By Emily Williams It has been a tumultuous year for many nonprofit organizations throughout the greater Birmingham area and the nation. Mitchell’s Place is no different. Regardless, it has made its way through the pandemic doing what it always does – helping kids. This year marks the organization’s 15th anniversary, and it has been a crucial one. Things have not slowed down … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. Grant Throughout this fall, Vestavia Hills didn’t hold any pep rallies before the Rebels’ football games because of the COVID-19 pandemic.  But on the eve of Buddy Anderson’s final game as the Rebels’ head coach, they held a pep rally at Thompson Reynolds Stadium, and Anderson cooked up a surprise for his wife, Linda, who had been by his side during his … [Read more...]

By Emily Williams At the beginning of October, Vestavia Hills’ Don Hagan concluded a more than six-month cross-country bike journey – though it took a little more imagination than expected. Though a literal cross-country ride could not be finished safely in a pandemic, he found a way to complete his efforts virtually. On March 6, Hagan was not in his Vestavia Hills hometown, … [Read more...]

By Emily Williams To say that Hoover resident Mark Davis is involved in veterans’ support would be an understatement. Mark Davis is veterans’ support. As he walks across a bridge beneath the Veterans Memorial Arbor at Aldridge Gardens, where he has served on the board for more than seven years, visitors pass by while on a jog or walk with friends. “You know, nobody used to … [Read more...]

By Emily Williams Epilepsy has been a part of Tom and Louisa Jeffries’ lives ever since their oldest daughter, Reed, was diagnosed in kindergarten with absence seizures. At the age of 12, she began having grand mal seizures. “There is a huge stigma around epilepsy,” Reed said. “One in 26 people have it, but how many people do you know who say, ‘I have epilepsy’? That is a … [Read more...]