August 13, 2025 • 42 mins
ENCORE - Adopting Barnardsville NC. w/ City of Hope Campaign!
In Studio. Mike Gminski and Dee John - they have spent time in that remote WNC town of 500 people Creating trust ….rebuilding, the town, the lives and hope of a very small forgotten community.
https://www.cityofhopeclt.org/
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, good morning, Welcome to the David Chadwick Show. David
will be on sabbatical for the entire month of July,
so for the next four Sundays, some encore presentations, some
of the very best of David Chadwick.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Hi everyone, I'm David Chadwick and this is News Talk eleven,
ten ninety nine three WVT. Welcome to the show. In
case you don't know, this is a faith in values
program that has aired on WBT for now twenty five
plus years. Its purpose is to intersect faith and values
with what's going on locally and globally. It's been a
pleasure doing this show. Thank you to Perry's Find Jewelry
(00:41):
for your sponsorship of the show. Without you, I could
not do this on a weekly basis. Again now over
twenty five years, and it's just been a blast. I've
enjoyed it doing it so much, and I hope somehow
it's making a difference in your lives and in this world.
Speaking of which, last December or so, we took on
something called City of Hope, western North Carolina, and our
(01:03):
job was to try to raise money to help rebuild
a part of western North Carolina. And we were able
to raise over four hundred thousand dollars. It was a
great successful campaign. Well, then we tried to focus on
where do we try to make a difference in Western
North Carolina. And then I had a friend, d John,
(01:23):
who's a former CMPD officer who came alongside me and
works now at Moments of Oak Church with City of Hope.
These partners that we've identified locally that we've tried to
help coagulate together, vulnerable communities working together. And she said, well,
let me do some exploration around Western North Carolina. And
she did. And I'll let her tell in just a second,
(01:44):
because she's one of our guests today why we landed
where we landed. But then we had some different people
come alongside and say I want to be a part
of this too. One of them has been my new friend,
Mike Jaminski, the former Duke All American NBA player who
has just become a dear friend. And I've watched him
say I want to be a part of this, and
he's gone to Western North Carolina many times as well,
(02:05):
and they have made a real difference in a community
that we are spending this four hundred plus thousand dollars
in and we just want to talk about that today
to let you, the givers of that money, know where
we are, be given an update on where we're trying
to make a difference, and also just get to know
Mike and d a little bit. Good morning, don't Good
morning David and Mike Jimiski. Great to have you on
(02:26):
the show again.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Great to be here, David, I will take it. I'll
tell your audience that I took exception this past Sunday
when you compared putting on a Duke uniform to wearing sackcloth.
So we're gonna have to chat about that.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
I was trying to find an illustration for what it
would be like to put on sackcloth and ashes today,
and I said, well, if somebody made me wear a
Duke T shirt around, that'd probably be the way that
I would have to mourn and grieve and try to
get in touch with my sin.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
There's time to repent, there.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Is time to I will try to do so. That's
part of the friendship that I've enjoyed, our Duke Carolina rivalry. Well,
d let's start with you. Why did we land where
we landed with the community and share where that community is.
Speaker 4 (03:10):
So why did we land here?
Speaker 5 (03:13):
You know, last time I was on your show, I
told listeners that we were on a journey to really
look for opportunities to not just rebuild homes, but to
rebuild lives and to create an impact in a smaller
place that can really generate transformation. And so I went
(03:33):
on my journey and I started all over western North
Carolina talking to people, and I landed in Barnardsville, North Carolina,
which is a small community just west.
Speaker 4 (03:45):
Or north of Ashville.
Speaker 5 (03:46):
It's about forty minutes from Ashville and about forty minutes
south of Burnsville, and it's a community that has about
five hundred and fifty residents.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Well, it's interesting. Four hundred thousand dollars plus sounds like
a lot of money, but when you look at the
devastation of western North Carolina, it's really just a drop
in the bucket for what it is needed right now.
But for a small community of some five hundred, we
really can make a difference. That was a part of
your choice as well, wasn't it.
Speaker 4 (04:14):
Yes?
Speaker 5 (04:15):
And some of the things that I looked at is
really understanding the need but also the resources they currently have.
And so what I quickly learned is Barnardsville is an
unincorporated community that's in Buncom County. And so when you
think about advocacy and leadership and being able to have
a community that has somebody advocating for them, an organized advocate,
(04:37):
they don't have that.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
And so the way that I see City of.
Speaker 5 (04:40):
Hope being able to really come in and be an
advocate for this community and takeing that funding that we
did raise, it can tremendously change the trajectory of this community.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
And Mike, what made you want to jump on board
for all of this? I mean, you're well known nationally
and here you are saying, I'm willing to give my
time for Barnardsville, North Carolina. What motivated you?
Speaker 3 (05:03):
Well, it was through connection with the church, and you know, David,
I mean I spoke up there this past weekend and
I told them, I said, we're both in recovery mode.
I'm in recovery from my alcohol use and they're in
recovery of their lives from Hurricane Helene. So it really
made sense for me to And you know what, everybody
(05:24):
has seen the images on TV, but when you go there,
it really grabs your attention. And right now, you got
this beautiful idyllic river coming down out of the mountains,
and what it turned into in a very short period
of time devastated that area. So you know, we can
do mission work in our own state if we choose to,
(05:45):
and you know, it's been wonderful to partner with D
and everybody involved.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Well, it's a real problem, D, and we only have
about a minute before we take a break, but real quickly,
the people there are appreciative of your.
Speaker 5 (05:58):
Presence that what we've seen so far, and I was
there over these last few days, and they feel like
they have a.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Glimmer of hope, and there is a sense that people
really do still care about them. And as a small,
unincorporated community, they could lose hope real quickly because FEMA,
and we'll talk about this in the next segment, hasn't
exactly been their immediate friend.
Speaker 5 (06:22):
I would say absolutely the several weeks that I've been
going there, they had.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
A sense of loss of hope.
Speaker 5 (06:31):
And so the message that was very loud this week
was they have a glimmer of hope moving forward.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Well let's talk about that when we come back. How
the citizens of that small community have received you, maybe
some of their skepticism. You've got some great stories about
open carry and that kind of thing as well, and
let's talk about that when we come back. One hundred
I'm excuse me, four hundred plus thousand dollars given to Barnersville,
North Carolina through you the listener. City of Hope will
(06:59):
talk about that in just a moment. We'll be right back.
Speaker 6 (07:53):
If you wuck to see, uh, you gotta lock on.
Speaker 7 (07:59):
If you walked bow, you gotta look. Just to mention
his name, just to mention of his name, Just to
mention of his.
Speaker 6 (08:13):
Name, everything can saved.
Speaker 8 (08:16):
Well, there's something powerful about the name of Jesus when spoken,
gives great hope to people. But also there's action in
the name of Jesus that needs to take place in
order for us to be faithful, go to be how everyone,
I'm David Chadwick and this is News Talk eleven, ten,
ninety ninety three WBT.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
Welcome back to the show. My guest today former cmp
D officer d John and Mike Jaminski, great duke, all
American and wonderful friend. And it's great to have both
of you on this show today. Many of you may
remember last November December We raised four hundred thousand plus
dollars through WBT Radio with something called the City of
(08:55):
Hope campaign, and we devoted it to western North Carolina.
Today's show has as his purpose and update on how
that money is being used and where it's being spent
and how it's giving hope to people's lives. D just
real quickly refresh us. You decided, through your involvement with
City of Hope leading it, overseeing it, that we should
(09:16):
give this money to one particular community in western North Carolina,
only about five hundred or so people.
Speaker 4 (09:22):
It's called Barnardsville, North Carolina.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Barnardsville, North Carolina. Where is it located again, it's.
Speaker 5 (09:27):
About forty minutes north of Asheville.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Well, we chose it largely because and I've used the
illustration many times forgive me for redundancy, but it's like
the guy walking down the beach, thousands of starfish on
the shore, and he's throwing one after another into the ocean.
But again there are thousands of them. Someone comes up
to him and says, what difference are you really making?
And he picks up another and throws it into the
ocean and says, well, I just made a difference for
(09:52):
that one. We can't change every community in western North
Carolina that was devastated by the hurricane. We can change
one can be a part of changing one community. And
it's four hundred thousand dollars. That sounds like a lot
of money. It really is, but it's really not in
the needs that are there. So described for us Barnardsville,
what happened after Hurricane Helen and all the devastation that
(10:14):
was there.
Speaker 5 (10:15):
You know, I've been going up there since January and
a lot of the people that I engaged with in
the winter months that they told me they had a
lot of volunteers in the beginning, but when I was
showing up, there was no one. And to give you perspective,
so it's a small community. It's about three point seven
square miles of about five hundred people.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
And when I was going in, there were debris.
Speaker 5 (10:40):
Piles that were about fifteen feet tall and probably thirty
feet wide. There's debris everywhere, and it was cold, it
was dreary, and there was no one. I drove through
that town several times and I'm like, where are people?
And there were resources in the beginning, but they were
(11:00):
very short lived. And what I said earlier, is this
community is unincorporated, and so when you think about advocacy
and people that are that are working every single day
to bring in the resources, it's a community that has
been traumatized that doesn't have the capacity to advocate for
themselves because they're they're problem problem solving in survival mode
their own situation.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
So, Mike Jaminski, you felt called to go there as well.
I love the illustration you gave in the first segment
that you've been in recovery and you're open about sharing
that now with people. It's a beautiful story that community's
in recovery. Did they receive you when you came or
was their skepticism? Talk about their attitude mindset toward.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
You well, and I know that Diaz has seen this,
and you know, the the initial reaction David when it
when Helene first came through in that first couple of
weeks was overwhelming. But as in any natural disaster, that
tends to wane over time, a news cycle moves on.
And this is a place that's really kind of tough
the way in this little valley, and you know, it's
(12:04):
been a case for all of them of people coming
in and over promising and under delivering. And what we've
had to do is to build up trust D with
people on the ground, saying we're here for the long
haul because this is not a quick fix at all.
This is a long term project. And you know, I
(12:26):
and to give D probs, she's been a fabulous project manager.
And I think slowly they're getting to see us on
a regular basis and starting to say, hey, we can
trust these people.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
We had two members of our church moments I Hope Church,
who said, Okay for the summer, we're going to move
there and actually be the hands and feet of Jesus
building relationships in that community. D Rusty and Diana Munschik
have been a great help to you as well, haven't they.
Speaker 5 (12:53):
They've been incredible, And I think for listeners to know
that both of these individuals are volunteer and when I
went in, I said, you know, we need somebody that's
boots on the ground, that's communication, that can help coordinate
resources back into this community. And they said yes, which
is really incredible. And for listeners to know that yes
(13:14):
is for them to set aside their entire current lives
and to embed themselves into this community that they don't
know and to help me pump in resources into this space.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
Well, describe the needs of Barnardsville. It was it just
how homes that were utterly demolished, warehouses, What is the
community like?
Speaker 5 (13:37):
You know, I tell people when we're we say rebuilding Barnardsville,
and that's not just homes, that's lives, And so sometimes
we forget the impact that it has on people's lives itself.
So there was a lot of destruction. There was homes destroyed.
We still have people living intents, we have them living
in RVs. Still still we have people that completely lost
(13:58):
their homes and they still don't have and answer on
how they're going to repair their home. And so it's
everything from trees.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
To trauma.
Speaker 5 (14:09):
And one of the things that I would say that
we need right now is I was there this past
week and I spent five days. There is transportation methods
for supplies. Most people don't think about that. They think
about food, clothing, basic needs. The reality is one of
the biggest needs we need right now is transportation to
(14:29):
move supplies.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
And what would that look like on a practical basis.
Speaker 5 (14:33):
On a practical basis, like flatbed trucks, small trailers. It's
a very remote area and so they don't even have
a grocery store in this small town. And so being
able to we may have resources for funding and also supplies,
but how do we get these supplies into these communities?
How do we move items around from one house to another?
(14:55):
And right now there's not that specific resource to help
us move rebuilding supplies around.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
Mike, you mentioned being over promised and under supplied. Has
that created a sense of mistrust of them toward you?
And how long does it take to build that trust?
And I know that's what you're trying to.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
Do well, and as you know in what I said
to them, David, and that you know, in my journey,
I've had to build back trust in the people around me,
and that you know, we've got to say. And it's
twenty miles into the woods, it's twenty miles out and
you know, for for this community, a very tight knit community,
(15:37):
and I don't know that they're very trusting in general.
That being said, yes, we had to earn and we
have to earn their trust on an ongoing basis, and
that's a huge thing. And I think that's starting to
become a reality. And you know, and also the other
(15:57):
thing infrastructure up there too, bridges, all bridges across rivers
for people who are living on the other side of
the river, driveways. You know, there's really so much that
still is in the process of being done.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
D But FEMAS is going to help western North Carolina,
that's the word on the streets. But for communities like Barnersville,
what's the reality?
Speaker 1 (16:20):
You know?
Speaker 5 (16:21):
I asked those questions when I was in Barnersville and
they heard that FEMA was going to help. And I
do believe FEMA had an attempt in the very beginning.
But where are they now and process, like, how do
these individuals understand the process, have access to the process,
all of those different things, Like I know in government
(16:43):
me working in government, we typically go to the most
populated areas first because that's the most impacted with people.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
And that was another reason we chose Barnersville because it
was kind of off in the distance and not in
the priority list.
Speaker 5 (16:56):
Right, And so when you think about this small community,
because they are small, they will probably be the last
to receive assistance.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
And FEMA has offered some money for houses and people
have been given contracts, but they're very hesitant to sign them,
as I understand it, because they think they're signing their
potential homes away.
Speaker 5 (17:17):
Right, This is true. I actually talked to a guy
this past weekend and he was offered fourteen thousand dollars
for the destruction of his home, and his home has
more than fourteen thousand dollars worth of damage, and he
was like, I didn't accept the fourteen thousand dollars because
what's attached to that?
Speaker 2 (17:37):
So he's wondering if I signed this, am I really
going to lose my home altogether? And there's again that
mistrust that is there. Well, how in the world do
we begin to overcome that mistrust is where I want
to go next. And I also want to talk about
just mountain people. And I don't want a stereotype by
any means, because everybody's got their own involvement in the
(17:59):
community's influence them to be who they are. But we
are who we are because of the environments in which
we live, and I want to talk about that as well.
But then some practical examples of how that money that
we raised last November December is being used. I'm David Chadwick.
This is News Talk eleven ten ninety nine three WBT.
We will be right back.
Speaker 9 (19:28):
I was doing I was lost, I was asleep at
the wheel, I was drifting off.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
Your heart was.
Speaker 6 (19:37):
Fairly, your heart was fair.
Speaker 5 (19:45):
Well.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
When your heart fails, the only thing you can do
is look up and we hope wake up to help
somebody else in need. How everyone, I'm David Chadwick and
this is News Talk eleven ten ninety nine three WBT,
welcome back to the show in studio with me. He
is former cmp D Officer d John and former Duke
All American and be a great Michael Jaminski. It's great
(20:07):
having both of you in studio with me because both
of you have poured a lot of your time and
resources into Barnardsville, Western North Carolina, the focus of our
City of Hope four hundred plus thousand dollars raising last
November and December to try to help rebuild that community
of about five hundred people. D let me just ask
off the top, are their jobs there? Do people work?
(20:29):
What do they do? And it's unincorporated, they don't even
have a mayor do they just tell us a little
bit more about Barnardsville?
Speaker 4 (20:35):
So do people work?
Speaker 5 (20:37):
The answer is yes, I would say that most of
the people that I have talked with, they don't work
necessarily within that small community. They actually travel to their jobs.
I was talking to one of the gentlemen that we've
been helping over the last several weeks, and he said,
before the hurricane hit, he was a record driver. He
(20:58):
owned his own record service, and the hurricane actually just
destroyed some of his equipment, and so it's been really
challenging for him to be able to work, even to
get to and from work because his vehicle was destroyed.
And so a lot of these communities are within this community,
they own their own business or they're entrepreneurs.
Speaker 4 (21:21):
And I talked to another lady.
Speaker 5 (21:22):
She owned a restaurant, one of the main restaurants that
was in the town, and it's completely destroyed. You wouldn't
even know today that it was a restaurant. It looks
like an old, abandoned building. And so they've been their
jobs before the hurricane, and then today they didn't just
lose their homes and the things that they had, they
(21:44):
also lost their jobs because of the impact of the hurricane.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
And again, they don't have a mayor in the city unincorporated.
We were talking off air about appealing to Raleigh and
getting some North Carolina governmental help, and you guys kind
of smiled and said, you know, they don't even have
any way to do that. Maybe through the county they
could get something, but again they're unincorporated, so they really
have nothing, and the idea of hope is really foreign
(22:09):
to them right now, isn't it.
Speaker 5 (22:11):
Yes, And when you think about county, that county is
so large. It's Bunkham County, and so even from a
county commissioner standpoint, like that whole county was very devastated.
And this is a little piece of that puzzle. And
so if you don't have somebody in that community fully
advocating for the needs of this community or being that voice,
(22:32):
then nobody really knows the scope of what's needed there.
And so to give perspective, so there are families there,
there is a school.
Speaker 4 (22:40):
There's a large.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
School, elementary school.
Speaker 4 (22:42):
It is an elementary school.
Speaker 5 (22:44):
They also have I would say the staples in the
community is the post office and the fire department, and
both of those two entities I would say are the
huge community space, and they have churches. I would say
that there's probably about six or seven small, tiny Mountain
community churches and so they.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
Work together in trying to rebuild or are they all
kind of into their own entity? How does that work?
Speaker 5 (23:09):
I would say that they've been trying to do what
they can, but they were also devastated. And so I
was actually sitting with a church yesterday and they were
showing pictures to me of the before and how much
work they've done since then. And their entire facility was
completely destroyed, and so it had four feet of mud
(23:30):
in the bottom of it. And so you think about
four feet of mud inside your church facility with damages.
And so when you think about the church in that
community stepping up or the entities that are already organized
stepping up, they're devastated to and so they're trying to
process their own devastation and trauma.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
Mike, beautiful community. You were there about a week or
so ago for a fish fry. Good fish. Was it excellent?
Speaker 6 (23:57):
Well?
Speaker 3 (23:58):
And also the dessert display was unbelievable. That was a
big hit with everybody.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
So they're still able to function in that way. But
I understand that it's a beautiful community, But there's sixty
eight bridges that were washed out. Is that what I
heard you guys say, is that correct?
Speaker 4 (24:17):
Yes?
Speaker 5 (24:18):
So right now we have a list. There's sixty eight bridges.
And when you think of bridges, a lot of us
in more populated areas think of like large bridges, but.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
Alo the suspension bridges that we see sometimes in photos, right,
that's not what we're talking about.
Speaker 5 (24:33):
No, these are think about a watershed community driving through
the mountains, and they're small mountain homes on the other
side of rivers and streams and lakes and things like that.
And so these are bridges that create access to their
homes and it requires us a specialist to come in
and install them and repair them and so and it's
(24:56):
private property, and so think about you're responsible as private property.
You can't get to your property and your bridge has
been destroyed. And right now we have sixty eight of them.
Speaker 2 (25:05):
Good Heavens, so help us understand. We were again raised
last November December four hundred plus thousand dollars. Have you
been able to spend some of that money yet? And
what are some of the ways we have seen benefits
from that gift.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
So we have been able to spend some of it.
Speaker 5 (25:23):
One of the things that we did in the beginning
is we've helped first responder families that had lost everything.
We were able to put furniture back into their homes.
And then we use a little bit of it for
a community engagement space to really just go in and
engage and like we had the fish fry this past weekend,
that's community engagement to build that relationship. As we know,
(25:47):
relationship is so so important. We can't transform or impact
people's lives without relationship. And so what we've done is
we use some of the funding for that, but then
we've had two separate spaces where we've provided funding for
housing where people have fully lost their housing. And so
our goal is to take this next I think we
(26:07):
have a little over three hundred thousand dollars left to
really take it and maximize it with rebuilding homes, and
that's from repairing handicapped decks or access points bridges inside homes.
Not everybody lost their entire home, but there's still roofs
that need to be repaired. There's just like yesterday we
(26:29):
brought in dumpsters. There's a cost to dumpter dumpsters and
so there's a lot of debris. So we brought in
three dumpsters to start removing debris, and so it's not
just rebuilding an entire home, but it is rebuilding a community.
And so whatever that looks like in between.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
Mike, you made the joke before we went on air
that if you don't open carry, you're considered suspicious by
the community. Talk about that.
Speaker 3 (26:56):
Yeah, and you know, you get up into that community
and I'll tell you what they I mean, you better
have a firm handshake, you better look somebody in the
eye and tell them the truth. And you know, that's
that's just the way that community, and plenty of those
communities in the mountains are And I was I was
(27:17):
told my first visit up here, says the people who
open carry have a side arm on. There are the
ones we trust because this community, these people have nothing,
and they really had issues with looters, as did a
lot of the communities up.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
In Western even small troubled looters.
Speaker 3 (27:35):
And that's just a heinous crime to me that these
people have nothing, and yet there were people coming in
and taking advantage what little they had out of there.
And uh, and they they protect themselves, you know, and uh,
you know, so that's been it's been interesting. But I
completely understand being unincorporated. There's a sense of you know,
(28:00):
we need to protect ourselves. And one of the messages
we tried to deliver this weekend is, look, everybody, every individually.
People were really hammerd everybody's got their own misery. What
we're trying to establish and re establish is a sense
of community and say, hey, let's not have any bickering
or infighting. Let's come together and recover as a community
(28:25):
rather than cent perd entities.
Speaker 2 (28:27):
D Are you experiencing again for people to hear a
sense of some things are beginning to happen. There's some
people even in Charlotte, North Carolina, who are helping us,
and we therefore have some hope.
Speaker 5 (28:40):
Yes, that's the message that I heard these last several days,
is that they feel like there's a sense of hope
and that they will be able to rebuild and repair.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
Is the four hundred thousand dollars plus that we were
able to raise going to make a huge difference in
this community or is there more that still needed?
Speaker 5 (29:00):
So I would say that it will make a huge difference,
but the need is greater than that four hundred thousand dollars.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
And I know you and I are praying about right
now with our next City of Hope campaign coming up
this next November December. Should we have maybe a part
two or some way that money still can be used,
because again, this problem, like Mike what you said, it's huge.
It's not going to go away anytime soon.
Speaker 4 (29:22):
I would say yes.
Speaker 5 (29:23):
And if I was to put a number on the rebuild,
like in years, I would say that if we had
all hands on deck, it could take at least three.
Speaker 2 (29:32):
Years, three years to get it back to where it
was before. Yes, does it give your heart some satisfaction
knowing that you can really make a difference in one
community that really was devastated.
Speaker 5 (29:43):
Yes, absolutely, because this community felt forgotten and now I
encourage them to say that they are seen and they
are valued.
Speaker 2 (29:51):
Okay, we've got one more segment. They go by so fast,
but let's use that to tell people how they can
get involved still, because there are ways that through five answers,
of course, but also through their time, they could still
make a difference in western North Carolina. In Barnersville, North Carolina,
a city that we focused on through the City of
Hope campaign to give people who lost everything hope because
(30:12):
when we do come together, there is always hope. I'm
David Chadwick. This is News Talk eleven ten, ninety ninety
three WBT. We will be right back.
Speaker 6 (31:11):
Us earth to God.
Speaker 9 (33:28):
Come in, God, I know you're there here in our
prayers wherever you are, we need.
Speaker 6 (33:39):
And now to send your love. Don take away the pain.
Speaker 9 (33:48):
In your holy name.
Speaker 6 (33:49):
We ask this now.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
We do pray to God to help us as we
try to beat his hands and feed here in Jesus'.
Speaker 6 (33:59):
Aid and save as now.
Speaker 9 (34:02):
Hello August down with Young Amazon.
Speaker 2 (34:05):
Hi everyone, I'm David Chadwick and this is News Talk
eleven ten, ninet ninety three WBT. If you'd like to
hear this show in its entirety, go to WBT dot com,
scroll down to the weekend shows, look for the David
Chadwick Show and you can hear it from beginning to
end with few commercials. In studio with me former CMP
officer d John who now oversees a ministry called City
(34:27):
of Hope. What we raised money for last November and December.
Some four hundred plus thousand dollars identified for the purpose
of helping a city in western North Carolina now Barnardsville,
North Carolina, in an unincorporated city of about five hundred people,
but totally devastated by the hurricane. Mike Jaminski is in
studio with me as well, has made many trips there
(34:48):
just because God laid on his heart a desire to
help those people as well. Mike real quickly. Did they
know who you are? You know, you are really famous
back in the seventies and eighties and even into the nineties,
but they know who you are.
Speaker 3 (35:01):
There's a couple of levels of that, David. Actually, there
were some who knew, you know obviously that I played
at Duke. There were a number of Carolina fans up there,
which should warm your heart. And there were a number
of people who recognized me through my broadcasting. So it
really it spanned a lot of different levels. And as
(35:21):
I've found in high schools and middle schools that I've
gone to speak, they may not know me going in,
but they all google me afterwards and they get a
sense of who was there, so a little bit after
the fact. But yeah, no, I was really well received.
Speaker 2 (35:36):
Well that's great. Well, I'm just again so proud of
you and how you've made your faith so public and
so known, and you're unashamed of that, but mostly just
so proud for how you want to serve other people
in these remaining years that God has you here. D
looking at the church there in Barnardsville, have they come
together for the purpose of this community rebuilding or not?
Speaker 5 (36:01):
You know, I had this conversation earlier that the churches
were devastated also, and so when you think about the churches,
there's like three different denominations within that community and there's
probably about six churches, and so they were devastated. And
I think what allows City of Hope coming in allows
us to do is really bring that collaboration that's missing
(36:24):
and that communication and pulling community together to work together.
Speaker 2 (36:29):
Well, let's ask this. People are listening and they gave
maybe last November December for the campaign, but they're sitting
here going, you know what, I'm retired, I have some
free time, or I might have some extra money laying aside,
or I might have a business that could give and donate. Here,
what could people here listening right now to this program
(36:51):
do to help in the rebuilding of Barnardsville, North Carolina
through WBT Radio.
Speaker 5 (36:56):
There's so much need that still exists. And I say,
everybody has time, talent, and treasure, and so you can
give something I think the message, because it's not been
in the media the last several months, is that people
don't realize that the need is so great. And so
what I would encourage people to do is we have
opportunities on our website that CITYOFHOPECLT dot org where you
(37:19):
can give or you can provide a resource that you
may have, or you can volunteer.
Speaker 2 (37:26):
Give an idea of a resource that could really help
you right now. I know, initially we bought a bulldozer
to try just help level the land and get rid
of some of the devastation that was there. Very practical
thing that was given that we could buy. But what
are some other things that people could maybe give of
that would help right now?
Speaker 5 (37:45):
You know, our biggest need right now today is a
resource for transportation. And when I say transportation, I mean
like flatbed trucks, small trailers. We have resources when it
comes to building construction material, but it's not very accessible
or they don't have items within that community where we
(38:07):
can move things to and from storage units, like we
need storage units to be able to store supplies in.
We also need people, people that are skilled in labor
and so on the website, we have where you can
actually offer any of those.
Speaker 2 (38:24):
Resources and they can be tax free because you are
a five A one C three now, aren't you.
Speaker 5 (38:29):
This is correct. We are a five A one C
three and so it is tax deductible.
Speaker 2 (38:33):
That's wonderful. And if people want to give financially, obviously
they can still do that as well. And how would
that money be used?
Speaker 5 (38:41):
So you can give financially, And I will say that
one hundred percent of the funding that we raise goes
back to the community. Everybody that we have working on
this team is a volunteer, and so I think that's
really important for people to know that one hundred percent
of the funding that comes in for this initiative goes
back into this community.
Speaker 2 (38:59):
And the big thing is just giving them some building
supplies right now, just to re establish their homes, to
rebuild a kitchen, to rebuild a front door which allows
them to enter their houses again. It's just practical things
that you're doing that allow people to have their lives restored.
Speaker 5 (39:15):
Yes, And something else that I've told people is that
you may not be able to go to western North Carolina,
but we do have opportunities where you can help residents
apply for permitting for their homes to process paperwork, and
you don't have to be there locally to do that.
You can actually be remote and so if you have time.
(39:35):
We're also coordinating those type of resources for residents.
Speaker 2 (39:38):
And if they go to CITYFOPECLT dot org, they can
see all of that that's there. Or is there another
website they need to go to.
Speaker 5 (39:45):
No, it is currently on our website and you'll be
able to readily see it and how to access that.
Speaker 2 (39:52):
Yeah, and Mike, no welfare checks, that's not given there
to Barnsville folks.
Speaker 3 (39:58):
You know, I think the main concern right now, David,
I don't I can't answer that question. I don't know
that I don't believe that's the case. I don't know
if they're just really focused on getting their lives back together.
And you know, we talked about where to start. Roofing
(40:19):
is a big thing, and Dean and I were talking
about when when it rains up there. Now it may
be a small rainstorm, but people panic because of what happened,
and that's the trauma of what they went.
Speaker 2 (40:31):
That's interesting.
Speaker 3 (40:32):
So any kind of weather system that moves through, they're
still on edge.
Speaker 2 (40:35):
Boy, and I bet now it's hurricane season is beginning
to commence. They're sitting on the edge of their seats,
d going is this going to happen again?
Speaker 5 (40:42):
You know, I was there this past week and we
had some storms, and it was the storms didn't bother
me because I haven't been traumatized by them, but the
people calling to check on me to make sure that
I was okay, and just the response of because of
their trauma just rainstorms. Is the power going to go out?
Is the creek going to flood? And it can be
(41:03):
just a normal rain shower that was been there for
years and so those things still exist and it is
right in their front door right now.
Speaker 2 (41:14):
Mike Jaminski, you got fifteen twenty seconds, what would you
say to our listeners.
Speaker 3 (41:19):
It's going to be a long road back for these people,
and I would encourage either give here time, talent, treasure,
as they said, or make a point to make this
a template for some other small town that's up there.
But our hearts and our work and our toil is
with Barnettsville right now.
Speaker 2 (41:40):
And one of our hopes do is we form a
template where other communities churches could say, hey, that works,
and I can easily follow that plan and make a
difference in another community in Western North Carolina.
Speaker 5 (41:50):
Absolutely, and we are making this where it can be replicated.
Speaker 2 (41:55):
Well, God bless you guys, and may the Lord to
continue to walk with you and give you strength as
you continue to do this work to help other people
do another work that can help re establish Western North
Carolina to the beautiful community that it really is. D John,
Mike Jaminski, thank you so much. I'm David Chadwick. This
is News Talk eleven ten, ninety ninety three WBT. And everybody,
love God and love your neighbor. If you just do
(42:18):
those two things, you have a lifetime's worth of work
to do. Bottom line, just go and you will receive
God's blessing. Talk with you all next week.
Hey, good morning, Welcome to the David Chadwick Show. David
will be on sabbatical for the entire month of July,
so for the next four Sundays, some encore presentations, some
of the very best of David Chadwick.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Hi everyone, I'm David Chadwick and this is News Talk eleven,
ten ninety nine three WVT. Welcome to the show. In
case you don't know, this is a faith in values
program that has aired on WBT for now twenty five
plus years. Its purpose is to intersect faith and values
with what's going on locally and globally. It's been a
pleasure doing this show. Thank you to Perry's Find Jewelry
(00:41):
for your sponsorship of the show. Without you, I could
not do this on a weekly basis. Again now over
twenty five years, and it's just been a blast. I've
enjoyed it doing it so much, and I hope somehow
it's making a difference in your lives and in this world.
Speaking of which, last December or so, we took on
something called City of Hope, western North Carolina, and our
(01:03):
job was to try to raise money to help rebuild
a part of western North Carolina. And we were able
to raise over four hundred thousand dollars. It was a
great successful campaign. Well, then we tried to focus on
where do we try to make a difference in Western
North Carolina. And then I had a friend, d John,
(01:23):
who's a former CMPD officer who came alongside me and
works now at Moments of Oak Church with City of Hope.
These partners that we've identified locally that we've tried to
help coagulate together, vulnerable communities working together. And she said, well,
let me do some exploration around Western North Carolina. And
she did. And I'll let her tell in just a second,
(01:44):
because she's one of our guests today why we landed
where we landed. But then we had some different people
come alongside and say I want to be a part
of this too. One of them has been my new friend,
Mike Jaminski, the former Duke All American NBA player who
has just become a dear friend. And I've watched him
say I want to be a part of this, and
he's gone to Western North Carolina many times as well,
(02:05):
and they have made a real difference in a community
that we are spending this four hundred plus thousand dollars
in and we just want to talk about that today
to let you, the givers of that money, know where
we are, be given an update on where we're trying
to make a difference, and also just get to know
Mike and d a little bit. Good morning, don't Good
morning David and Mike Jimiski. Great to have you on
(02:26):
the show again.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Great to be here, David, I will take it. I'll
tell your audience that I took exception this past Sunday
when you compared putting on a Duke uniform to wearing sackcloth.
So we're gonna have to chat about that.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
I was trying to find an illustration for what it
would be like to put on sackcloth and ashes today,
and I said, well, if somebody made me wear a
Duke T shirt around, that'd probably be the way that
I would have to mourn and grieve and try to
get in touch with my sin.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
There's time to repent, there.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Is time to I will try to do so. That's
part of the friendship that I've enjoyed, our Duke Carolina rivalry. Well,
d let's start with you. Why did we land where
we landed with the community and share where that community is.
Speaker 4 (03:10):
So why did we land here?
Speaker 5 (03:13):
You know, last time I was on your show, I
told listeners that we were on a journey to really
look for opportunities to not just rebuild homes, but to
rebuild lives and to create an impact in a smaller
place that can really generate transformation. And so I went
(03:33):
on my journey and I started all over western North
Carolina talking to people, and I landed in Barnardsville, North Carolina,
which is a small community just west.
Speaker 4 (03:45):
Or north of Ashville.
Speaker 5 (03:46):
It's about forty minutes from Ashville and about forty minutes
south of Burnsville, and it's a community that has about
five hundred and fifty residents.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Well, it's interesting. Four hundred thousand dollars plus sounds like
a lot of money, but when you look at the
devastation of western North Carolina, it's really just a drop
in the bucket for what it is needed right now.
But for a small community of some five hundred, we
really can make a difference. That was a part of
your choice as well, wasn't it.
Speaker 4 (04:14):
Yes?
Speaker 5 (04:15):
And some of the things that I looked at is
really understanding the need but also the resources they currently have.
And so what I quickly learned is Barnardsville is an
unincorporated community that's in Buncom County. And so when you
think about advocacy and leadership and being able to have
a community that has somebody advocating for them, an organized advocate,
(04:37):
they don't have that.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
And so the way that I see City of.
Speaker 5 (04:40):
Hope being able to really come in and be an
advocate for this community and takeing that funding that we
did raise, it can tremendously change the trajectory of this community.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
And Mike, what made you want to jump on board
for all of this? I mean, you're well known nationally
and here you are saying, I'm willing to give my
time for Barnardsville, North Carolina. What motivated you?
Speaker 3 (05:03):
Well, it was through connection with the church, and you know, David,
I mean I spoke up there this past weekend and
I told them, I said, we're both in recovery mode.
I'm in recovery from my alcohol use and they're in
recovery of their lives from Hurricane Helene. So it really
made sense for me to And you know what, everybody
(05:24):
has seen the images on TV, but when you go there,
it really grabs your attention. And right now, you got
this beautiful idyllic river coming down out of the mountains,
and what it turned into in a very short period
of time devastated that area. So you know, we can
do mission work in our own state if we choose to,
(05:45):
and you know, it's been wonderful to partner with D
and everybody involved.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Well, it's a real problem, D, and we only have
about a minute before we take a break, but real quickly,
the people there are appreciative of your.
Speaker 5 (05:58):
Presence that what we've seen so far, and I was
there over these last few days, and they feel like
they have a.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Glimmer of hope, and there is a sense that people
really do still care about them. And as a small,
unincorporated community, they could lose hope real quickly because FEMA,
and we'll talk about this in the next segment, hasn't
exactly been their immediate friend.
Speaker 5 (06:22):
I would say absolutely the several weeks that I've been
going there, they had.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
A sense of loss of hope.
Speaker 5 (06:31):
And so the message that was very loud this week
was they have a glimmer of hope moving forward.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Well let's talk about that when we come back. How
the citizens of that small community have received you, maybe
some of their skepticism. You've got some great stories about
open carry and that kind of thing as well, and
let's talk about that when we come back. One hundred
I'm excuse me, four hundred plus thousand dollars given to Barnersville,
North Carolina through you the listener. City of Hope will
(06:59):
talk about that in just a moment. We'll be right back.
Speaker 6 (07:53):
If you wuck to see, uh, you gotta lock on.
Speaker 7 (07:59):
If you walked bow, you gotta look. Just to mention
his name, just to mention of his name, Just to
mention of his.
Speaker 6 (08:13):
Name, everything can saved.
Speaker 8 (08:16):
Well, there's something powerful about the name of Jesus when spoken,
gives great hope to people. But also there's action in
the name of Jesus that needs to take place in
order for us to be faithful, go to be how everyone,
I'm David Chadwick and this is News Talk eleven, ten,
ninety ninety three WBT.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
Welcome back to the show. My guest today former cmp
D officer d John and Mike Jaminski, great duke, all
American and wonderful friend. And it's great to have both
of you on this show today. Many of you may
remember last November December We raised four hundred thousand plus
dollars through WBT Radio with something called the City of
(08:55):
Hope campaign, and we devoted it to western North Carolina.
Today's show has as his purpose and update on how
that money is being used and where it's being spent
and how it's giving hope to people's lives. D just
real quickly refresh us. You decided, through your involvement with
City of Hope leading it, overseeing it, that we should
(09:16):
give this money to one particular community in western North Carolina,
only about five hundred or so people.
Speaker 4 (09:22):
It's called Barnardsville, North Carolina.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Barnardsville, North Carolina. Where is it located again, it's.
Speaker 5 (09:27):
About forty minutes north of Asheville.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Well, we chose it largely because and I've used the
illustration many times forgive me for redundancy, but it's like
the guy walking down the beach, thousands of starfish on
the shore, and he's throwing one after another into the ocean.
But again there are thousands of them. Someone comes up
to him and says, what difference are you really making?
And he picks up another and throws it into the
ocean and says, well, I just made a difference for
(09:52):
that one. We can't change every community in western North
Carolina that was devastated by the hurricane. We can change
one can be a part of changing one community. And
it's four hundred thousand dollars. That sounds like a lot
of money. It really is, but it's really not in
the needs that are there. So described for us Barnardsville,
what happened after Hurricane Helen and all the devastation that
(10:14):
was there.
Speaker 5 (10:15):
You know, I've been going up there since January and
a lot of the people that I engaged with in
the winter months that they told me they had a
lot of volunteers in the beginning, but when I was
showing up, there was no one. And to give you perspective,
so it's a small community. It's about three point seven
square miles of about five hundred people.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
And when I was going in, there were debris.
Speaker 5 (10:40):
Piles that were about fifteen feet tall and probably thirty
feet wide. There's debris everywhere, and it was cold, it
was dreary, and there was no one. I drove through
that town several times and I'm like, where are people?
And there were resources in the beginning, but they were
(11:00):
very short lived. And what I said earlier, is this
community is unincorporated, and so when you think about advocacy
and people that are that are working every single day
to bring in the resources, it's a community that has
been traumatized that doesn't have the capacity to advocate for
themselves because they're they're problem problem solving in survival mode
their own situation.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
So, Mike Jaminski, you felt called to go there as well.
I love the illustration you gave in the first segment
that you've been in recovery and you're open about sharing
that now with people. It's a beautiful story that community's
in recovery. Did they receive you when you came or
was their skepticism? Talk about their attitude mindset toward.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
You well, and I know that Diaz has seen this,
and you know, the the initial reaction David when it
when Helene first came through in that first couple of
weeks was overwhelming. But as in any natural disaster, that
tends to wane over time, a news cycle moves on.
And this is a place that's really kind of tough
the way in this little valley, and you know, it's
(12:04):
been a case for all of them of people coming
in and over promising and under delivering. And what we've
had to do is to build up trust D with
people on the ground, saying we're here for the long
haul because this is not a quick fix at all.
This is a long term project. And you know, I
(12:26):
and to give D probs, she's been a fabulous project manager.
And I think slowly they're getting to see us on
a regular basis and starting to say, hey, we can
trust these people.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
We had two members of our church moments I Hope Church,
who said, Okay for the summer, we're going to move
there and actually be the hands and feet of Jesus
building relationships in that community. D Rusty and Diana Munschik
have been a great help to you as well, haven't they.
Speaker 5 (12:53):
They've been incredible, And I think for listeners to know
that both of these individuals are volunteer and when I
went in, I said, you know, we need somebody that's
boots on the ground, that's communication, that can help coordinate
resources back into this community. And they said yes, which
is really incredible. And for listeners to know that yes
(13:14):
is for them to set aside their entire current lives
and to embed themselves into this community that they don't
know and to help me pump in resources into this space.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
Well, describe the needs of Barnardsville. It was it just
how homes that were utterly demolished, warehouses, What is the
community like?
Speaker 5 (13:37):
You know, I tell people when we're we say rebuilding Barnardsville,
and that's not just homes, that's lives, And so sometimes
we forget the impact that it has on people's lives itself.
So there was a lot of destruction. There was homes destroyed.
We still have people living intents, we have them living
in RVs. Still still we have people that completely lost
(13:58):
their homes and they still don't have and answer on
how they're going to repair their home. And so it's
everything from trees.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
To trauma.
Speaker 5 (14:09):
And one of the things that I would say that
we need right now is I was there this past
week and I spent five days. There is transportation methods
for supplies. Most people don't think about that. They think
about food, clothing, basic needs. The reality is one of
the biggest needs we need right now is transportation to
(14:29):
move supplies.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
And what would that look like on a practical basis.
Speaker 5 (14:33):
On a practical basis, like flatbed trucks, small trailers. It's
a very remote area and so they don't even have
a grocery store in this small town. And so being
able to we may have resources for funding and also supplies,
but how do we get these supplies into these communities?
How do we move items around from one house to another?
(14:55):
And right now there's not that specific resource to help
us move rebuilding supplies around.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
Mike, you mentioned being over promised and under supplied. Has
that created a sense of mistrust of them toward you?
And how long does it take to build that trust?
And I know that's what you're trying to.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
Do well, and as you know in what I said
to them, David, and that you know, in my journey,
I've had to build back trust in the people around me,
and that you know, we've got to say. And it's
twenty miles into the woods, it's twenty miles out and
you know, for for this community, a very tight knit community,
(15:37):
and I don't know that they're very trusting in general.
That being said, yes, we had to earn and we
have to earn their trust on an ongoing basis, and
that's a huge thing. And I think that's starting to
become a reality. And you know, and also the other
(15:57):
thing infrastructure up there too, bridges, all bridges across rivers
for people who are living on the other side of
the river, driveways. You know, there's really so much that
still is in the process of being done.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
D But FEMAS is going to help western North Carolina,
that's the word on the streets. But for communities like Barnersville,
what's the reality?
Speaker 1 (16:20):
You know?
Speaker 5 (16:21):
I asked those questions when I was in Barnersville and
they heard that FEMA was going to help. And I
do believe FEMA had an attempt in the very beginning.
But where are they now and process, like, how do
these individuals understand the process, have access to the process,
all of those different things, Like I know in government
(16:43):
me working in government, we typically go to the most
populated areas first because that's the most impacted with people.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
And that was another reason we chose Barnersville because it
was kind of off in the distance and not in
the priority list.
Speaker 5 (16:56):
Right, And so when you think about this small community,
because they are small, they will probably be the last
to receive assistance.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
And FEMA has offered some money for houses and people
have been given contracts, but they're very hesitant to sign them,
as I understand it, because they think they're signing their
potential homes away.
Speaker 5 (17:17):
Right, This is true. I actually talked to a guy
this past weekend and he was offered fourteen thousand dollars
for the destruction of his home, and his home has
more than fourteen thousand dollars worth of damage, and he
was like, I didn't accept the fourteen thousand dollars because
what's attached to that?
Speaker 2 (17:37):
So he's wondering if I signed this, am I really
going to lose my home altogether? And there's again that
mistrust that is there. Well, how in the world do
we begin to overcome that mistrust is where I want
to go next. And I also want to talk about
just mountain people. And I don't want a stereotype by
any means, because everybody's got their own involvement in the
(17:59):
community's influence them to be who they are. But we
are who we are because of the environments in which
we live, and I want to talk about that as well.
But then some practical examples of how that money that
we raised last November December is being used. I'm David Chadwick.
This is News Talk eleven ten ninety nine three WBT.
We will be right back.
Speaker 9 (19:28):
I was doing I was lost, I was asleep at
the wheel, I was drifting off.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
Your heart was.
Speaker 6 (19:37):
Fairly, your heart was fair.
Speaker 5 (19:45):
Well.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
When your heart fails, the only thing you can do
is look up and we hope wake up to help
somebody else in need. How everyone, I'm David Chadwick and
this is News Talk eleven ten ninety nine three WBT,
welcome back to the show in studio with me. He
is former cmp D Officer d John and former Duke
All American and be a great Michael Jaminski. It's great
(20:07):
having both of you in studio with me because both
of you have poured a lot of your time and
resources into Barnardsville, Western North Carolina, the focus of our
City of Hope four hundred plus thousand dollars raising last
November and December to try to help rebuild that community
of about five hundred people. D let me just ask
off the top, are their jobs there? Do people work?
(20:29):
What do they do? And it's unincorporated, they don't even
have a mayor do they just tell us a little
bit more about Barnardsville?
Speaker 4 (20:35):
So do people work?
Speaker 5 (20:37):
The answer is yes, I would say that most of
the people that I have talked with, they don't work
necessarily within that small community. They actually travel to their jobs.
I was talking to one of the gentlemen that we've
been helping over the last several weeks, and he said,
before the hurricane hit, he was a record driver. He
(20:58):
owned his own record service, and the hurricane actually just
destroyed some of his equipment, and so it's been really
challenging for him to be able to work, even to
get to and from work because his vehicle was destroyed.
And so a lot of these communities are within this community,
they own their own business or they're entrepreneurs.
Speaker 4 (21:21):
And I talked to another lady.
Speaker 5 (21:22):
She owned a restaurant, one of the main restaurants that
was in the town, and it's completely destroyed. You wouldn't
even know today that it was a restaurant. It looks
like an old, abandoned building. And so they've been their
jobs before the hurricane, and then today they didn't just
lose their homes and the things that they had, they
(21:44):
also lost their jobs because of the impact of the hurricane.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
And again, they don't have a mayor in the city unincorporated.
We were talking off air about appealing to Raleigh and
getting some North Carolina governmental help, and you guys kind
of smiled and said, you know, they don't even have
any way to do that. Maybe through the county they
could get something, but again they're unincorporated, so they really
have nothing, and the idea of hope is really foreign
(22:09):
to them right now, isn't it.
Speaker 5 (22:11):
Yes, And when you think about county, that county is
so large. It's Bunkham County, and so even from a
county commissioner standpoint, like that whole county was very devastated.
And this is a little piece of that puzzle. And
so if you don't have somebody in that community fully
advocating for the needs of this community or being that voice,
(22:32):
then nobody really knows the scope of what's needed there.
And so to give perspective, so there are families there,
there is a school.
Speaker 4 (22:40):
There's a large.
Speaker 2 (22:40):
School, elementary school.
Speaker 4 (22:42):
It is an elementary school.
Speaker 5 (22:44):
They also have I would say the staples in the
community is the post office and the fire department, and
both of those two entities I would say are the
huge community space, and they have churches. I would say
that there's probably about six or seven small, tiny Mountain
community churches and so they.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
Work together in trying to rebuild or are they all
kind of into their own entity? How does that work?
Speaker 5 (23:09):
I would say that they've been trying to do what
they can, but they were also devastated. And so I
was actually sitting with a church yesterday and they were
showing pictures to me of the before and how much
work they've done since then. And their entire facility was
completely destroyed, and so it had four feet of mud
(23:30):
in the bottom of it. And so you think about
four feet of mud inside your church facility with damages.
And so when you think about the church in that
community stepping up or the entities that are already organized
stepping up, they're devastated to and so they're trying to
process their own devastation and trauma.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
Mike, beautiful community. You were there about a week or
so ago for a fish fry. Good fish. Was it excellent?
Speaker 6 (23:57):
Well?
Speaker 3 (23:58):
And also the dessert display was unbelievable. That was a
big hit with everybody.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
So they're still able to function in that way. But
I understand that it's a beautiful community, But there's sixty
eight bridges that were washed out. Is that what I
heard you guys say, is that correct?
Speaker 4 (24:17):
Yes?
Speaker 5 (24:18):
So right now we have a list. There's sixty eight bridges.
And when you think of bridges, a lot of us
in more populated areas think of like large bridges, but.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
Alo the suspension bridges that we see sometimes in photos, right,
that's not what we're talking about.
Speaker 5 (24:33):
No, these are think about a watershed community driving through
the mountains, and they're small mountain homes on the other
side of rivers and streams and lakes and things like that.
And so these are bridges that create access to their
homes and it requires us a specialist to come in
and install them and repair them and so and it's
(24:56):
private property, and so think about you're responsible as private property.
You can't get to your property and your bridge has
been destroyed. And right now we have sixty eight of them.
Speaker 2 (25:05):
Good Heavens, so help us understand. We were again raised
last November December four hundred plus thousand dollars. Have you
been able to spend some of that money yet? And
what are some of the ways we have seen benefits
from that gift.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
So we have been able to spend some of it.
Speaker 5 (25:23):
One of the things that we did in the beginning
is we've helped first responder families that had lost everything.
We were able to put furniture back into their homes.
And then we use a little bit of it for
a community engagement space to really just go in and
engage and like we had the fish fry this past weekend,
that's community engagement to build that relationship. As we know,
(25:47):
relationship is so so important. We can't transform or impact
people's lives without relationship. And so what we've done is
we use some of the funding for that, but then
we've had two separate spaces where we've provided funding for
housing where people have fully lost their housing. And so
our goal is to take this next I think we
(26:07):
have a little over three hundred thousand dollars left to
really take it and maximize it with rebuilding homes, and
that's from repairing handicapped decks or access points bridges inside homes.
Not everybody lost their entire home, but there's still roofs
that need to be repaired. There's just like yesterday we
(26:29):
brought in dumpsters. There's a cost to dumpter dumpsters and
so there's a lot of debris. So we brought in
three dumpsters to start removing debris, and so it's not
just rebuilding an entire home, but it is rebuilding a community.
And so whatever that looks like in between.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
Mike, you made the joke before we went on air
that if you don't open carry, you're considered suspicious by
the community. Talk about that.
Speaker 3 (26:56):
Yeah, and you know, you get up into that community
and I'll tell you what they I mean, you better
have a firm handshake, you better look somebody in the
eye and tell them the truth. And you know, that's
that's just the way that community, and plenty of those
communities in the mountains are And I was I was
(27:17):
told my first visit up here, says the people who
open carry have a side arm on. There are the
ones we trust because this community, these people have nothing,
and they really had issues with looters, as did a
lot of the communities up.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
In Western even small troubled looters.
Speaker 3 (27:35):
And that's just a heinous crime to me that these
people have nothing, and yet there were people coming in
and taking advantage what little they had out of there.
And uh, and they they protect themselves, you know, and uh,
you know, so that's been it's been interesting. But I
completely understand being unincorporated. There's a sense of you know,
(28:00):
we need to protect ourselves. And one of the messages
we tried to deliver this weekend is, look, everybody, every individually.
People were really hammerd everybody's got their own misery. What
we're trying to establish and re establish is a sense
of community and say, hey, let's not have any bickering
or infighting. Let's come together and recover as a community
(28:25):
rather than cent perd entities.
Speaker 2 (28:27):
D Are you experiencing again for people to hear a
sense of some things are beginning to happen. There's some
people even in Charlotte, North Carolina, who are helping us,
and we therefore have some hope.
Speaker 5 (28:40):
Yes, that's the message that I heard these last several days,
is that they feel like there's a sense of hope
and that they will be able to rebuild and repair.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
Is the four hundred thousand dollars plus that we were
able to raise going to make a huge difference in
this community or is there more that still needed?
Speaker 5 (29:00):
So I would say that it will make a huge difference,
but the need is greater than that four hundred thousand dollars.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
And I know you and I are praying about right
now with our next City of Hope campaign coming up
this next November December. Should we have maybe a part
two or some way that money still can be used,
because again, this problem, like Mike what you said, it's huge.
It's not going to go away anytime soon.
Speaker 4 (29:22):
I would say yes.
Speaker 5 (29:23):
And if I was to put a number on the rebuild,
like in years, I would say that if we had
all hands on deck, it could take at least three.
Speaker 2 (29:32):
Years, three years to get it back to where it
was before. Yes, does it give your heart some satisfaction
knowing that you can really make a difference in one
community that really was devastated.
Speaker 5 (29:43):
Yes, absolutely, because this community felt forgotten and now I
encourage them to say that they are seen and they
are valued.
Speaker 2 (29:51):
Okay, we've got one more segment. They go by so fast,
but let's use that to tell people how they can
get involved still, because there are ways that through five answers,
of course, but also through their time, they could still
make a difference in western North Carolina. In Barnersville, North Carolina,
a city that we focused on through the City of
Hope campaign to give people who lost everything hope because
(30:12):
when we do come together, there is always hope. I'm
David Chadwick. This is News Talk eleven ten, ninety ninety
three WBT. We will be right back.
Speaker 6 (31:11):
Us earth to God.
Speaker 9 (33:28):
Come in, God, I know you're there here in our
prayers wherever you are, we need.
Speaker 6 (33:39):
And now to send your love. Don take away the pain.
Speaker 9 (33:48):
In your holy name.
Speaker 6 (33:49):
We ask this now.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
We do pray to God to help us as we
try to beat his hands and feed here in Jesus'.
Speaker 6 (33:59):
Aid and save as now.
Speaker 9 (34:02):
Hello August down with Young Amazon.
Speaker 2 (34:05):
Hi everyone, I'm David Chadwick and this is News Talk
eleven ten, ninet ninety three WBT. If you'd like to
hear this show in its entirety, go to WBT dot com,
scroll down to the weekend shows, look for the David
Chadwick Show and you can hear it from beginning to
end with few commercials. In studio with me former CMP
officer d John who now oversees a ministry called City
(34:27):
of Hope. What we raised money for last November and December.
Some four hundred plus thousand dollars identified for the purpose
of helping a city in western North Carolina now Barnardsville,
North Carolina, in an unincorporated city of about five hundred people,
but totally devastated by the hurricane. Mike Jaminski is in
studio with me as well, has made many trips there
(34:48):
just because God laid on his heart a desire to
help those people as well. Mike real quickly. Did they
know who you are? You know, you are really famous
back in the seventies and eighties and even into the nineties,
but they know who you are.
Speaker 3 (35:01):
There's a couple of levels of that, David. Actually, there
were some who knew, you know obviously that I played
at Duke. There were a number of Carolina fans up there,
which should warm your heart. And there were a number
of people who recognized me through my broadcasting. So it
really it spanned a lot of different levels. And as
(35:21):
I've found in high schools and middle schools that I've
gone to speak, they may not know me going in,
but they all google me afterwards and they get a
sense of who was there, so a little bit after
the fact. But yeah, no, I was really well received.
Speaker 2 (35:36):
Well that's great. Well, I'm just again so proud of
you and how you've made your faith so public and
so known, and you're unashamed of that, but mostly just
so proud for how you want to serve other people
in these remaining years that God has you here. D
looking at the church there in Barnardsville, have they come
together for the purpose of this community rebuilding or not?
Speaker 5 (36:01):
You know, I had this conversation earlier that the churches
were devastated also, and so when you think about the churches,
there's like three different denominations within that community and there's
probably about six churches, and so they were devastated. And
I think what allows City of Hope coming in allows
us to do is really bring that collaboration that's missing
(36:24):
and that communication and pulling community together to work together.
Speaker 2 (36:29):
Well, let's ask this. People are listening and they gave
maybe last November December for the campaign, but they're sitting
here going, you know what, I'm retired, I have some
free time, or I might have some extra money laying aside,
or I might have a business that could give and donate. Here,
what could people here listening right now to this program
(36:51):
do to help in the rebuilding of Barnardsville, North Carolina
through WBT Radio.
Speaker 5 (36:56):
There's so much need that still exists. And I say,
everybody has time, talent, and treasure, and so you can
give something I think the message, because it's not been
in the media the last several months, is that people
don't realize that the need is so great. And so
what I would encourage people to do is we have
opportunities on our website that CITYOFHOPECLT dot org where you
(37:19):
can give or you can provide a resource that you
may have, or you can volunteer.
Speaker 2 (37:26):
Give an idea of a resource that could really help
you right now. I know, initially we bought a bulldozer
to try just help level the land and get rid
of some of the devastation that was there. Very practical
thing that was given that we could buy. But what
are some other things that people could maybe give of
that would help right now?
Speaker 5 (37:45):
You know, our biggest need right now today is a
resource for transportation. And when I say transportation, I mean
like flatbed trucks, small trailers. We have resources when it
comes to building construction material, but it's not very accessible
or they don't have items within that community where we
(38:07):
can move things to and from storage units, like we
need storage units to be able to store supplies in.
We also need people, people that are skilled in labor
and so on the website, we have where you can
actually offer any of those.
Speaker 2 (38:24):
Resources and they can be tax free because you are
a five A one C three now, aren't you.
Speaker 5 (38:29):
This is correct. We are a five A one C
three and so it is tax deductible.
Speaker 2 (38:33):
That's wonderful. And if people want to give financially, obviously
they can still do that as well. And how would
that money be used?
Speaker 5 (38:41):
So you can give financially, And I will say that
one hundred percent of the funding that we raise goes
back to the community. Everybody that we have working on
this team is a volunteer, and so I think that's
really important for people to know that one hundred percent
of the funding that comes in for this initiative goes
back into this community.
Speaker 2 (38:59):
And the big thing is just giving them some building
supplies right now, just to re establish their homes, to
rebuild a kitchen, to rebuild a front door which allows
them to enter their houses again. It's just practical things
that you're doing that allow people to have their lives restored.
Speaker 5 (39:15):
Yes, And something else that I've told people is that
you may not be able to go to western North Carolina,
but we do have opportunities where you can help residents
apply for permitting for their homes to process paperwork, and
you don't have to be there locally to do that.
You can actually be remote and so if you have time.
(39:35):
We're also coordinating those type of resources for residents.
Speaker 2 (39:38):
And if they go to CITYFOPECLT dot org, they can
see all of that that's there. Or is there another
website they need to go to.
Speaker 5 (39:45):
No, it is currently on our website and you'll be
able to readily see it and how to access that.
Speaker 2 (39:52):
Yeah, and Mike, no welfare checks, that's not given there
to Barnsville folks.
Speaker 3 (39:58):
You know, I think the main concern right now, David,
I don't I can't answer that question. I don't know
that I don't believe that's the case. I don't know
if they're just really focused on getting their lives back together.
And you know, we talked about where to start. Roofing
(40:19):
is a big thing, and Dean and I were talking
about when when it rains up there. Now it may
be a small rainstorm, but people panic because of what happened,
and that's the trauma of what they went.
Speaker 2 (40:31):
That's interesting.
Speaker 3 (40:32):
So any kind of weather system that moves through, they're
still on edge.
Speaker 2 (40:35):
Boy, and I bet now it's hurricane season is beginning
to commence. They're sitting on the edge of their seats,
d going is this going to happen again?
Speaker 5 (40:42):
You know, I was there this past week and we
had some storms, and it was the storms didn't bother
me because I haven't been traumatized by them, but the
people calling to check on me to make sure that
I was okay, and just the response of because of
their trauma just rainstorms. Is the power going to go out?
Is the creek going to flood? And it can be
(41:03):
just a normal rain shower that was been there for
years and so those things still exist and it is
right in their front door right now.
Speaker 2 (41:14):
Mike Jaminski, you got fifteen twenty seconds, what would you
say to our listeners.
Speaker 3 (41:19):
It's going to be a long road back for these people,
and I would encourage either give here time, talent, treasure,
as they said, or make a point to make this
a template for some other small town that's up there.
But our hearts and our work and our toil is
with Barnettsville right now.
Speaker 2 (41:40):
And one of our hopes do is we form a
template where other communities churches could say, hey, that works,
and I can easily follow that plan and make a
difference in another community in Western North Carolina.
Speaker 5 (41:50):
Absolutely, and we are making this where it can be replicated.
Speaker 2 (41:55):
Well, God bless you guys, and may the Lord to
continue to walk with you and give you strength as
you continue to do this work to help other people
do another work that can help re establish Western North
Carolina to the beautiful community that it really is. D John,
Mike Jaminski, thank you so much. I'm David Chadwick. This
is News Talk eleven ten, ninety ninety three WBT. And everybody,
love God and love your neighbor. If you just do
(42:18):
those two things, you have a lifetime's worth of work
to do. Bottom line, just go and you will receive
God's blessing. Talk with you all next week.
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