By Rae PattersonA walk through the Wildflower Garden at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens one Sunday afternoon 25 to 30 years ago was all it took. Janice Williams said she “fell in love with the place,” and she’s been volunteering with the Botanical Gardens ever since. She started out working with the group that raises plants for sale and eventually worked her way into … [Read more...]
Hope for the Future: Young Adults Tapped to Start Conversations About Suicide Prevention
By Sarah Kuper Becca Barganier had always thought therapy wasn't for her. She didn't have any "issues" and she wasn't having suicidal thoughts. But after going through a devastating experience a few years ago, her parents suggested she see a therapist. "I thought it wasn't for me, but it helped. People need to know it is OK to get help and often the people who look like they … [Read more...]
Church and Plate: Lunches Are a Longstanding Lenten Custom at Advent
By Donna Cornelius On weekdays during Lent, Sidney Clapp and Cece Martin go to church dressed not in their Sunday best, but in chef’s jackets. The two are this year’s chairwomen of Cathedral Church of the Advent’s Lenten Lunches. They wear their white jackets with purple embroidery for a practical purpose – to make it easy for volunteers to find them when they need … [Read more...]
OTM Real Estate Frenzy: Association of Realtors President Talks Trends for 2016
By Sarah Kuper Dot Mash is the 2016 Birmingham Association of Realtors president and a Realtor with LAH Real Estate. She's been working in the Over the Mountain real estate market for most of her career and she has raised her kids and grandkids in Mountain Brook, where she grew up as well. "I left to go to college at Alabama but I came right back. And that's what a lot of … [Read more...]
Traditionally Tasty: St. Elias Church Opens Doors for Lebanese Food and Culture Festival
By Donna CorneliusSome churches have bake sales. Others have fellowship dinners. But there aren’t many church events that involve making 12,000 stuffed grape leaves. At St. Elias Maronite Catholic Church in downtown Birmingham, volunteers have to cook enough food to feed the thousands who attend its annual Lebanese Food and Culture Festival. This year’s 18th annual … [Read more...]