Country music sensation Eric Church recently announced his initiative to rebuild homes for those who lost everything last fall during Hurricane Helene, which devastated Western North Carolina. Church, a North Carolina native, vowed to rebuild dozens of homes in Avery County.
Since the natural disaster in September, Church has participated in other philanthropic events for the region, such as the Concert for Carolina in Charlotte last October. The proceeds from the event, which featured a star-studded lineup of artists, went toward helping North Carolinians recover from Hurricane Helene.
Last fall, Church took to social media, noting he was “devastated by the destruction in the mountains of Western North Carolina.” He added, “These are our family members, friends, and neighbors. The community we live in part of the year still has people stranded and desperate for extraction. The whole area is in dire need of help.”
The country singer continued, “Anyone who knows anything about me knows what North Carolina and specifically this area in the mountains me to me personally as well as creatively.” As a result, Church is seeking to give back to those who lost everything, some of whom are still living out of tents months later.
John Blackburn, CEO of Chief Cares Avery, Church’s home-building project, recently told Fox News, “It is important work because of the large devastation, so we are planning to begin to work on more than our first site to help more families. It is our hope to have an official groundbreaking near Easter and get families in the homes this summer.”
According to Church’s team, they will begin by building homes for 100 displaced families in Avery County and the surrounding area. The Chief Cares Avery website explains the goal of “keeping these communities preserved and rebuilt.” It will also meet “longer-term needs like creating jobs, rebuilding schools, and supporting local businesses.”
“Often when disaster strikes, funds flow in from great people wanting to help, but when the world turns its eye to the next devastation, a lot can get lost and fall through the cracks,” Chief Cares Avery further stated. “We are committed to the long-term rebuilding of these communities.” Reportedly, Church and his wife, Katherine Blasingame, are “deeply involved” in the project.
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“The need is enormous, and both of the Churches connect often with people directly impacted by the flood or those that are helping them,” Blackburn said. “Our energy has been used not only to build houses but to make sure the other needs of the community are being met by our organization.”
Watch Trump visit with hurricane victims in North Carolina here:
Recent reports also indicate that Church has purchased land to build a neighborhood for victims of Hurricane Helene. Plans have been created to build 40 homes on the plot with a community center and walking trail for the residents. Residents in the area voiced their anticipation to see the country singer’s project come to fruition.
Featured image credit: Townsquare Media, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eric_Church_2012.jpg