WNC Flood of Books

Students in Western North Carolina Need Books!

On Friday, September 27th, my region of Western North Carolina was devastated by Hurricane Helene and the worst flooding it has seen in more than 100 years. Entire towns were destroyed, and nearly 100 people lost their lives. Schools across the entire region were closed for several weeks. And those in counties with severe infrastructure damage still haven’t gone back to school.

In partnership with Augustine Literacy Project of Brevard, I am collecting books for students in K-12 to help schools, educators, and parents (who are trying to figure out how to homeschool their children) who have been impacted by flooding and damage caused by Hurricane Helene. I will do my best to keep this page updated with the specific needs we are able to assess.

Right now, we are working on the following initiatives:

Fernleaf Charter School (Fletcher) lost their entire K-4 campus to flooding. Every teacher (3-4 classes per grade level) now need to completely rebuild their classroom libraries. Students are currently sharing classrooms with middle and high school students while they are able to get modular classrooms set up on their new campus. We are helping them restock their classrooms as much as possible. See photos of damage to their campus on Instagram. Download WISH LIST from K-4 teachers at Fernleaf Charter School.
.Asheville Christian Academy (Swannanoa) suffered severe building damage due to flooding. They are currently focusing on building reconstruction but will soon be looking for classroom resources like books. Contribute to their rebuilding fund. Wish list coming soon!
Hot Springs Public Library (Hot Springs) sustained severe flood damage to their children’s and YA department in the flooding (Read their story). The library had flood insurance and is currently closed for renovations, but they need funding to replace all of the damaged books. We are reaching out to them to assess their needs and see how we can help. Contribute to their flood relief fund.
Brevard Academy (Brevard) has two students who lost their home to a mudslide caused by flooding (watch their story on WCNC). We are assembling a bag of books for each child according to their interests. While book packs for these 2 kids are complete, we are working on identifying other families with children in Transylvania County who lost everything and provide the kids with a bag of books.

We are in the process of reaching out to schools and homeschooling parents in Lake Luke and Old Fort, as well as as in Mitchel, Yancey, and Avery Counties, which also sustained massive damage. I will continue to add the needs to the list above as we become aware of them.

DONATIONS:

Please send all book donations to:
Augustine Literacy Project
193 Old Heath Road
Brevard, NC 28712

If you are sending books from a third-party bookseller or Amazon, please contact me to let me know what books you are sending so I can match them up with your donation. Otherwise, I will not be able to confirm receipt to send you a tax-deductible, gifts-in-kind receipt.

If you would prefer to make a tax-deductible financial donation to Augustine Literacy Project towards purchasing new books, please note “Helene” in the comments.

Make a Financial Donation

TEACHERS, LIBRARIANS, or PARENTS:

If your school or library has sustained flood damage and is in need of books, curriculum materials, or school supplies, please CONTACT ME for a link to our Google Request Form. Parents who are homeschooling due to school closures are also invited to apply.

Watch my interview with Dr. Diane’s Adventures Podcast below:

I am thrilled to have you as part of this journey to help our region begin the path to recover in this way. We have received A LOT of books, but as we connect with more schools that need help, we can still use more books.

I believe that every book will impact a child’s life during this crisis. Thank you for joining us in flooding Western North Carolina with books!

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