On Sunday, August 10, more than 200 attendees came together at the Vestavia Hills Civic Center to celebrate inclusion and kick off football season at Down Syndrome Alabama’s 2nd annual "Football, Fashion & Fun" event — a high-energy afternoon of fashion, football, and heartfelt storytelling. The runway came alive with 30 models — ages 1 to 25 — all members of the … [Read more...]

By Brent Thompson      For more than 10 years, the phone would ring several times each week around 11:30 a.m. The call would come from either me or Scott Allen and it always began with the same four words - “Have you eaten yet?” Scott and I ate lunch together more often than most friends do and I am so grateful that we did. I now know that we were … [Read more...]

By Nausicaa ChuIt is not often that people say you look like Natalie Portman. It’s even less likely for this to happen on the streets of Germany while you are researching Ukrainian technology and perfecting your German-language skills.But Laura Aughtman frequently finds herself in unusual situations. In fact, her trip to Germany was but one leg on a journey that has … [Read more...]

By Nausicaa ChuThey are mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers, attorneys, CEOs and shopowners. They are also cancer survivors—in that order.For Jim Proctor, Lynn Ritchie, Tricia Kirk and Lauren DeMoss, cancer is but one part of a bigger life story. On August 23, they will tell these stories on stage as honorees of the Hope Gala, the American … [Read more...]

By Nausicaa ChuIn Cieneguita, Panama, a single main road cuts through a patchwork of grass and trees like a vein. To the south, the road winds through empty swaths of green before reaching the small village. Most people have never heard of this village. Even people 20 minutes down the road do not know that it exists.Yet, 3,000 miles away, Gina Winn and students from … [Read more...]