Eric Church has traded arenas for Appalachia, breaking ground on a heartfelt new project: a mountain community dubbed ‘Blue Haven’, built specifically for families displaced by Hurricane Helene. With his signature sunglasses and a hard hat to match, Church stood on a quiet North Carolina hillside as construction began, visibly emotional as he addressed the crowd. “This is where my soul is at rest,” he said. “After everything they’ve been through, I wanted to do more than just send prayers — I wanted to build something real.”
Breaking ground on a very special project.
Last fall, Eric Church and Luke Combs hosted their Concert For Carolina benefit show, which ended up raising over $24.5 million for residents in western North Carolina that were devastated by historic flooding from Hurricane Helene. Of course, both Eric and Luke have very personal ties to the area, as Luke grew up in Asheville from the time he was eight years old. Eric grew up in Granite Falls, which sits in the foothills of the mountains, and both are Appalachian State University alumni.
They split the money in half for their respective causes, and Church used his portion, which went to his Chief Cares foundation, to purchase land in Avery county where a new community of homes will be built.
And this weekend, Church was joined by North Carolina governor Josh Stein, and other county officials, to break ground on the development to officially get the building process started.
The Blue Haven development will have 40-45 modern e-built homes that will be built by Clayton Homes, and Eric told the Governor that his goal was to make sure the people who lost everything and got dispersed are able to stay at home.
It’s an admirable goal indeed, and the fact that Eric is so focused on helping keep locals where they’re as at peace as he is is truly amazing, and he says it’s the “genesis” of the whole project:
“We’re providing 45 homes to the people of Avery county, for the disaster of Hurricane Helene, and that’s just the beginning. We’re also going to continue to help surrounding counties. You know, when Hurricane Helene happened, I mean, being from here, my heart is here. This is where my soul is at rest. I wanted to help.
And the biggest thing about this is, you know, a lot times, when disaster happens, as you know, people get dispersed. It’s just the way it happens. So the biggest thing for me was, we need to keep people in their community and put a house where their home is. and that’s the whole genesis of what this is.”
Governor Stein is also committing state resources to help with the efforts, and Eric’s Chief Cares foundation is already looking at other land to buy in the local communities to continue this incredible work.
While Eric is gearing up to release a new album Evangeline vs. The Machine on May 2nd, it’s clear that this new project is a huge priority and will continue to be a focus for his foundation for a long time to come. The fact that they’re breaking now is so exciting for all of those who have been displaced by the hurricane, and I can’t wait to see it come together and impact so many lives in a positive way.
Eric recently called Concert for Carolina “the greatest concert I’ve ever played,” and it’s clear that he’s putting his money where his mouth is, so to speak, and then some:
“The greatest concert I’ve ever played was the Concert for Carolina – that’s the greatest thing I’ve been involved with. This song played a big part of that night and is a rallying cry for the people there that still need a lot of help. As a person who writes and performs a song, seeing it truly impact people’s lives is the greatest thing you can hope to accomplish.”
It’s true that music is medicine, and to see Eric, along with Luke Combs, using it, as well as their very large platforms, to do so much good is remarkable and admirable, to say the least. He’s doing way more than anyone could’ve ever expected, and continues to go above and beyond for the people and place that he loves so dearly.
It’s going to do more good than you can imagine for the local people who have been suffering for months now, and the fact that Eric continues to champion this place and people shows his true character and love for helping his community.
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