ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The owner of a Rochester cheer gym is dealing with a devastating loss after 11 members of his family, including his mother and father, died in North Carolina during Hurricane Helene.

Chad Wright’s parents and nine other relatives who lived in Craigstown, North Carolina died in the hurricane and the mudslides that followed. Most of that county was completely washed away, destroyed by Helene.

In the weeks since, Chad and his siblings have been trying to come to terms with what happened to their family and plan the final arrangements.

Chad lives in Texas but owns Cheer Athletics of Rochester and is here in the area at least once a month. He coaches a competitive cheer team and his athletes and friends at the gym are just devastated for him.

“Pretty hard because just because Chad is, I mean, he’s always like the tough man. He’s always, he’s military so, to see something so tragic happen to somebody who has always been our leader and our strong person was really tough for all of us to kind of hear and understand and watch him go through,” said Savannah Cerone, Program Director at Cheer Athletics Rochester.

They’ve decided to hold a cheer clinic on Veterans Day, since Chad is a veteran himself, to raise money for his family’s burial and anything he and his siblings might need as they try to move forward from such a heartbreaking loss.

The clinic is open to anyone. It’s $75 per person and being held on November 11. If you’re not into cheer, you can donate directly to Chad and his family.

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