Four women entrepreneurs in Asheville (Allison Blake, Ginger Frank, Margit Ragland, and Elisa Van Arnam) share some special bonds. They all brought business ideas to life with the support of the Asheville start-up ecosystem. The founders of SoulKu, Poppy Handcrafted Popcorn, and Plum Print are now further bound by the fact that their businesses survived the devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene. Other women entrepreneurs in the Western North Carolina community were not so fortunate.

Helene hit Western North Carolina hard, and many lost everything. Feeling moved to help, Blake, Frank, Ragland, and Van Arnam have created a grant fund to help support other women-owned businesses by offering some of the significant aid they need to recover and continue to enrich the WNC community. The Women Entrepreneurs Asheville Recovery Endeavor is here to help these resilient women restore what they’ve lost. 

To raise funds (in addition to those from local founding supporters and corporate sponsorships), these four women are organizing a raffle unlike any raffle you’ve ever seen before. Twelve raffle baskets will be a celebration of Asheville’s incredible spirit, featuring unique products, experiences, treasures, meals, and hotel stays that capture the heart and talent of the Asheville area community. Each will have a theme, including but not limited to the Biltmore Basket, the Outdoor Adventure Basket, the Brewery Getaway Basket, the Art Lover’s Basket, the Foodie’s Delight Basket, and the Classic Asheville Basket. Raffle participants will find amazing items from local vendors including French Broad Chocolate, the Chemist/Antidote, Hi-Wire, Burial Beer, East Fork Pottery, Hazel Twenty, Botiwalla, and more, with each basket valued at more than $2,000.

For just $20 a ticket, folks all around the world have a chance to win one of these epic baskets – and more importantly - to make a meaningful impact this Holiday Season.

Every ticket purchased, available from December 1st through 15th, will directly support Asheville’s women entrepreneurs as they rebuild their businesses and continue to enrich Western North Carolina. Participants are encouraged to buy multiple tickets, spread the word, and join the efforts in sustaining Asheville’s future, one raffle ticket at a time.

Founding supporters are invited to join the growing group of more than 200 businesses donating a tax-deductible $500 to raise the initial $100,000 of the $1 million goal at WEAREAsheville.org. WE ARE is working with Asheville-based Hatch Innovation Hub as their non-profit fiscal agent.

Grant applications are set to open November 15 through December 10. The selection committee will review applications December 10 through 20, and awards will be made December 28.

Learn more at WEAREAsheville.org.