Church receives donation to disaster relief fund, will help Damascus rebuild

DAMASCUS, Va. (WJHL) – A local church received a donation to its Hurricane Helene relief fund on Wednesday after a country club hosted a pickleball fundraiser.

On Monday, the Virginian Golf and Country Club hosted a “Rally for Relief” pickleball tournament to benefit the Town of Damascus, which suffered some of the worst flood damage in Southwest Virginia.

A portion of the pickleball funds was given to Highlands Fellowship Church in Abingdon for its “Church Challenge Fellowship.” Pastor Allen Jessee said all disaster funds are given to the Washington County, Virginia, community.

“Obviously, we’re dependent on these kinds of things to help these folks,” Jessee said. “And it’s just neighbors serving neighbors. And it’s a great opportunity for us to be who we are as the church to help a community build back stronger.”

Jessee said a truckload of supplies was donated and is being distributed to affected areas like Alvarado, Taylors Valley and Greene Cove.

Kim Nicewonder, the owner of Nicewonder Farm and Vineyard, organized “Rally for Relief.” Highlands Fellowship is her home church.

“My family, we love to give back to the community, and we love to be able to utilize the resources that we feel like we have been blessed with, you know, to bring awareness to different things,” Nicewonder said. “And especially with the hurricane relief, we wanted to be able to contribute and give back to the community.”

In total, Nicewonder said that the pickleball fundraiser raised over $10,000.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather.