Orange Beach resident earns Mazda Community Hero Award

Orange Beach resident earns Mazda Community Hero Award
Ashley Dobbs recognized for her commitment to helping others
Orange Beach resident Ashley Dobbs was recently named one of Mazda’s 50 Community Heroes, an honor that included a brand new Mazda Miata Anniversary Edition car, for her service helping those in New Orleans suffering with Covid, and her volunteer work raising money, gathering supplies and making two trips to Lake Charles to help those in need after Hurricanes Laura and Delta struck Southwest Louisiana within a span of six weeks.
An intensive care nurse at South Baldwin Regional Medical Center, Dobbs was nominated for the award by Nancy McMeekin. The two became friends through their membership in Pleasure Isle’s Auroras mardi gras krewe.
“I’m feeling really blessed that I was able to convey in a one-minute video enough about Ashley’s story to have Mazda’s contest people take notice,’’ McMeekin said.
Dobbs is also a member of the Pink Stilettos mardi gras krewe.
She and her husband of almost 10 years, Justin Dobbs, met through mutual friends in Birmingham and moved to Orange Beach two months to the day after getting married. Justin is a firefighter in Gulf Shores.
Mazda announced on Good Morning America on Oct. 5 that the company would give away 50 Special-Edition Mazda Miata MX-5’s in celebration of the car company’s 100th Anniversary to selfless individuals who have done heroic things for their communities.
McMeekin happened to be watching and immediately thought of Dobbs because of her dedication to her patients and her work with the Wharf Rats, an Orange Beach based group with a simple motto: Help others in crisis situations.
During her two trips to Lake Charles with truckloads full of necessities donated by Baldwin County individuals and companies, the Rats set up an outdoor kitchen to cook hot meals for people.
In addition to her hurricane relief work with The Wharf Rats, Dobbs spent weeks in New Orleans helping during a Covid-19 spike before Covid had impacted South Baldwin County.
This past September’s Hurricane Sally hit the Dobbs and many other Pleasure Island residents hard, as their entire neighborhood flooded. But even then, the couple reached out to help others.
At first, they welcomed people to their home, which they were convinced would not flood because they had built it up higher than required.
In the middle of the night, during the worst of the storm, Dobbs was just trying to keep calm when she heard a loud knock at the door.
Justin opened the door to their home on Starboard Lane in Orange Beach and ran out to help a neighbor.
Ashley says she was terrified that he would be swept away. After 10 or so long minutes, Justin came back in carrying a child above his head in the now-deep water. A neighbor brought another child in and a woman came in carrying a baby.
The Dobbs’ home was almost completely flooded and all the vehicles at their house were totaled. It is still uninhabitable as they work their way through the insurance maze along with many others.
“When Sally was coming, she opened her home to friends. By morning, everything was flooded,’’ said McMeekin. “Yet within days, Ashley and friends were passing out meals to those here who were hurt by Sally and in need.’’
Those nominating worthy candidates for the award were required to submit one-minute videos describing why their nominee should be recognized.
“I knew the odds were against us. But I also knew that if there was a chance that I could make a difference in the really tough year that Ashley had been through, I just had to try,” McMeekin said.
A Mazda representative called Dobbs on Nov. 23 to tell her she was a winner. But she had to keep it under wraps until the car was presented.
On Dec. 17, Ashley, Justin and Nancy and Larry McMeekin drove to Ft. Walton Beach Mazda to collect the Mazda Miata Heroes Edition.
“I love to take leadership roles, but I hate being the center of attention,” a nervous Dobbs said before the two couples arrived to find a horde of dealership employees welcoming them with congratulatory signs.
Dobbs’ car (a hard-top convertible, white with red leather seats and red carpet) has been fun to drive, she said.
“I feel so blessed that Ashley was recognized for her service at South Baldwin, her dedication to her patients and her selfless efforts to help Louisiana residents in their time of need,” McMeekin said. “I believe this opportunity was put on my heart, not just to help Ashley and Justin in their tough times after Hurricane Sally, but to offer a joyful story to end 2020.”
For her part, Dobbs said it is the community of people around her that inspires her to reach out to help others.
“There is such a sense of community in our small town that you just want to pour back into it,’’ she said.
“We are so obsessed with where we live that we want to give back. We feel so lucky to live here.’’
Pictured: Ashley Dobbs with her brand new car; Justin and Ashley loading supplies with the philanthropic group, Wharf Rats for hurricane victims in Lake Charles; Justin Dobbs wades through deep water outside the couple’s Orange Beach home the morning after Hurricane Sally struck on Sept. 16.