America Deserves A Raise

Deborah started off as a Cub Scout leader for her son’s pack, sharing the responsibility with her husband, Lloyd. When Lloyd went back to school two years ago to train to be a police officer on top of working full time at his regular job, Deb was on her own with the pack. But she loved scouting and continued to give it her all on top of working full time and raising their two children. As the boys in her troop grew she went with them from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts.  Then she heard of an older Boy Scout troop in her area that was about to be dissolved because they had lost their leader and couldn’t get a volunteer to replace him. Deb wouldn’t let that happen. She accepted the responsibility of leading the older group of boys as well as the troop she had led for years.
    Everything was going as well as possible when you have a job, two children, a husband working and going to school and two Boy Scout troops under your supervision. Then the unexpected happened! In June 2009, a car ran a red light and slammed into Deb’s truck. She was rushed to the hospital where she had to have immediate surgery on her left arm, which had been shattered. She had three metal plates put in her arm and her truck was totaled. Luckily her other injuries were minor. Getting a new truck was not in the family budget even with insurance, so sacrifices in other areas had to be made. Transportation was a necessity.  In spite of the mental, physical and financial setbacks, it was only three weeks later that she was camping out with her troops. She was in a cast from shoulder to finger tips and couldn’t participate in many of the activities, but she was determined to be there for them. I can only imagine the discomfort of wearing that cast in the Texas heat in July.
    In February 2010, a freakish snow storm hit the North Texas area and caused a lot of damage. Trees and branches that couldn’t hold up under the stress of 10-12 inches of snow littered the Texas landscape. Where others saw the problem and did nothing but moan and groan about it, Deb saw a unique opportunity for her scouts to help out and work on their Community Service badge at the same time. She took those willing to volunteer with her to help drag branches out of yards, driveways and roads.
    For her hard work in all areas of life, persistence when faced with adversity and constant willingness to be there for others in spite of her own needs, Deborah is one of the most deserving people you will find for a raise.