Nonprofit ‘Bridges for Avery’ builds new footbridge for Asheville widow

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY HOMETOWN) — Hurricane Helene was devastating. There are places, like Asheville, that have gotten a lot of attention since Helene hit.

But there’s an overlooked group of people who are the last to step forward — and the last to ask for help.

“A little overwhelmed.”

Usually, Shelia Thompson McCloud prefers the quiet. You could say, she’s quiet.

“I really ain’t got the words,” said Shelia.

But at this moment, the noise is a welcome reprieve from the silence.

“There wasn’t anyone I could call,” said Shelia.

The problem with being quiet is that sometimes, that means you’re overlooked and alone.

“I don’t know,” cried Shelia.

Although she has her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, she’s missing someone important. That someone always filled the stillness with love and memories.

“My late husband helped plant every one of these,” said Shelia.

Her husband, Eugene, passed away five years ago. She thinks about him all the time.

“Every day,” said Shelia. “It’s kind of like someone looking out for you.”

On September 27, 2024, there was a different noise along her road — the sound of Hurricane Helene’s fury.

“It was a different place, it wasn’t home,” remembered Shelia. “It looked like I was watching something on TV.”

Since that noise, it’d been about a year of quiet since.

Until, finally, Robin Ollis with ‘Bridges for Avery’ listened and built her a new footbridge for free.

“I am blessed- I’m not used to people helping me,” said Shelia.

Robin said, there’s so many widows and women who’ve been stranded since Helene. They’re often the people who hide the fact they need help — and she’s been working to help them ever since.

“My grandchildren fished off it,” Shelia told Robin. “It’s just… life changing.”

A construction crew from another state built Shelia a new footbridge in the span of a few hours. It didn’t cost her a thing.

“That took a lot off my mind, a lot off my heart,” said Shelia.

After a few hours, the crew wrapped up, and the quiet came back. Though it’s not the same as before Helene, it finally sounds like peace.

Bridges for Avery is a nonprofit that popped up after Helene hit. They’ve been building bridges all across the county and run entirely on donations. If you’d like to help, click here.