Carolina Panthers donate $20,000 to Fletcher school devastated by Hurricane Helene

By Justin Berger

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    FLETCHER, N.C. (WLOS) — The Carolina Panthers are giving $20,000 to a school in Fletcher, N.C., which suffered damages from Hurricane Helene.

According to a release, 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 release said the organization can provide funding ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 to assist schools affected by Helene.

Fernleaf Community Charter School Assistant Director and Athletic Director Vic Wiesel said repairs to their school would cost $3 million to $4 million after the storm left two of FernLeaf’s main athletic fields, athletic equipment, and athletic storage facilities in ruins.

“There was water waist deep inside these buildings, and they were lifted up off their foundations and dropped,” Wiesel said. “You can see the foundation is completely gone on that building.”

Wiesel also said nearly every piece of outdoor equipment on the school’s campus was destroyed by the same floodwaters that lifted buildings from their foundations, growing to 10 feet in height.

“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,” Wiesel said in a release. “We are so grateful to the Carolina Panthers for having this grant and for helping us with this.”

Although the grant will aid in FernLeaf’s recovery, the school has already taken measures to rebuild.

The school has reportedly implemented a variety of solutions to house all of its K-12 students.

Students will be housed at the Wilderness Campus, located a mile from the ruined Creek Campus while rebuilding takes place.

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