Debbie and her husband Phil along with their two children moved to Deercreek Country Club in 1997. Phil’s career had him traveling and away from Deercreek a major portion of the time. With their children still in school Debbie had limited excess time but with some of the time she did have, you could expect that she was promoting the club and her community.
As they settled in, Debbie joined the nine-hole golf group and rallied a group of ladies advising them it would be a great game to learn and play; of course it included lunch and lots of comradery. Debbie became the cheerleader for golf as ladies moved in and wanted a hobby. Debbie graduated to 18-hole golf play and became a big supporter and later President of the Ladies Golf Association. She moved from Vice President of the DLGA to president quickly. It was always Debbie encouraging ladies to meet, play golf and be part of the comradery of interclub and summer team play. For Debbie it was easy to promote an idea and unite ladies. Several years later Debbie was influenced to play tennis, we think her sister Diane had a hand in that. Again, Debbie rallied the troops and was a guiding light helping to create the Ladies Tennis Association and became an active participant.
In 1999 a group of ladies met and wanted to start a Women’s Alliance for Deercreek. The mission being philanthropic work within Deercreek and the Jacksonville community. As one of the founding members, Debbie helped to mold and create the organization as it exists today as well as serving as Vice President from 2006 – 2008. Fast forward to 2012, the DWA was having a difficult time recruiting officers for the upcoming year. The existence of the Women’s Alliance was looking pretty grim. No one wanted to step up and continue to lead the organization. When Debbie heard that the Alliance could possibly dissolve, she insisted that it had to continue and would not let anyone lose sight of its mission. Debbie volunteered to be President and recruited a group of ladies to serve as officers. Debbie convinced everyone that the DWA could not die, it had meaning and could not be set aside. Debbie has truly been the person to identify its strengths and weaknesses and run with reorganizing the Alliance to what it is today. Debbie is now in her sixth year as president and isn’t stopping yet, as a matter of fact as we speak, 2018 activities are underway and 2019 plans are not far behind, with fundraising efforts always in the forefront of her mind. Debbie felt the purpose and the strength of the DWA was giving to small and mid-size local grass roots programs of philanthropic organizations. In addition, it was her idea to develop hands on projects so more ladies could be involved. Some of these projects include the Bag Ladies, Hospice Thrift Shop, Gabriel House, Mrs. Mary’s Boutique at the Pace Center for Girls and the Ronald McDonald House, to name just a few.
Debbie is married to Phil Grosnick, has two married children, Paige and Brian, and three adorable grandchildren. And as Debbie puts it, we are in Deercreek forever and the community is grateful for that. Congratulations Debbie on being selected as the Home and Gardens Club 2018 Golden Acorn Award Winner.