George Real Estate Group Radio Broadcast

Where Hope Spokes: Disaster Relief in Western North Carolina

• George Real Estate Group

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"Stop looking at the piles and look at the people." These powerful words from Shane Zoccole capture the heart of Spokes of Hope, a faith-based disaster relief organization rebuilding communities long after the media cameras have departed.

Shane and Floreme Zoccole never planned to become disaster relief specialists. But when Hurricane Florence devastated their South Carolina community in 2018, flooding 1,300 homes, they felt called to action. What began with a simple suburban pulling a trailer with supplies has evolved into a ministry that rebuilds entire communities. Their journey exemplifies how ordinary people can make extraordinary impacts when they respond to needs around them.

The Zoccole's bring a unique perspective to disaster recovery. While many focus on debris removal and construction, they understand that true restoration happens in relationships. Now working in Western North Carolina's flood-devastated areas after Hurricane Helene, they've partnered with local leaders like Jake Jarvis and Amish builders from Pennsylvania to create a powerful collaborative effort. Their commitment isn't temporary—they've pledged to stay until recovery is complete, guided by their faith principle that "our God will never leave you or forsake you, then we can't leave."

Perhaps the most beautiful outcome of disaster recovery is how it knits communities together. As Shane noted, neighbors who once didn't know each other now work side by side. This strengthening of community bonds may be the most enduring legacy of their work. Whether through financial support, volunteering, or becoming what they call a "faith responder," listeners can join this inspiring mission by visiting spokesofhopesc.com. As the Zoccole's remind us, when we stay unified in purpose, amazing transformation can emerge from devastation's ashes.

Speaker 1:

The George Real Estate Group radio broadcast is celebrating 10 years on WHKP. The George Real Estate Group is celebrating 10 years on the radio, live every Thursday morning at 10.05 on WHKP 107.7 FM and AM 1450 and streaming online at WHkpcom. Each Friday morning at 845,. The George Real Estate Group presents the Hometown Hero Award to someone in our community who goes above and beyond to make our hometown a better place to live. Here's this week's Hometown Hero Show. It's 845 and time now for our George Real Estate Group Hometown Heroes Salute. We do this every Friday morning and every Friday morning, noah joins me from the George Real Estate Group to salute people in our community who are just making it a better place to live. And, noah, I appreciate you coming in here every Friday morning. How are you doing?

Speaker 2:

So much to be thankful for and grateful to be here sponsoring the Hometown Heroes series and again, this is the highlight of the week, for sure.

Speaker 1:

It really is. It really really is. We have so much to be thankful for. You usually start off our show on Fridays by saying that, and it's so true. We do have so much to be thankful for. The real estate business and the market here is still very active. That's another thing to be thankful for.

Speaker 2:

It is, and just a quick snapshot before we introduce our hometown heroes this week is the real estate market's moving. I mean Henderson County is averaging 126 single family homes a month Year to date. We've actually had more homes sold in henderson county this year versus year to date last year, which is remarkable considering everything our community has gone through. The inventory levels are remaining low. We have about a five month supply and the average single family home price over the last 12 months is in the 540s and that's a result of supply and demand.

Speaker 2:

Another thing to we talked about this yesterday on our radio program, which we podcast all of our radio shows is you know there's a lot of headlines about foreclosures and and it's up seven percent, but it's all about context. They only tell you part of the story. You know it's nothing like it was in 2008, 9, and 10,. It was one out of like some 50 homes were in foreclosure. And when they say they're up 7% right now in the United States it's only one out of 700 homes are facing foreclosure, so it's a very small percentage and it's nothing like it was.

Speaker 2:

Again, context matters when you read the headlines. So we're not in. We're not nothing like it was before. And again, yes, our foreclosures up, but it's relative to what they were before. And again, very small percentage.

Speaker 1:

I think about 1% of the homes I listened to your show yesterday and, uh, basically you know the the only thing that's different here in in the market now from a year ago is that there's a little longer. Stay on the market, right days on.

Speaker 2:

Market are increasing and a little bit more options for buyers not the the the crazy rush that you know. So buyers have a little bit more space. Sellers are still in a great position too, because prices are holding. So again, the market's strong. Again. Less than 1% of homes in the United States are in foreclosure, and if someone is facing a challenge, usually they have equity and we can help them through that. Don't face those challenges alone, oh, okay.

Speaker 1:

You guys have been down that road before.

Speaker 2:

We've walked through clients, through all that. We know real estate happens around life, life happens and then again, grateful to serve the community through real estate. I want to say one thing we have an open house tomorrow at 73 Wisdom Cove Road from 10 am to 12 pm tomorrow, wisdom Cove Road.

Speaker 1:

Wisdom Cove Road In Flat Rock. That'd be a good address, wouldn't it? It's an amazing home.

Speaker 2:

So again, just it's an awesome home and definitely encourage you to come out. Check out our Facebook for all the details.

Speaker 1:

Well, Noah, help me welcome our guests this morning on the George Real Estate Group. Hometown Heroes Flora May and Shane Zaccoli from Spokes of Hope. How in the world are y'all doing this morning?

Speaker 3:

We're doing great. My wife and I are. You know, western North Carolina has become a special place to us.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 3:

When you move around the country and engage in disaster relief. We were hit in 2018 with Hurricane Florence. Where, oh where, were you then? Horry County? Okay, our hometown is Little River, south Carolina, north Myrtle Beach area. There.

Speaker 1:

Okay, okay and.

Speaker 3:

Hurricane Florence. It was, let me think, here September 14th 2018.

Speaker 3:

2018, yeah, 2018,. Hurricane Florence come and we flooded about 1,300 homes in our area. Wow, some got a half of an inch, some got 12 feet, and it was a moment where we decided as a family to stand up. We weren't affected directly, but we stood up for our community and said yes to God to just help, and since then we've learned a lot. Our heart strings were touched by all these organizations coming across the nation to help with no strings attached, just a waft of God that just literally brought help and hope and finance and open checkbooks and hands and feet. It was an amazing moment for my wife and I to see, maybe into our future a little bit. Just wasn't sure what it looked like. We just knew when the whirlwind of God's love come through and helped us get back on our feet. We looked at each other and said that was pretty cool, man, that'd be something maybe we could possibly do. Huh, sweetie.

Speaker 3:

Yes, yes, it is and we are a family of ministry, my husband and I and our children and we just love the Lord and we do it for all glory to God.

Speaker 2:

So were you in ministry prior to the Spokes of Hope?

Speaker 3:

Not specifically disaster relief, but yeah, we were active, very active in our church and in our community. And then, when this happened, I asked my church.

Speaker 3:

I said, man, we could really be impactful, we can make a difference, could we just up and become a, a resource hub for food and for supplies and everything, and that turned into construction management with all these great groups. You know, you got all these groups coming and I've noticed here, even in western north carolina, with jake and and with the local community. We surround them because they, they are the locals and we stand up and become their backbone for a minute, just long enough to say "'Okay, we're here to help, "'we have our resources we share with you'". But it's just a moment where we that's where we embed with community we become local to the area that's affected, knowing that we're gonna leave someday, knowing that as we leave, we want our footprint to be small, and that the local was resilient. They are stood up again and they become self-sufficient on their own.

Speaker 3:

But there's a moment, just like moses in the desert, where he couldn't hold his arms up and we have to hold up that arms, community.

Speaker 3:

And we never knew we were going to do it, but god knew and we just worked through that process of uh, okay, so we're fixed in our town and, man, could we really make a difference?

Speaker 3:

Not knowing sometimes, you know, faith is something you can't see and and we walked towards that and we responded we had a Suburban and a black little open trailer and we'd throw a freezer on it with a generator and we would drive around a community such as this and fill freezers, because, you know, a lot of people maybe not got affected by the storm itself with physical damage, but they lost power for two weeks and they lost all their meat and their food and we started there and then, next thing, you know, we got a chainsaw and then then we got a little trailer and then we got a skid stir and all these things that god's just brought to the table, to where now we can murmur from our lips pretty incredible, sweetie, that we can say we helped rebuild a town and it was chimney rock and 14 stores and but, but it was building relationships.

Speaker 3:

So you know, the mistake that people make in disaster is they think they're running Chimney Rock and 14 stores, but it was building relationships. The mistake that people make in disaster is they think they're running towards the pile and the storm and the buildings, and we're really not, and God showed me a long time ago. Stop looking at the piles and look at the people, because the piles will gravitate us. The media wants to see the piles and the destruction and we see it too. We obviously know we have to fix things, because that's why we're here, but the disaster truly is in the heart.

Speaker 1:

Well, you guys are actual boots on the ground in the gorge. You are hanging sheetrock and moving trash and you have an encampment of people. You mentioned jake a minute ago and we must highlight the fact that jake jarvis, who's been a guest here many times with us, noah uh, he was awarded yesterday a national hero award from con equip parts, a construction supplier out of buffalo, new york. They awarded jake uh with america's hardest worker award a national honor. Supplier out of Buffalo, new York. They awarded Jake with America's Hardest Worker Award a national honor. And that just brings, oh man, we think Jake is good stuff and you guys are working together there in the gorge, right?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, as we finished Chimney Rock, we knew that their parking was decreased by a third. They lost a lot of their parking lot, so we knew there was a moment where we would shed a tear and shift out of chimney rock to a different location. And and steve freeman, I think you've had him on the show here too. Yes, you know, steve's a wonderful man and just man, just such a loyal, dedicated. He is fire chief, but a lot of look, a lot of people look at him as the mayor, yeah, and he is that stable pillar of faith and as help in that community. But there's a street called red anderson, yes, and there's a family, the decker family, and they own three or four houses and a garage and and they opened that street up to us and said please come and help our community. We would love to offer you our homes. There's some of them need and we'll fix them and it'll be better than when we came.

Speaker 3:

But, yes, we are together now, jake and I. We met each other through his need and my need. I needed some help with some earthwork and he needed help with a family on a hill. We call it the Yellow House and it's a special home because Jake had to climb his excavator up a hill that was probably a 75-degree bank and just unheard of you just don't pull equipment up that steep of a hill and he did it and Bench dug out a footing for us. And then we brought in the team from Lancaster, pennsylvania, and the Amish community is partnered with us but again, relational, they're incredible. They're so loving in the skills they bring. So we've all come together and Jake does the earthwork and we schedule and get materials in kind, purchase materials with partnerships across the nation, and then the Amish come in with us and we all three of us work together. So it's a unified street with three different big organizations that are trying to make a difference in Western North Carolina.

Speaker 2:

I wish we had a whole lot more time, because we'll have to have you come back, of course. But a lot of people don't realize this. I mean Steve was saying you're committed long term. I mean like I mean you're not here forever, this is temporary. But I mean a lot of people came in at the beginning but you guys are still here. Yes, we are, yeah.

Speaker 3:

And let me speak on that because you know again, if we call ourselves a faith-based organization, then we have to stand on God's word. Right, if we're going to say we're faith-based, we have to believe what God's word is true. And so when we come to a town, in our hearts and we murmur from our lips, hey, our God will never leave you or forsake you, then we can't leave and we have to stay. And then the last thing jesus said on the cross was what he said it is finished. And so if we come to a town and speak of our god will never leave or forsake you, knowing that jesus finished, we want to finish and that's our commitment. Um, it turns into a commitment to the community, but the real commitment is to God. Will we honor his word and will we honor him and represent, will we finish for him? And that's why we're here.

Speaker 1:

There is no finish line for us.

Speaker 3:

We're still having fun in the middle.

Speaker 1:

The middle is just as fun as the end, guys. Well, we sure appreciate what you're doing. Folks, in the couple of minutes we've got left, how can we help? How can people who want to pitch in? This is part of our county and you see, we're in the city here and it looks normal, but you go just 15 minutes that way and part of Henderson County is still in need.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, and you know the resiliency of what we've seen in Western North Carolina is that neighbors didn't know neighbors. Then Isn't that across America? It's that same story of I don't even know who my neighbor is, but they know each other. Now and I feel like it's like going to the gym and working out Once the muscles are developed it's just easier to work them muscles out. And I see our churches unified, I see community together.

Speaker 3:

I think what's needed the most is keep asking what we need, and they don't always. It's not always specific to, but you know, some would say finances, some would say lumber, some would say we need more dirt put back from. You know what the river took, but I think what it is is we need to stay unified and then all that unification just brings to the table what we need. You know, psalms 133 says that within the unity God commands the blessing. So if we just stay unified, I would say if the ears hearing my voice stay unified, god smiles and delights in the unity of brethren and we, if we unify God he'll, he'll command the blessing on this community.

Speaker 3:

I think it's the best time and the worst time together. I think the beauty is coming out of the ashes in this area that's still broken, but don't we all walk in brokennessness? So it's just a blessing to serve in a high capacity in this area, and this because of the friendships, because I don't never met you before on radio. Now I've met you and now we, we. There's a seed of friendship that plants, and that's what the glory of the mustard seed does. So it's just an honor to be here yes, it is, it is, thank you.

Speaker 2:

How can people reach? Do you have a way for people to reach out to connect?

Speaker 3:

We do. We have a website and it's just Spokes of Hope SC for South Carolina, so spokesofhopesccom, and there you can find anything you want to do. Explore around, see what we do. Become a faith responder. Our tag is a faith responder. We work right alongside first responders, so we consider ourselves to be faith responders and if there was a logo and a tag, we kind of enjoy it. It's corny but we love it, because all of us need to respond faithfully to God's call.

Speaker 1:

Well, we can't say thank you enough. Your names have kept coming up and kept coming up as people we should recognize here on the Hometown Hero Series, and you've been as busy here this morning as I have. You've been continuing to work and get crews to places they need to be this morning, and so we thank you so much for that.

Speaker 3:

Noah's got a certificate over here that says thank you, thank you, thank you, and get ready on the real estate side of sponsoring this bit this morning. So much for that. Noah's got a certificate over here that says thank you, thank you, thank you, and get ready on the real estate side of sponsoring this bit this morning. Watch the real estate.

Speaker 3:

It's going to be good. Man, god does it better, and Chimney Rock and that whole gorge, it's going to be better than ever. So you better buy your real estate now, because if you don't, it's going to cost you double.

Speaker 1:

I'm just telling you, join us next Friday for the George Real Estate Group, hometown Heroes 107.7 FM and WHKP AM 1450, hendersonville, north Carolina.

Speaker 2:

Maybe the house feels a little too big these days, the stairs a little steeper, the pace of life a little too fast. But what if your next move wasn't about letting go. It was about making space for peace, for freedom, for what matters most? At the George Real Estate Group, we understand that real estate isn't just about the house. It's about transitions, timing and trust. We've helped thousands of families in Western North Carolina make smart, thoughtful moves closer to nature, closer to family, closer to home. So when you're ready to right size, simplify or start fresh, we'll be here. The George Real Estate Group, local, trusted, proven. Call us today, 828-393-0134. Find us online at realestatebygregcom, because your next chapter deserves to feel just right.

Speaker 1:

The George Real Estate Group is located in Flat Rock, north Carolina, near Hendersonville in Henderson County. You can find them online at realestatebygregcom. The George Real Estate Group can be reached at 828-393-0134 or stop by their office at 2720 Greenville Highway, flat Rock, north Carolina. Tune in live each week on Thursdays at 10.05 am on WHKP 107.7 FM and 1450 am, or stream online at WHKPcom or download these podcasts wherever you get your podcasts. The George Real Estate Group brings you the WHKP Hometown Hero Series every Friday morning at 845.