Deck the Trees raises $81,000 for local heating assistance

Annual fundraiser celebrates impact of ‘dazzling’ 15th year

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
January 7, 2026

Members of Girl Scout Troop 2498 present Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry Director Kevin Bates with a check for nearly $81,000, Jan. 5, as Deck the Trees celebrates the end of its 15th season. Photo by Fred McCormick

An anticipatory buzz permeated the listening room of the White Horse, Jan. 5, when organizers, participants and supporters of Deck the Trees gathered to celebrate the end of the season. The annual fundraiser supporting the Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry Fuel Fund concluded its 15th year by presenting the nonprofit organization with a check for $80,703.03.

The donation followed a holiday season that featured a record 52 trees displayed at dozens of locations in Black Mountain and Swannanoa.

Attendees enjoyed drinks and dinner, catered by My Father’s Pizza, when Deck the Trees Committee Chair Kat Achtemeier recognized her fellow committee members and expressed gratitude for the support of sponsors, which included Givens Highland Farms, Greybeard Property Management & Sales, Quility, Europa and more than a dozen additional local businesses and residents.

“This party is in your honor, to say ‘thank you’ to you, because without you Deck the Trees wouldn’t have happened,” Achtemeier said. “So who are you? You’re our wonderful sponsors, who way back in the spring gave us a resounding ‘yes’ with your gift of financial support. It was a yes that announced to our community that helping our neighbors stay warm was something you wanted to be a part of.”

Traditionally, at least half of the trees have been featured in the Monte Vista Hotel, but with the property undergoing renovations this year, 34 businesses agreed to display entries, each decorated to coincide with the theme of “Christmas in Music and Song.” Peri Social House hosted nine trees, while Tyson Furniture Co. placed four throughout its show room. White Horse exhibited three trees and Town Hardware and General Store placed two inside its window displays along State Street.

“Each one was dazzling to behold,” Achtemeier said. “There were trees with precious decorations created by children and there trees with works of art or handcrafting skills of adults, which included everything from extra ornaments to tree skirts, all for sale in an effort to support the fuel fund.”

The theme for 2025-26, the committee chair announced, will be “Making Spirits Bright.”

Supporters and participants in the 15th Annual Deck the Trees gather in the White Horse, Jan. 5, to commemorate a successful fundraising campaign. Photo by Fred McCormick

Entries from the Black Mountain Beautification Committee and the Black Mountain Presbyterian Weekday School, both displayed at Peri Social House, raised the most money for the cause. Representatives from both organizations were recognized with the Libba Fairleigh Share the Warmth Award, introduced in honor of the former Deck the Trees Committee chair who retired in 2024.

Before announcing this year’s winners, Fairleigh commended the committee for its ability to adapt to new challenges this year.

“Deck the Trees is always a complex event,” she said. “But, this year what worked in the past didn’t work, and everything had to be re-thought, revised and sometimes completely rebuilt. Then, they had to do that all over again.”

While planning a season without the hotel that has hosted the fundraiser since its founding required volunteers to explore creative solutions, Fairleigh added, the committee of volunteers emerged as a “Swannanoa Valley superstar.”

“What a difference you’ve made in the lives of our neighbors in the valley, and what a difference every one of you has made to the beauty of Black Mountain and Swannanoa,” Fairleigh said. “With your gift of your tree, everyone here is a winner tonight, and our community is the winner.”

The organizations that received the most votes were each presented with four tickets to shows hosted by the White Horse, which was excited to host the annual Deck the Trees party, according to director of operations Zach Hinkle.

“We are over the moon for this event. We loved hosting you guys, and it was such a pleasure to have the trees here,” he said.

Deck the Trees Committee Chair Kat Achtemeier announces the entries that received the most votes over the holiday season. Photo by Fred McCormick

The nonprofit music venue leveraged matching contributions from an anonymous donor to support the fuel fund, Hinkle added. The White Horse presented SVCM Executive Director Kevin Bates an additional check for more than $4,100.

“Also, at the gala, we challenged anybody who was thinking about becoming a White Horse member to join, and that same anonymous donor was willing to give $200 to the fuel fund for every new member who joined,” Hinkle said. The offer to donate to the fuel fund in the name of new members will continue through Saturday, Jan. 24, he added. “In addition, if you own a business or know someone thinking about their charitable giving for the year, as we start January, any check written to fuel fund, over $500, will be matched by this anonymous donor.”

Deck the Trees has become an integral part of the SVCM’s work to assist local residents with fuel and heating expenses each winter, according to the director of the nonprofit organization.

“This year, we have spent over $182,000 to keep nearly 500 households in our community warm this winter,” Bates said. “Turning the heat back on or keeping the power on is truly a matter of life or death for some people. What you all do to make this happen plays such a vital role in our ability to keep this fuel fund going.”

Members of Black Mountain Girl Scout Troop 2498 presented Bates with a ceremonial check for the money raised by Deck the Trees, as the nonprofit organization’s director anticipates that number to increase in the coming days.

“This check is already out of date, because people continue to give online, so that number has changed,” Bates said. “I walked in here tonight and Zach give me a check for an additional $1,200, so that adds to it, as well. So, with the White Horse’s generous offer to continue to give, what do you think we get this number up to $100,000? Let’s do it.”