Above: A GoFundMe page asks people to pitch in what they can to help two longtime, former residents who lost their home and business. (images edited from fundraiser)
On Saturday, our community responded generously to help strangers in need in a region devastated by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina. (I will post about that successful effort later today.)
Now some residents are asking the community to donate funds for a more personal connection — two former Southborough community members, Cathy Gerson and Steve Lee, who “lost everything” in the storm.
Friends of the couple created a GoFundMe page that I’ve been asked to help promote. It states that while Gerson and Lee are safe and staying with friends, they lost both their home and business in the storm:
Our dear friends, Cathy Gerson and Steve Lee, lost everything when Hurricane Helene devastated Barnardsville, NC. While we are thankful they are safe, and staying with friends in Tennessee, they now face the daunting task of rebuilding their lives from the ground up.
Cathy, a passionate ceramist, spent many years establishing her Parkerville Road pottery studio and business in Southborough. In 2013 Cathy and Steve moved to Barnardsville, NC to join a thriving artist community near Ashville.
Her beautiful work has been featured in hospitals, corporate buildings, homes, and galleries across the country. Tragically, both their home and business were lost in the storm.
For years, Cathy and Steve have been dedicated members of their communities, always stepping up to help others in need. Now, they are the ones who need our help. The outpouring of concern for their safety has been deeply appreciated, and they are incredibly grateful for the support they’ve received so far.
Cathy and Steve are long-time friends for many of us from Southborough. Cathy was a loyal member of our “Game of The Month Club” for two decades until they moved to their new southern homestead. And, many from our small community fondly remember Cathy’s Open Studios. Any assistance you can provide, no matter how small, will make a world of difference as they begin to rebuild their lives and business. Thank you for your kindness and generosity during this difficult time.
In sharing the fundraiser with me, a friend noted:
I know Cathy and Steve will so much appreciate any support from the Southborough community they loved.
The fundraising goal is listed as $10,000. As of writing this post, the page had raised just under $1,500. To support the fundraiser, click here.
Prior to the couple’s relocation to North Carolina, the couple lived on Parkerville Road for 25 years, from late 1987 through spring of 2013. Back in the day, Gerson organized and promoted Open Studios for herself and other artists like this one.
You can see more recent examples of her work here. The about me section of the website reveals that it isn’t the first time Gerson has had to rebuild. In the ’70s, she moved into a loft/studio in Jamaica Plains:
Sadly, in 1976 Cathy lost her home, studio and her business when a conflagration destroyed the six-story factory building where her loft was located. A new era began.
Let’s hope she can find as much success in rebuilding now as she did then.
