Heartbreak and Horror in the Blue Ridge

A gift for those who need it, and one for you too!

If you've been along for the ride for a while now, you'll find this week's blog post bears no resemblance to the norm.  It's quite intentional, however, and the message I share today brings with it the opportunity for each of us to make a difference in the lives of those who need immediate relief TODAY.  Please take a few moments to read and respond.  We can all do SOMETHING, and I have an added gift for your efforts!

Photos from Buncombe County, North Carolina, 2024

My heart is heavy. The devastation Helene ravaged on the mountain towns in our southern states weighs like a boulder on my chest.  The damage to homes, businesses, families and entire towns is beyond description.  People have lost everything in the course of a few hours through the mighty power of water, wind and mud.  The stories are chilling and there's so much yet to be uncovered and loved ones yet to find.

This Devastation Feels Personal

In the summer of 2018, I took off on my very first major solo road trip and headed from Northern Virginia south along the wonder-filled winding roads of the Blue Ridge Parkway, though and around small towns like Damascus, Virginia, Mountain City, Tennessee, and the charming North Carolina towns of Linville and Blowing Rock, Boone, and eventually Asheville and into South Carolina to Greenville.  Every moment of every day of that transformational trip is etched in my memory. 

Bright blue skies painted against the muted row upon row of Blue Ridge mountains.  Gorgeous, untouched by the ravages of hurricanes, kissed by the sun and moon shine.  Friendly folks in small communities where families have embedded themselves for generations - farmers, librarians, shopkeepers, pastors . . . neighbors, friends.

Photos of beautiful Blowing Rock, North Carolina, circa 2018

Those days of wondering (not wandering) became the catalyst and backbone for what would later become my book There's Wonder Around the Bend and my business, WonderBing Travel.  With each passing mile, those mountains, that sky, those people and towns slowly created an indelible imprint on my heart and mind.  I have never been the same. 

In one of my earliest blog posts from that fateful adventure, titled From the Valleys to the Mountains, I chronicled my memorable slow drive through many of these places.  How they made me feel.  What they smelled like, looked like.  I savored every moment.

Falls Park in downtown Greenville, South Carolina, circa 2018

Gone in a Flash

And now, in one fateful, horrifying day, many of them have vanished - flattened and battered and washed away.  The very land that whole towns like Chimney Rock, North Carolina stood upon has been wiped away, nothing but millions of tons of the pieces and parts that made up the whole strewn across the acres where homes and business used to stand.  Where churches and children and schools and shops, so recently and innocently creating sounds of neighborhood life, now wiped away and eerliy silent.  How can that be? 

Photo of Chimney Rock, North Carolina, 2024

I have experienced a tornado, and plenty of bad storms.  The inevitable memory of sounds that follows natural devastation is centered around the roaring hum of chainsaws.  But in some of these places, there aren't even trees to cut.  How can that be?

How We Can Help

And so it is with these palpable memories that I now ask, how can I help? How can we all help?

There are many organizations, agencies, small business and large who are already on site and gathering support for the very long ordeal of rescuing, recovering and helping these people regain their footing.  I would like to share two trusted and respected non-profits who immediately mobilized to help.  Please check them out further (I'm providing links) to ensure you are comfortable with their credibility.

Donate $25 or more and I will send you a SIGNED copy of There's Wonder Around the Bend! 

(See details at the end of this post.)

Cape Fear Volunteer Center:  Based in Wilmington, North Carolina, they are not in the disaster zone, but close enough to support. 

• Use this link to read this post from their Facebook page where they outline their specific needs. 
• If you are near enough to North Carolina, they are in desperate need of volunteers to purchase the needed supplies that they are delivering to those in need. 
• They also need office help. 
• This particular post also includes a "GIVE" button so that others can purchase the supplies on their list. 

Samaritan's Purse:  While you may be familiar with their Christmas shoebox initiative that delivers boxes all over the world to needy families, they also have a long history with disaster relief. 

• Currently they are on the ground in many of these devastated areas.  They are in need of volunteers to help directly in the hardest hit areas (they will train volunteers - no experience is needed), and also offer a way to DONATE directly.  
• Check out their Helene disaster relief page HERE.

Donate $25 or more, Get a Signed Copy of There's Wonder Around the Bend for FREE.

Consider this opportunity where we can come together to serve these people. 

For the month of October only, make a $25 (or more) a donation to either Samaritan's Purse or the Cape Fear Volunteer Center,  and I will send you a SIGNED copy of There's Wonder Around the Bend:  An Inspiring Guide to Solo Road Tripping . 

It's simple!

1.  Use one of the links above to make your donation.

2.  Screenshot your donation page.  (Don't worry - there's no personal info on that page - just an amount and a transaction number.)

3.  Email me at [email protected] with a copy of your screenshot and I will send you the link to claim your free book and have it sent directly to you.

4.  That's it! 

Everybody helps and everybody wins.

Thank you in advance for your generosity as we make a tiny dent in assisting our neighbors. 

❤️,

Bing

Of course you're more than welcome to purchase the book outright as well. There's Wonder Around the Bend was written to equip and inspire people to seek freedom and wonder through a solo road trip. 

 Pick it up here 👈.  The Kindle is just $7.99 for a limited time.  Also available in paperback and hard cover.