Writer Kiesa Kay provides an update on how people in Yancey County are managing to stay connected and well during the first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Author: Kiesa Kay
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Children’s musical explores opioid epidemic
A new play for children, It’s Just a Pill, premiered at A-B Tech’s Ferguson Auditorium on March 8. The 55-minute musical confronts the opioid epidemic from the perspective of a 10-year-old girl. The production will now travel around North Carolina to reach over 4,000 young people.
Local leaders tackle health impacts of structural racism
By reaching out to African-American residents in rural parts of WNC through surveys, conversations and community meetings, a new three-year, $350,000 fellowship aims to raise awareness and reduce racism in the region’s nonurban health care delivery system.
Emergency CDC funding beefs up WNC response to opioid crisis
Harm-reduction efforts and addiction treatment are two of the main strategies public health agencies are using to address the crisis. Buncombe County, Haywood County and the Mountain Area Health Education Center are deploying over $660,000 in federal funds as part of that effort.
Jewish practice of tikkun olam brings light at dark time of year
Joel Edelson only meant to sell books to pay for college. Instead, going door to door, he became the first Jew many of the folks in a rural area he traveled had ever had met in their lives. “I became an ambassador for Judaism,” says Edelson, president of the Mountain Synagogue in Franklin, recalling his […]
Indigenous spiritual leaders offer teaching and connection at Voices of Wisdom event
As a sacred fire burns, two holy leaders from Canada will share insights gleaned from their lives as resilient survivors and indigenous leaders at the Voices of Wisdom gathering near Weaverville Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 17-18.
Nonprofit helps women with breast and gynecological cancers pay bills
The Hope Chest for Women connects those struggling with breast and gynecological cancer to community resources. The nonprofit provides funds for vitamins, medications, utility payments, specialized medical supplies, co-pays and other practical expenses for those living or receiving treatment in 22 counties in Western North Carolina.
Project CARA helps expectant mothers with substance-use disorders
The Project CARA program housed at MAHEC Ob/Gyn Specialists came into being to decrease barriers and the stigma that prevents pregnant women with substance-use disorders from getting quality obstetrical care as well as access to substance-use treatment. Last year, Project CARA supported 230 women with substance-use disorders and their families from 16 WNC counties.
Zabuton cushions made in WNC help prison inmates practice mindfulness
To help prison inmates along the path of personal change, a local woman-owned business supplies meditation mats to create a space for contemplation and rest inside the prison walls. Carolina Morning Designs, located in the Toe River Valley south of Burnsville, has modified its products to meet correctional facility requirements.
Under One Sky provides an anchor for kids in foster care
The nonprofit Under One Sky Village Foundation provides camp and learning experiences to children in foster care and those who have been adopted. Constant disruption and dislocation are experiences nearly all of Under One Sky’s participants share, its founder says.
Deaf Awareness Month promotes connection and learning in the Asheville area
September is Deaf Awareness Month, with a range of activities designed to raise awareness of deaf culture and offer enhanced access to learning and fun.
Aura Foundation helps homeless women veterans
In 2009, Alyce Knaflich began volunteering to help women, veterans and homeless people. In 2014, she created the Aura Foundation, a nonprofit that serves homeless women veterans in Buncombe, Haywood and Henderson counties. Two years later, the group bought a building on Meadowbrook Terrace in Hendersonville to house the dream: a place women veterans can call home while they find the resources needed to regain independence.
Prostate cancer run/walk raises money for research, education
Since its inception in 2016, the local ZERO Prostate Cancer Run/Walk has raised over $100,000 for research, advocacy and assistance to lower-income cancer patients.
Caiyalynn Burrell Child Crisis Center opens in Asheville
Since Caiyalynn Burrell’s tragic death from an overdose in 2014, agencies from across the region and the state have come together to find new ways to help children and teens in crisis receive the help they need. The Caiyalynn Burrell Child Crisis Center is now open at 277 Biltmore Ave. in Asheville to respond to psychiatric crises in a supportive, holistic and peaceful environment that also helps patients connect to community resources throughout their treatment and recovery.