Volunteer of the Month
February 2011
At The Heart of Pinnacle Falls
Residing just a few miles away from the Believe In Tomorrow House at Pinnacle Falls, Debbie Walsh is the local liaison for families who will be visiting the mountain-top home. With local ties to the area surrounding the Pinnacle Falls community, just outside Asheville, NC, Debbie will be coordinating volunteer efforts at the house. But more than that, Debbie has been at the heart and soul of the Believe In Tomorrow House at Pinnacle Falls since the beginning and has since become the Pinnacle Falls “house mom.”
Debbie first came to Believe In Tomorrow when she started working in the Pinnacle Falls offices in 2006, and was immediately touched by the project, jumping right in after the spring 2007 groundbreaking ceremony. She worked alongside general manager AJ Ball and marketing director Jennifer Taylor to find donors and other interested businesses who could lend a hand in building the home, emotionally and financially. They also played a key role in organizing fundraisers like the Bikers Believe events.
Debbie is the mastermind behind so many small, but crucial, details that have contributed to the house’s completion. She played an important role in preparing the house for the December ribbon-cutting ceremony, but certainly did not stop there. With the first family set to stay at the Believe In Tomorrow House at Pinnacle Falls during the month of February, Debbie is leading the volunteer effort.
“The whole project just touched my heart when I heard about it,” says Debbie. “I’m just so happy to do whatever needs to be done – it’s been such a long process and it's a project I’m enamored with and that I believe in.”
She hopes to establish partnerships with local businesses that will provide services, meals and fun opportunities for families. Volunteer groups will routinely be needed to clean and maintain the home, prepare family welcome packages, preserve the garden and surrounding landscaping, among other opportunities. We already have the first of hopefully many volunteer groups to organize weekly meals for families, hosted by neighbor Sally Johns.
In the midst of directing volunteer efforts and working part-time, Debbie also has a sweet secret that only a select few people might ever experience – her talent for baking! Anyone who finds the opportunity to sample one of her carrot, coconut or red velvet cupcakes should consider themselves one of the luckiest people in the world!
Thank you, Debbie, for your heartfelt dedication to Believe In Tomorrow!