Four women who own businesses in Asheville are spearheading efforts to raise $1 million to help other female entrepreneurs in western North Carolina recover from and, in some cases, survive damage from Tropical Storm Helene.
“Some lost almost everything,” said Allison Blake, co-owner of Soulku, which sells gemstone jewelry, as she and others organized gift baskets to be raffled nationwide starting Dec. 1. “We have to do something to help these women. Some of them lost their homes, their manufacturing facilities, all of their inventory.”
The raffle is going to be one source of fundraising by WE ARE, the acronym for The Women Entrepreneurs Asheville Recovery Endeavor. Donations to its website have pushed contributions to about $60,000 and they’re hoping the sale of raffle tickets for $20 each will raise much more, Blake said.
The owners of Soulku, Poppy Hand-Crafted Popcorn and Plum Print are partnering with the Asheville-based HATCH Innovation Hub to arrange tax-deductible corporate sponsorships and donations. Through contributions and raffle proceeds, the group said it aims “to fund multiple grants and provide mentorship to support women whose dreams of business ownership have been disrupted by this tragedy.”
Blake said she and the other businesswomen heading the effort are motivated by the support they’ve received from organizations such as Venture Asheville that aid entrepreneurs. As connections among the women have endured over the years, the idea of organizing relief for Helene victims seemed a logical step.
As the breadth of the storm’s devastation became clear, Blake said, “We were starting to hear rumors of women saying, ‘you know what? I can’t rebuild.’ We wanted to provide a grant where we could write a sizable check to these women to help them rebuild their business.”
Some have gotten U.S. Small Business Administration loans and grants from other organizations, according to Blake. Even if her group raises $1 million, it will only go so far, according to Blake.
She said she’s aware of as many as 50 female-owned businesses recovering from varying degrees of damage. An estimated 8,000 women-owned businesses operate in western North Carolina, she added.
“We are trying to do everything we can to support these women and offer them a fighting chance to rebuild,” Blake said.
