A car for Dawn and Ralph

Local real estate office surprises Black Mountain couple at Lake Tomahawk

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
April 19, 2021

Dawn Dixon hugs Nadine Maltz, director of operations for Keller Williams Black Mountain, at Lake Tomahawk, April 17, when Dixon and her husband Ralph were given a car. Photo by Fred McCormick

When Dawn and Ralph Dixon carefully made their way to the pavilion at Lake Tomahawk, April 17, the Black Mountain couple was looking forward to spending a sunny Saturday afternoon with longtime friends and coworkers at a Keller Williams picnic. 

It had been well over a year since the real estate team had gathered in person, and recent health complications made some of it particularly difficult for the Dixons, who had no idea that a life-changing gift was coming in the form of a Subaru Outback. 

Few faces are as familiar around Keller Williams Black Mountain as Dawn’s. Following her retirement from a lengthy career as an agent, she began cleaning the office at the intersection of State Street and Montreat Road a few years ago. When her husband Ralph fell from a ladder, requiring surgery and a lengthy rehabilitation, transportation became an issue. 

“The motor on Dawn’s car gave out recently, and she couldn’t go to the hospital to see Ralph,” said Keller Williams Black Mountain Broker-in-Charge Eddie Colley. “We all knew she needed a car.”

Director of Operations Nadine Maltz organized a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to purchase a reliable car for the Dixons, and many of the dozens of area agents who contributed to the fundraiser attended the picnic at Lake Tomahawk. The campaign also received support from local businesses and representatives of other real estate agencies. 

“We wanted to surprise them,” Colley said, grilling hamburgers just yards away from the inconspicuously parked used light green Subaru. “A bunch of people signed a card that we’re going to give them with the car.”

Matt Jernigan places a red ribbon on the hood of a Subaru Outback that was given to Black Mountain couple, Dawn and Ralph Dixon, in a Keller Williams picnic at Lake Tomahawk. Photo by Fred McCormick

The vehicle was moved nearby and a large red bow was displayed on the hood as Matt Jernigan, who organized the picnic with his wife Michelle, gathered everyone under the pavilion to thank them for being there. The Dixons were visibly emotional when the surprise was announced, as Dawn stood speechless and Ralph quietly bowed his head. 

An emotional Dawn and Ralph Dixon are given a car, after a GoFundMe campaign organized by Keller Williams Black Mountain raised money to purchase it. The Black Mountain couple was without transportation as Ralph recovers from injuries sustained in a fall from a ladder. Photo by Fred McCormick

“This means everything for us,” Dawn said as she hugged and thanked her coworkers for the gift. “Things have been so tough getting him back and forth to the doctor, this is really a gift from God. It’s like a miracle.”

She was “shocked” by the gesture, but feels it’s indicative of the kind of people who work in the office. 

“These are genuinely good people,” Dawn said, as she and Ralph prepared to take their new car home. “That’s why I’ve loved working with them all these years, and I can’t thank them enough for this.”