Rotary Club of Black Mountain Swannanoa partners with White Horse to raise $70,000 for local nonprofit

Hammer & Heart presented with donation to assist urgent home repairs in the Swannanoa Valley

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
February 22, 2026

Representatives from the White Horse and the Rotary Club of Black Mountain Swannanoa present a check to the directors of Hammer & Heart and the Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry, Feb. 19. Photo by Fred McCormick

A partnership between a pair of local nonprofit organizations culminated, Feb. 19, with the presentation of a $70,000 check that will help provide urgent home repairs for Swannanoa Valley residents in need.

The collaboration between the Rotary Club of Black Mountain Swannanoa and the White Horse supports the work of Hammer & Heart, which received the donation before Kellin Watson & the Feelgood took the temporary stage at the Monte Vista Hotel.

Conceived in 2018 and officially established three years later, Hammer & Heart is a 501(c)(3) organization that assists local residents with costly structural and critical repairs. The nonprofit merged with the Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry last June to address a growing list of needs within the community, following the widespread impact of Helene.

Many homeowners in the area continue to struggle, nearly 18 months after the storm, according to Hammer & Heart director Charlie Wilson.

“I was at a house the other day where remnants of a mudslide are still resting up against the trailer of a woman who hasn’t had running water since Helene,” he said. “She’s still shell-shocked from the storm, which also left large piles of debris all around her property. That’s just one example of a homeowner who doesn’t have the resources to do all of the necessary work around her home.”

Hammer & Heart relies on financial support from members of the community and grants to pursue its mission of alleviating housing conditions that pose an imminent threat to the life or safety of local homeowners, while offering accessibility modifications that allow residents to remain in their homes.

The fundraising partnership between the revived chapter of the local Rotary Club and the music venue, which has temporarily relocated its shows while remodeling its building, resulted from a challenge among friends, according to White Horse managing director Zach Hinkle, who recounted a meeting over coffee with the club’s immediate past president Andrew Mercurio.

“My friend, Andrew, and I met up for coffee and a meeting of the minds four months ago,” Hinkle said. “At the same time, we both challenged each other to raise money for Hammer & Heart, which does such important work in this community.”

Mercurio launched a recruiting initiative last spring to increase interest in the Rotary Club of Black Mountain Swannanoa, which was reestablished last August after a steady reduction of membership in the nearly 70-year-old civic organization threatened its continue operation.

“Here in Black Mountain, our club is now at about 25 members strong,” he said. “Rotary is a club of community leaders, professionals, retirees, teachers and members of the community who want to make good things happen here in the Valley.”

Kellin Watson and the Feelgood perform, Feb. 19, at the Monte Vista Hotel, which is temporarily hosting shows for the White Horse. Photo by Fred McCormick

Since its revitalization, the local Rotary chapter has channeled approximately $200,000 of funding and resources back into the community, Mercurio added.

“Before this project, we secured a $25,000 grant that helped reestablish the Community High School’s agricultural program,” he said. “We were very proud of that initiative.”

Hammer & Heart’s efforts to assist local families and seniors struggling to maintain their homes on low or fixed incomes exemplifies a community-focused approach to helping neighbors, according to Mercurio.

“They are a natural partner for this kind of fundraising, and I hope this is the first of many partnerships between our organizations in the future,” he said.

The White Horse, which transitioned its business model to a nonprofit format in 2023, secured a $35,000 grant through the American Red Cross to set the fundraising goal, which was met with a match from the Rotary Club. The check was presented to Wilson and SVCM director Kevin Bates by Mercurio and representatives of the White Horse, prior to its monthly membership concert.

Hinkle credited supporters of the music venue for allowing the White Horse to serve the community in its role as a nonprofit organization.

“While Hammer & Heart and SVCM were out, literally saving lives after the hurricane, the White Horse became a distribution center for a while, but what we were able to do was continue to pay our staff through the recovery,” Hinkle said. “We had these amazing people who had the time, energy and expertise to write grants… It’s only because you, as members, continued to pay your fees through the hurricane, we were able to write grants. So today, you are responsible for our ability to raise over $350,000 for people right here in this community.”

The impact of the donation from the White Horse and Rotary Club is significant, according to the Hammer & Heart director.

“This kind of contribution represents 10 homes, right here in the Swannanoa Valley, that could have complete HVAC replacements, or similar work that allows people to remain in the houses they own,” Wilson said. “It allows us to be the good guys, because we have a community who believes in and supports us.”