FernLeaf Community Charter School, devastated by Hurricane Helene in September 2024, has been awarded a $20,000 grant from Carolina Panthers Charities to aid in the repair and replacement of athletics equipment and infrastructure damaged by the storm.
Hurricane Helene’s unprecedented rainfall on September 26, 2024, left FernLeaf’s Creek Campus, including their two main athletic fields, athletic equipment and storage facilities in ruins. The storm’s floodwaters, which exceeded ten feet in height, knocked three main buildings off their foundations and destroyed all instructional materials, technology, and furniture. The school’s buildings, athletic fields, outdoor learning spaces, and gardens were wiped out in the flooding.
The Carolina Panthers Charities grant is part of a larger initiative to support high school athletic programs in North and South Carolina affected by Hurricane Helene. The organization provided funding ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 to assist in the replacement or repair of sports equipment, supplies, and athletic infrastructure lost or damaged due to the storm.
Riley Fields, Carolina Panthers director of community relations, stated, “The Carolina Panthers have a longstanding history of supporting schools and student-athletes across the Carolinas and will continue to do so by helping fund critical repairs and equipment replacement for high school athletic programs.”
Vic Wiesel, FernLeaf’s Assistant Director and Athletic Director states, “This grant could not have come at a better time. We are gearing up for our spring athletic season which includes middle and high school ultimate frisbee teams, middle school soccer and disc golf, all of which use our athletic fields.”
Despite the extensive damage, FernLeaf Community Charter School has shown resilience in the face of adversity. The school implemented a variety of creative solutions to quickly house all of its K-12 students at its Wilderness Campus, located a mile from the ruined Creek Campus. Rebuilding of the Creek Campus is underway and students will be able to return beginning Fall 2025.
For more information about FernLeaf Community Charter School, its recovery efforts and the school’s athletic programming visit www.fernleafccs.org.
Written by FernLeaf Community Charter School.