Join us for the Healing Helene Retreat and candle light riverside vigil at NCOA (NC Outdoor Adventures) on 9/20/2025. The Healing Helene Retreat is all day and features clinics of all sorts from massage, yoga, reiki, somatic healing, sound bath, puppet show, Emergency Preparedness with a starter kit for families, kids happy tote give away with education and tools for resolving trauma, food, music and more. To sign up for clinics or to get the schedule of events to sign up please email ncoadventures@gmail.com. Activities will be taking place at NCOA in Red Hill and across the river in Green Mountain at Triple R Oasis. This is a free retreat for anyone that was impacted by Helene; hosted by Resilient Appalachia Disaster Relief Fund. Each activity does have a minimum suggested donation, and all funds raised go back into the non-profit for ongoing Helene Recovery efforts in our area. Specific projects include flood mitigation safety and planting along the river as well as live staking events, & other education for the community . ***FYI we always put people over profit! So if you can’t afford the suggested minimum donation no-problem, come anyway, healing help should be free!***
Event updates online at:
The Helene Memorial with candlelight riverside vigil starts at 5pm on 9/20 with a free community tater bar at 5-6:30 at NCOA in Bakersville at 1173 Whitson Branch Road. The mural in the tunnel will also be unveiled! Check-in for the river vigil starts at 7pm at the NCOA outpost where each person will be given flower petals, a candle, and 2 flower bulbs. The procession will walk to the river at dusk, so please bring a head lamp for the walk back. It is a short 200 yard walk from our outpost to the river. For mobility challenged folks we can shuttle you down no problem. At the river we will have a prayer and a violinist will play while we toss flower petals into the river and plant one of the bulbs. The other bulb is for you to take home and plant in memory of 1 year post the storm. After the vigil there will be music and sitting time around the campfire with smores so please bring a chair or blanket.
