Our club inducted another outstanding citizen into the Mesquite Rotary Grove of Honor at the site in DeBusk Park, adjacent to the Kidsquest playground, on May 7th. ASI Gymnastics owner Debi Holley was inducted for 2022 as the club continues catching up after the pausing of inductions during the pandemic.
Our club inducted another outstanding citizen into the Mesquite Rotary Grove of Honor at the site in DeBusk Park, adjacent to the Kidsquest playground, on May 7th. ASI Gymnastics owner Debi Holley was inducted for 2022 as the club continues catching up after the pausing of inductions during the pandemic.
The club established this award in 1999 in order to provide a vehicle for honoring Mesquite citizens who have demonstrated a commitment to serving our community, an overall public spirit, and whose efforts have materially benefited our city and/or its people. A tree is planted at the site in honor of each inductee, and their names are added to the plaque at the site for all to see.
Past honorees at the Rotary Grove of Honor include the late Dr. Jack Nelson, Evelyn Williams, the late Nancy Upton, the late James Folks, the late Len Gibbens, Gary Bingham, the late Oran Bain, the late Briggs Todd, the late John Heiman, Sr., the late John Bass, the late Dr. Ralph Poteet, the late Anne Poteet, Dr. James Griffin, Bennye Rice, David Belt, Dr. Byron McKnight, Dwight Hawkins, Dr. James Terry, the late Valerie Bradley, and John Heiman, Jr.
Debi Holley moved to Mesquite in 1965. She attended Mesquite schools, and graduated from North Mesquite High School. Debi graduated from UT Arlington with a BA in accounting and eventually became a CPA.
In 1991, she and husband David Holley started ASI Gymnastics. The first location was, and is, in Mesquite and this year they will be opening location #11. The company serves families in North Texas and Houston and has over 400 employees. Looking for ways to give back to the community after becoming an empty nester in 2004, Debi joined the Mesquite Rotary Club.
As a Rotarian, she created an outstanding record of service to the community, and to Rotary international projects around the world. She has been involved in delivering wheelchairs to physically challenged people in need in Texas, South Africa, and South America, assisting with projects to improve lives in Guatemala, becoming a major donor to the Rotary Foundation, serving on the Mesquite Rotary board, assisting with local and Rotary District 5810 youth programs, being a major or presenting sponsor of the club’s Rodeo Road Rally bike ride fundraisers, chairing the bike ride three times, and serving as the bike ride registration chair for almost 20 years.
Debi also serves as the secretary for the Mesquite ISD Education Foundation and the Treasurer for Sharing Life, where she recently received The Jan Pruitt Hunger Champion award for 2023. So, Debi has not only served the needs of our local community, but has also extended her service around the world, making her a worthy addition to the Grove of Honor.