by Jim Matheny
The final numbers are in from the Friends of the Smokies Asheville Benefit held September 25, 2026. The event netted $129,122 to support needed programs and projects in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The benefit, presented by Deerfield and its foundation, was held in Downtown Asheville with stunning views of the surrounding mountains. See video highlights of the festive event on our YouTube channel.
Thank you all the attendees, volunteers, donors of auction items, bidders at the auction, and our many generous sponsors who made the event a success!
The theme for the evening was “Denim and Diamonds” with attendees dressed to impress with a range of casual and elegant attire while enjoying live bluegrass music.
“This Friends of the Smokies benefit is really about making new friends and raising money for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park,” said Steve Giglotti, Board Director who helped organize the event.
“This is our first event like this in Asheville and it sold out,” said Lindsay Howell, special events director for Friends of the Smokies. “Seeing the community come together to support us has just been truly inspiring. It’s a great time for a great purpose,”
Laura Webb, Board of Directors Treasurer for Friends of the Smokies, shared the family connections and longtime involvement of Asheville in creating and supporting Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Her great-grandfather was the editor of the Asheville newspaper in the 1920s and was instrumental in garnering support for the creation of the national park.
“This is really personal to me,” Webb said. “Friends of the Smokies is helping be good stewards of what [my great-grandfather’s] generation created, to help preserve and protect it for Western North Carolina. I would kind of like [this event] to become a tradition to look after a tradition. Friends of the Smokies is our generation’s promise to the next.”
Webb also lauded the many sponsors who contributed to the Asheville Benefit.
“Being a sponsor of a wonderful event like this tells people that you care about your community and you’re willing to invest in it. It’s not just a sponsorship. It’s stewardship,” said Webb.
Deerfield and its charitable foundation were the presenting sponsor of the Asheville Benefit. The foundation’s executive director said they chose to sponsor the event as part of an ongoing effort to serve the region.
“After Hurricane Helene, we of course immediately made sure that our residents and our staff were really well taken care of,” said Michelle Wooley, Executive Director of the Deerfield Charitable Foundation. “Then we started looking further out to see how can we serve the greater community. When we saw the Friends of the Smokies coming to Asheville, we so wanted to share our resources with an organization that’s doing so much for the region. It’s following our passions, our residents’ passions, and Western North Carolina’s. It’s what we are.”
The evening’s auction and fund appeal specifically focused on helping fund search and rescue efforts in the Smokies. Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Charlie Sellars spoke to the group about the importance of emergency response.
An album of photos from the event taken by volunteer photographer Bruce McCamish is available on Flickr at the following link: https://www.flickr.com/gp/friendsofthesmokies/k1rj9g1101
To learn more about Friends of the Smokies and make a donation, visit friendsofthesmokies.org
Thank You, Sponsors!
The Friends of the Smokies Asheville Benefit owes a debt of gratitude to the sponsors who helped make the event a success. The sponsors are listed below in tiers of giving with links to their websites. The sponsors are also listed on the Asheville Benefit’s webpage.
- Presenting Sponsor: Deerfield and its foundation
- Summit Sponsors: Cataloochee Ranch, Pinnacle Financial Partners
- Canopy Sponsors: Brunk Auctions, Ole Smoky Tennessee Distillery
- Underwriters: A-American Electric, Carolina Flowers Farm & Florist, Marthaler Jewelers, Spicer Greene Jewelers, Truist, Yesterday’s Tree
- Foothills Sponsors: Asheville Art Museum, Bartlett Tree Experts, Beacon Dermatology, Blue Ridge Hiking Company, boutique Lp, Togar Rugs
About Friends of the Smokies
Friends of the Smokies is the official nonprofit partner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Through private donations, fundraising events, and specialty license plates in North Carolina and Tennessee, Friends raises money to fund needed projects and programs in the national park that would otherwise go unfunded.
Learn more about how to get a Friends of the Smokies license plate at BearPlate.org. You can make a direct tax-deductible donation at our website. We are also grateful for those who pitch in at our donation boxes throughout the park. Every gift makes a significant difference for our beloved Smokies. Thank you, Friends!
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