- Hurricane Helene victims say they need help getting through the rebuilding phase of recovery.
- A new nonprofit will dedicate time and donations to continue supporting survivors.
- Watch now to see how a community benefit event provided both financial and emotional relief to survivors.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
As neighbors in Taylor County try to rebuild the hundreds of homes Hurricane Helene washed away, they're in need of financial and emotional support. I'm Kenya Cardonne in the Northeast Tallahassee neighborhood where neighbors from across the Big Bend came together to give those survivors a bit of both.
Daryn Quick, Realtor with The American Dream - "They're our neighbors. They're our community."
A desire to help those who lost everything to Hurricane Helene is something many say will stick around for months to come.
For real estate agency 'The American Dream,' it's personal, given they're based out of Taylor County.
Quick - "We were on the ground on Day 1 and the relief that we were giving to people down there then has been greatly appreciated."
In an effort to keep the relief going, they've started a nonprofit called 'Rebuilding The American Dream.'
More than $10,000 raised through their community benefit event in Tallahassee will be donated to recovering families in coastal communities.. like the McDavid's.
Helene ripped through their Steinhatchee home and beloved business 'McDavid's Cafe.'
Richard & Ashley McDavid, Neighbors - "It's been a tremendous setback, I mean, because we both ran the restaurant together. So, that was our only source of income."
Richard and Ashley say the donation they received means a whole lot to them as they currently live in a camper and are trying to rebuild.
For many Helene survivors in attendance, it was a much-needed night away from the towns they say currently look like landfills.
But they admit— it did come with a bit of shock.
McDavid - "When you get outside of the community, you're like, wow, these people have cars, houses, jobs, they can go out to eat, and they have a gas station and these kind of things. They can wear normal clothes.. they don't know what they're missing out on."
The nonprofit has a committee that will be assessing the damages and the needs that several families in the coastal areas are facing to distribute the money raised accordingly.
In Northeast Tallahassee, Kenya Cardonne ABC 27
