Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina Named Recipients of Pam Penland Mental Health Champion Award

The Rev. Canon Augusta Anderson (Canon to the Ordinary & Chief of Staff, Diocese of WNC); The Rev. Kelsey Davis (Bishop's Deputy for Disaster Response, Diocese of WNC); Meredith Switzer, M.Ed. (Executive Director, All Souls Counseling Center); & Pam Penland (Clinical Manager, All Souls Counseling Center)

In 2000, All Souls Counseling Center was formed in the Cathedral of All Souls as a response to a growing need for mental health support in the greater Asheville area. In the same year, it became an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and it has served the community of Western North Carolina ever since. Although All Souls Counseling Center operates completely independently of the Diocese of Western North Carolina, the two organizations have remained loyal supporters and partners.

On October 20, 2026, the Diocese of Western North Carolina was invited to All Souls Counseling Center’s Green Ribbon Society event to receive the Pam Penland Mental Health Champion Award. The event took place at Trinity Episcopal Church in downtown Asheville. The Rev. Kelsey Davis, Bishop’s Deputy for Disaster Response, and the Rev. Canon Augusta Anderson received the award on behalf of the wider diocese.

The Rev. Kelsey Davis shares, “The Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina is deeply honored to receive the 2026 Pam Penland Mental Health Champion Award from All Souls Counseling Center. We receive it on behalf of the generations of Episcopalians who have worked, and continue to work, for mental health access. Our partnership with ASCC has reminded us that recovery in our region is never only about rebuilding structures; it’s about caring for the whole person: mind, body, and spirit. We’re grateful for their steady, compassionate presence and for the gift of walking alongside our neighbors together.”

This award comes two years after Hurricane Helene landed in Western North Carolina. Although many homes have been repaired and businesses have reopened, communities continue to face many long-term recovery needs. The Disaster Response Team of the Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina, led by Davis, has discerned that a crucial need in this phase of recovery is mental health support.

In response to this need, the diocese partnered with All Souls Counseling Center to help embed therapists in two communities that were hardest hit by Helene: Bat Cave and Burnsville. Through this partnership, residents of the Bat Cave and Burnsville area now have free access to therapy and mental health support.

The Rev. John Roberts, Rector of Church of the Transfiguration in Bat Cave, NC.

The Rev. John Roberts, rector of Church of the Transfiguration in Bat Cave, gave the keynote address at the Green Ribbon Society event. He spoke about the early days of recovery, when he literally tossed his keys to some community leaders so the church space could be used for shelter. The church has now offered space for therapy and support groups.

He reflected, “While I now have the keys of the church back in my pocket, a two-year-old disruption is still a reminder that the keys of the church are not mine, but shared by all, and that the healing of body, mind, and spirit is deserved by all. Sometimes our role is just opening a window of access and possibility; for us, one of those windows was our partnership with All Souls Counseling.

We all know more disruptions will come: some that affect us more as individuals, and some that affect entire communities and regions of our land. And we don’t have to navigate them alone. Down in Bat Cave, we have seen how, in partnering together, even the worst disruptions can be healed and made holy.”