KANAWHA COUNTY, WV (WOWK) – A Herbert Hoover graduate is calling on the Elk River community to “Bring Christmas to Boone” in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

“I think the easy part is over,” said Jim Brown, “Christmas Comes to Boone” organizer. “I’m amazed at the progress that’s been made in the county with recovery so far, but don’t forget about folks down the road. Don’t forget about these folks at Christmas.”

Brown grew up in the Elk River community but has spent the last three decades living in Boone, North Carolina, one of many communities hit by the hurricane in September.

The devastation brings him back to 2016 when the floods hit West Virginia.

“The overwhelming thing that got me about that is that I sat here and watched where I grew up just be devastated and feeling helpless,” he said.

A Huskie at heart, Brown decided to gift five families a trip to Boone, North Carolina, all expenses paid, back in 2016.

Angie Williams, an Elk River resident, was boots on the ground during flood cleanup. She helped make the trip possible.

“The last day Sunday, we attended the church service at Jim’s church, and it was there that each family was presented with a check for $5,000 and that was an overwhelming experience. One mother cried and I don’t think there was a dry eye in that church,” Williams said.

Brown said it’s still one of the proudest moments of his life, seeing those families return home with a foundation to now build upon, and years later, he’s calling on them for their help in aiding the community who stepped up in 2016.

Through the initiative “Christmas Comes to Boone,” Brown plans to give 30 families, who’ve lost everything, $1,500 each to celebrate the holidays.

“It’s about looking forward. It’s about recovery and remembering what a lot of people told me how hard it was three-to-four months in after the floods up there when you started to see all the relief agencies were on their way out,” he said. “You almost feel like you’re back on that island like days one, two and three because everybody left you and that mark for us is Christmas.”

Bringing cheer to a community when all seems lost and sharing the mantra “West Virginia strong” with our neighbors in need. The initiative is about rising above through community, helping those who once helped you because recovery doesn’t seem so hopeless with others there to lift you up.

“Don’t forget about these folks at Christmas, don’t forget about these folks next summer when there’s no vacation because everything they have, they’ve had to put back into rebuilding their lives,” Brown said.

If you’d like to help, online donations can be made by clicking here .

Checks and gift cards can also be sent to the Church of Holy Cross in Valle Crucis. The address is “The Church of the Holy Cross, PO Box 645 Hwy 194, Valle Crucis, NC 28691.” Just make sure the memo line says, “Christmas Comes to Boone.”

The deadline for donations is Dec. 1, when a holiday party will be held in honor of the 30 families.