A Story of Hope – Asheville Christian Academy
In late September 2024, Hurricane Helene destroyed much of Western North Carolina. High winds and more than 31 inches of rain washed away 100 bridges, undercut countless roads, felled thousands of trees, destroyed many homes, and killed more than 100 people.
Eric and I are both natives of Asheville, NC, and we were in our homes when the storm hit. Fortunately, our houses and families were fine. It took weeks for power, cell service, and internet to return. For many in Asheville, it took more than 50 days for drinkable water to return.
As the extent of the damage became clearer following the storm, Eric and I discussed how we could best support the community. As we discussed our options, we decided to contact Asheville Christian Academy (ACA), which is a K-12 school in Swannanoa, NC. ACA’s campus was severely damaged due to flooding and we offered them our services pro bono.
Our offer to help made it to Mary Ellen Gillespie, the school’s Director of Communications & Marketing. We met with Mary Ellen to discuss options and she requested that we help create a mini-documentary for the school to capture their story. The video’s purpose was primarily fundraising, but also to document the most catastrophic event to happen to the school in its 66-year history.
When we eventually visited ACA, the destruction was shocking. Their campus sustained more than $13 million of damage. Many of their athletic facilities were washed away and their school buildings all sustained flooding. Amazingly, they started the rebuilding process the day after the storm and haven’t stopped since. Their plan is to reopen the campus in January 2025. It is a herculean effort.
The video we created for ACA is a mix of first-hand b-roll footage taken during and immediately after the storm and interview footage that we shot on campus. The narrator is a member of ACA’s staff, who has a background in news journalism and had a vision for the narrative. The video is called, “A Story of Hope.”
In its first two weeks, the video received 65,000 views on Facebook and 5,300 views on YouTube.
You can read more about ACA and their disaster relief efforts here. Eric and I have worked with ACA in a number of capacities during our careers and I started school there back in the day. Their attitude and persistence throughout this rebuilding process is amazing. We will continue our relationship with them well into the future!
