have specifically asked if we can share, we cannot mention them. Just know, we would not be here without all of them.
Q: What donation stories can you tell? A: There are many touching stories; on one of my trips flying out of the Charlotte airport, less than two weeks after the storm, I shared what we were going through with a Delta employee. She took my card and, once they found out about our Foundation, they did a fundraiser and raised a significant amount of money. Startown Elementary School out of Newton, NC – their fourth graders raised several hundred dollars from one of their fieldtrips. The Appalachian Region Porsche Club of America did a destination fundraiser called WNC Strong Driving Tour and came to the Lake Lure Inn & Spa for a Sunday Brunch and raised several hundred. Lured Market & Grill did a fundraiser for us, raising awareness of our Foundation and money as well. And, a most recent story, our very own young Olivia Christian of liv Love Jewelry is donating 50% of her jewelry sales to us each time her family’s band “Small Town Gossip” plays in our area. No doubt there are more that I do not even know about. We want people to know we appreciate everyone that supports us, no matter how big or small.
Q: How does someone go about supporting the Foundation? A: Please help us support the future of our beloved area—donate today Foundation 4 Lake Lure Chimney Rock (when you donate you will receive your charitable donation letter as your receipt with our EIN #). You can also host a fundraiser for us if that interests you. Email us at the email address below.
Hopefully this was helpful. Next column we will share the recipients of our first round of grants of $50,000. Together, we are ensuring a brighter future for Lake Lure, Chimney Rock, Bat Cave, Gerton and beyond.
With Peace Profound,
Laura P Doster
Chairperson