Stories Behind the Workshops · Story 02
From Hurricane Helene to a Truckload of Hope
We were preparing to build our future when Hurricane Helene called Children of Fallen Heroes back to our roots.
The land could wait.
People couldn’t.
The Journey
From Tryon to the Mountains
From our first days at Tryon to answering the call after Hurricane Helene, this is part of the journey that brought us here.
Tryon: Where the Relationship Began
CFH’s first visit to Tryon was the Grand Opening of Tryon International Equestrian Center.
Adam’s Last Demo Jump at Tryon
Adam Plummer’s last professional demonstration jump as a skydiver was into Tryon. It is part of this history.
Hurricane Helene: The Call Home
When Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, CFH put plans for the land aside and responded.
Relationships developed through Tryon, the equine community, aviation, trucking and logistics, our skydiving community, fire departments, linemen, first responders, businesses and volunteers became a network capable of getting help into affected communities.
We all answered the call.
Service Takes Many Forms
Some arrived in helicopters. Some arrived in fire trucks. Others arrived in utility trucks, tractors, delivery vans and work boots. Hurricane Helene reminded us that when a community is hurting, service takes many forms.
Across Western North Carolina, the response was not only helicopters, fire trucks and emergency personnel. It was the service workers and essential workers who showed up, worked long hours and kept communities functioning — the utility crews and linemen restoring power, the road crews reopening routes, the truck drivers hauling supplies, the local businesses that stayed open, and the volunteers and neighbors who did whatever needed doing.
- Utility and power-line crews
- Road, bridge and public works crews
- Heavy-equipment operators
- Truck drivers and delivery drivers
- Fuel and transportation workers
- Grocery and convenience-store employees
- Restaurant and food-service workers
- Hotel and lodging employees
- Healthcare workers
- School employees
- Sanitation and waste workers
- Communications and telecommunications crews
- Warehouse and distribution workers
- Airport and ground-support personnel
- Farmers and agricultural workers
- Construction workers and contractors
- Small-business owners and their employees
- Volunteers sorting, loading and distributing supplies
- Everyday residents helping neighbors
The Communities That Answered
Aviation. Skydiving. Equestrian. First responders. Law enforcement. Service workers. Essential workers. Businesses. Nonprofits. Volunteers. Neighbors.
This is not about who deserves the most recognition. It is about everyone who showed up.
The Two Lindas and Viking Wear
Viking Wear, a workwear brand that has made protective clothing for loggers, linemen, firefighters and roadside workers since 1920, donated to Children of Fallen Heroes:
CFH’s Linda Plummer worked alongside Linda Åbonde Cassese in Mountain City, Tennessee.
Linda Cassese was helping her community recover even though she had lost her own home and belongings in Hurricane Helene.
The equipment went to fire departments, linemen, road workers, first responders, volunteers and organizations serving affected communities across North Carolina and Tennessee.
All 26 pallets were distributed.
Children Needed Help Too
The response wasn’t only about equipment. Families had lost homes. Children had lost books, educational materials and pieces of everyday childhood.
CFH provided books and STEM books to emergency shelters, schools, and other locations serving children and families whose homes had been destroyed or severely impacted by Hurricane Helene.
Partners in This Story
06 · Grief Turned Into Service
Grief turned into relationships.
Relationships turned into action.
And action became service to people who truly needed it.
The work is never over. Recovery will take almost a decade. We are here for the long journey.
Hurricane Helene reinforced why CFH is building America’s Campus for the Next Generation — a place where equine, aviation, STEAM, first responders, volunteers and community partners can build relationships before the next call comes.
The campus will also serve as a training ground for first responders and disaster relief, including shelter when the time comes. A section of the property will honor everyone who stepped up and showed what NC Strong is all about.
Many of the people who carried Western North Carolina through Hurricane Helene will never appear in a news story. Their labor is why communities survived, and it is why they are recovering.
We help our neighbors. That’s what we do.