EVENT PHOTO BOOTH
On Thursday, March 12th at 6:30 PM, step aboard and join us as we go Rollin’ on the River to benefit essential JFS mental health services and honor longtime JFS volunteers Debbie and Leon Pesses.
As a valued member of our JFS community, we can’t embark on this river journey without you. Secure your spot on deck for an evening that promises music, celebration, and heartfelt recognition of Leon and Debbie’s enduring dedication to JFS and our mission to serve the most vulnerable members of our community.
Guests will enjoy a festive dairy dinner, cocktail hour, photo opportunities, and more—all on the banks of the Mississippi River!
Please wear your riverboat best; business casual is also welcome aboard.
Ticket information
$25,000 Cotton Blossom Presenting Sponsor
- Recognition as Presenting Sponsor on 4,000 invitations
- Prominent seating at reserved table for 8
- Opportunity to speak and present corporate materials at event
- Recognition on all promotional materials, event-day signage, and program
- Listing on JFS website
- Dedicated recognition on JFS social media
$10,000 Creole Queen Sponsor
- Prominent seating at reserved table for 8
- Opportunity to speak and present corporate materials at event
- Recognition on invitation, event-day signage, and program
- Listing on JFS website
- Dedicated recognition on JFS social media
$7,500 Steamboat Natchez Sponsor
- Tickets for 4
- Recognition on invitation, event-day signage, and program
- Listing on JFS website
- Recognition on JFS social media
$5,000 Ol’ Man River Sponsor
- Tickets for 4
- Recognition on invitation, event-day signage and program
$2,500 Captain Patron
- Tickets for 2
- Recognition on invitation, event-day signage and program
$1,000 Calliope Patron
- Tickets for 2
- Recognition on invitation, event-day signage and program
$500 Proud Mary Patron
- Tickets for 2
- Recognition on invitation, event-day signage and program
$250 Paddle Wheel Patron
- Ticket for 1
- Recognition on invitation, event-day signage and program
Stagehand Tickets
- $175/person.
Deckhand Tickets
- Young adults under 40 are $150 for one person and $125/person for multiples
Other Details
Food: We’re serving a buffet-style dairy dinner. We will not serve beef, pork, chicken, or shellfish. We will serve fish. If you require a kosher dinner, please email haley@jfsneworleans.org no later than March 1st.
Parking: If you choose to drive, park right out front in a Premium Parking Lot (P401, Jax Lot – 500 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70130). We recommend ride sharing (cab, Uber, Lyft, etc.)
Security: We will have ample security and are consulting with NOPD and the Jewish Community Security Director, James Stewart.
Attire: Costumes encouraged but not required! Business casual is fine. Let our Rollin’ on the River theme inspire you. We are taking cues from the musical Show Boat!
Location: The Misi, 600 Decatur St Level 3 Suite 350, New Orleans, LA 70130 (3rd floor of the Jax Brewery Building)
Our Honorees
To say that Debbie and Leon were besheret (Yiddish for “meant for each other”) is an understatement. Both grew up in families rooted in retail and rich in values. Debbie was raised in Starkville, Mississippi, where her family owned Katz Department Store, while Leon grew up in New Orleans around his family’s Dukes Hat Store. In both households, education, community involvement, music, and Jewish identity
were central. Debbie played piano and clarinet; Leon played the French horn. Giving back was also an expectation. Leon’s grandmother oversaw pick-ups for Hadassah’s thrift store, and both of his parents were active in B’nai B’rith. Debbie’s parents were deeply involved in civic and Jewish life, including the Lions Club, Kiwanis, Reform Jewish Women, and Temple B’nai Israel.
Jewish identity was a priority for both families, ensuring that Debbie and Leon were bar mitzvahed, confirmed, and active in Jewish youth groups. Leon was involved in AZA through B’nai B’rith, while Debbie participated in SoFTY. Debbie’s parents were so committed to her Jewish engagement that they drove as much as 1,000 miles in a single weekend so she could meet other Jewish teens. These formative experiences profoundly shaped both of their lives.
When it came time for college, each sought out a campus with a strong Jewish community. Leon attended Tulane University, earning a full-tuition Gus Mayer Scholarship from the City of New Orleans and graduating with a degree in Electrical Engineering. After college, he took his first job as an engineer aboard the USS Nimitz, the nation’s first nuclear-powered submarine, stationed in Virginia. Missing home, Leon returned to New Orleans the following year and began working in commercial engineering, contributing to projects such as the Hilton Riverfront and its then-iconic rainforest rooftop bar.
In 1977, Leon earned his Professional Engineering license and moved into consulting engineering with Guillot Vogt Associates, where he designed electrical systems for major projects. In 1995, he and a partner founded GVA Engineering, a firm that remains in operation today. Together, they have designed or upgraded electrical systems for more than 3,000 buildings, including hospitals and schools throughout the Greater New Orleans area, making the city safer and stronger. Although Leon officially retired in 2021, his expertise remains so valued that he continues to assist the firm part-time.
Since retiring, Leon has devoted even more time to community life. In addition to fishing and cycling, he has been deeply engaged at Congregation Beth Israel, serving on the board and executive board and helping revitalize the essential Cemetery Committee. Ever since Beth Israel on Canal Street, Leon’s childhood synagogue, was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, Debbie and Leon have remained steadfast in their commitment to ensuring that a modern Orthodox synagogue continues to thrive in New Orleans.
Debbie began her college career at LSU, where she became a member of Alpha Epsilon Phi, and later transferred to Memphis State University, now the University of Memphis. There, she was highly active in Hillel and graduated with honors with a degree in Communications. In 1974, Debbie moved to New Orleans to work for JCPenney as a Marketing Merchandise Manager. Two years later, she and Leon met at a Jewish singles event that both of their mothers had enthusiastically encouraged them to attend. They married the following year at Debbie’s small hometown synagogue in Mississippi.
In 1979, their daughter Greta was born. Although Debbie and Leon both needed to work, the high cost of quality childcare and the inequities of women’s salaries at the time allowed Debbie the opportunity to stay home and raise their daughter. Never one to remain idle, she soon began volunteering with NCJW Moonlighters and Hadassah’s newly formed nighttime group for young mothers.
In 1980, Debbie and Leon joined what was then known as Tikvat Shalom, where they quickly became deeply involved. The synagogue’s welcoming environment, along with childcare and programming for young families, inspired their long-standing commitment. Over the years, Debbie contributed her talents to publicity, fundraising, Nearly New Sales, and the Mitzvah Donor Play, eventually serving as President of the Sisterhood. She also served on the regional board of the Southern Branch of Women’s League and on the synagogue’s board and executive board, co-chairing numerous fundraisers.
Leon, meanwhile, was a constant presence behind the scenes, offering guidance on facilities and electrical matters and making himself available whenever help was needed for synagogue events.
In 1981, their son Evan was born, and with trusted babysitters in place, Debbie expanded her volunteer involvement even further. In 1986, Debbie and Leon were selected to participate in the Lehmann-Stern Young Leadership Council, the predecessor to Katz-Phillip. Through this program, they took the first of three trips to Israel, experiences that cemented their lifelong commitment to Zionism and deepened their connection to the broader New Orleans Jewish community.
Debbie’s leadership and service were further recognized in 1988, when she was named an Outstanding Young Woman in America.
As her children grew older, Debbie returned to the workforce and was recruited to market Woldenberg Village, a new retirement community for older Jewish adults. Working alongside her partner, Joyce Ellis, z”l, she developed cultural programming, led tours, and helped fill independent living residences. She later consulted on The Azaleas, the community’s assisted living expansion. This role allowed Debbie to combine her marketing expertise with her love of working with seniors in a Jewish environment.
During their children’s teenage years, Debbie and Leon were also active volunteers with Young Judaea. Debbie served as a Young Judaea “mom” for multiple regional retreats, including the Kittiwake annual gathering. In recognition of her dedication, she received the New Orleans Woman Chapter of the Year Award at the regional convention.
After Woldenberg Village was sold to Touro Infirmary, Debbie joined the Jewish Community Center in what would become the most beloved role of her career, Jewish Enrichment Director. In this position, she oversaw the Jewish Book Fair, Yom HaShoah commemorations, Israel Independence Day celebrations, Chanukah programming, the Melton Adult Education Program, and holiday education and décor throughout the JCC. She also directed senior adult programming for several years, an experience she found deeply enriching.
Throughout the years, Debbie and Leon have consistently volunteered for Passover Food Baskets, beginning when their children were young, believing it was essential for children to understand that there are Jewish families in need. Debbie has also volunteered for many years with Jewish Family Service’s Bikur Chaverim Visiting Friends Program and hopes to help restart the initiative.
After retiring in 2013, Debbie focused her volunteer energy on Jewish Family Service. Having previously worked for other Federation beneficiary agencies, she had not been eligible to serve on their boards, making her invitation to join the JFS board especially meaningful. She went on to coordinate two major fundraisers, serve as First Vice President, and ultimately as President, a role she describes as one of the greatest joys of her life.
Debbie and Leon have been married for 49 years, a milestone Debbie attributes to Leon’s enduring ability to make her laugh. They love to travel and have visited 29 countries so far, enjoy going to the movies, watching classic films, and listening to the Beatles.
Throughout their marriage, their priorities have remained constant: family first, Jewish education and Jewish life, and the strength of the Jewish community.
Their greatest contributions and deepest joys are their family: their daughter Greta, a former preschool teacher, current part-time nanny, and pug breeder; their son Evan, a digital cinematographer and producer for Verizon Entertainment; Evan’s wife, Sara, Vice President of Digital Marketing for CarMax; and their beloved granddaughters, Bette, age five, and Annie, age two.
To Debbie and Leon, Jewish Family Service is the most vital agency supported by Federation, serving the most vulnerable members of the community and embodying the values they hold dear: family, Jewish commitment, and tikkun olam. Through their contributions, they hope they have helped in some small way. JFS is their besheret, and they are deeply honored.
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