TheHomewoodStar.com
January 2013
The Homewood Star Volume 2 | Issue 10 | January 2013
neighborly news & entertainment for Homewood
On a mission to show boys living on the streets of Peru they are
Culture in the
classroom
NOT FORGOTTEN Students enrolled in the Islamic Academy of Alabama spend their days learning more than academics. By studying Islamic heritage, they learn how to positively impact their communities as both Americans and Muslims. Photo courtesy IAA.
Community page 14
All-ages exercise
Each New Year’s, a Not Forgotten team, which includes founder Tyler Fuqua (left) and Kristin McKee and Allison Fuqua (above), delivers Christmas presents to the boys they minister to in Peru. Photos courtesy of Not Forgotten.
Pre-Sort Standard U.S. Postage PAID Birmingham, AL Permit #656
By MADOLINE MARKHAM Allison Fuqua still loves to hear her husband, Tyler, tell the story of his first trip to Peru. Ten years ago, Tyler found himself in a jungle with strangers. At age 18, it was his first time in a Spanishspeaking country. He was sharing a twin mattress with another man. It was hot, and there were bugs. He had lost his luggage and was borrowing clothes and sleeping gear. Boys who lived on the streets were teaching him how to wash his socks in the river. Tyler had signed up for the hardest-rated mission trip he could
find, but this was not the adventure he expected. “God took away every possible comfort on that trip,” Tyler said. “It was a humbling experience. At the same time, I was exposed to street boys and learned their stories, and God did a lot of work through that.” The boys he met, generally ages 4-12, are the lowest in their society even lower than prostitutes, he said. People see them as an eyesore, and they see themselves as an eyesore. Before the trip ended, Tyler knew he wanted to come back and be a
See PERU | page 22
Instructor Natalie Dabney, above right, changed her life when she decided to change her weight. She lost 120 pounds, and now she’s teaching others how to do the same. At her Mommy and Me Time Fitness classes, Homewood mothers are learning exercise can be fun, easy and inclusion of the whole family.
Features page 8
INSIDE Sponsors ................. 4 City ........................... 5 Opinion .................... 9 Faith ........................ 10 Food ......................... 11
Business ................ 12 Community ........... 14 School House ....... 17 Sports .................... 20 Calendar ................ 23
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2 • January 2013
The Homewood Star
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January 2013 • 3
TheHomewoodStar.com
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4 • January 2013
The Homewood Star
About Us
Photo of the Month
Please Support our Sponsors A Touch of Whimsy (8) Alabama Allergy & Asthma Center (15) Alabama Fertility Specialists (22)
Homewood runners Jennifer Andress, Tim Roberts, Kile Putman and Jimmy Harrison after participating in The St. Jude Marathon expo. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Andress.
Baker Lamps & Linens (15) Birmingham Speech & Hearing Associates (13) Brandino Brass (11) Briarcliff Shop (23) Brookdale Place (10) D1 Sports (21) Dawson Family of Faith (12) Escape (20) Harmony Landing (5) Homewood Antiques and Marketplace (14) Homewood Family & Cosmetic Dentistry (2)
Editor’s Note By Ashley Berkery Welcome to a New Year – and all of the hope and excitement it brings with it! I hope that your holiday season was both meaningful and enjoyable, and that you are ready for all that this New Year of 2013 has to offer. On behalf of The Homewood Star and its sister publications serving this wonderful region of Alabama, I am so appreciative of your interest and support as readers and advertisers. Together with our fine staff, I look forward to serving you in coming months. January is always an exciting time, and this issue has a great lineup of stories that should pique your interest. For starters, our cover story should inspire you to think more of others in this New Year. The desire to be more selfless and to serve and find ways to help others around us always emerges around the holidays. In this issue, you can read about how several Homewood residents and Samford graduates started a ministry in Peru to teach homeless boys about God and about life in general, and to make them feel loved. It will truly
warm your heart. The 9th Annual Red Nose Run, benefitting Ronald McDonald houses, is slated for Jan. 12. If you haven’t already, be sure to hurry and sign up. Space is always limited, and it is sure to be a fun time – it’s much more than just a race through SoHo! The part we all dread most about the start of the New Year is, of course, working out, setting new fitness goals and trying to meet them. It is tough with two little ones to find time to really exercise, so if you find yourself in that situation, you will definitely want
Homewood Parks and Rec (18)
to hear about a recent fitness program in our area. At Mommy and Me Time Fitness, there are no more excuses because you can take your kids along, and it is healthy for them as well. Be sure to read about it on page 8. As we enter the New Year, if you have any story ideas, news, sports photos of your children or celebration announcements, please send them to ashley@thehomewoodstar.com. As always, thanks for reading our paper, and we hope that your New Year is a blessed one!
Jacqueline DeMarco (12) Jo Jo’s Diner on Broadway (12) Little Hardware, Inc (11) Mary House Kessler, Ph.D (9) MedHelp (23) Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce (2) New York Pizza (21) Once Upon a Time (11) Oxmoor Valley Orthodontics (14) Piggly Wiggly (5) Plastic Surgery Specialists (6) Powell Pediatric Dentistry (7) RealtySouth Marketing (19) Regency Retirement Village (9) Renaissance Consignment & Marketplace (2)
The Homewood Star
neighborly news & entertainment for Homewood
Publisher : Creative Director : Editor : Managing Editor : Contributing Editor : Advertising Manager : Sales and Distribution :
Dan Starnes Keith McCoy Ashley Berkery Madoline Markham Jeff Thompson Matthew Allen Rhonda Smith Warren Caldwell Contributing Writers : Anna Cate Little Lauren Denton Katey Courtney Elisabeth Sanfratel Rick Watson Mia Bass Intern : Kaitlin Bitz Published by : Homewood Star LLC
Contact Information: The Homewood Star #3 Office Park Circle, Suite 316 Birmingham, AL 35223 313-1780 dan@TheHomewoodStar.com
Please submit all articles, information and photos to: Ashley@TheHomewoodStar.com P.O. Box 530341 Birmingham, AL 35253
For advertising contact: dan@TheHomewoodStar.com Legals: The Hoover Sun is published monthly. Reproduction or use of
editorial or graphic content without prior permission is prohibited. The Hoover Sun is designed to inform the Hoover community of area school, family and community events. Information in the Hoover Sun is gathered from sources considered reliable but the accuracy cannot be guaranteed. All articles/photos submitted become the property of the Hoover Sun. We reserve the right to edit articles/photos as deemed necessary and are under no obligation to publish or return photos submitted. Inaccuracies or errors should be brought to the attention of the publisher at (205) 313-1780 or by email.
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Rosewood Hall (24) Salem’s Diner (13) Sharp Remodeling Specialty (20) Skin Wellness Center of Alabama (6) Southern Fireplaces Homewood L.L.C. (10) The Cook Store (9) The Maids (1) The Scribbler (13) The Wade Team (7) Vella, King & Jackson (8) Village Dermatology (17) Zounds (22)
January 2013 • 5
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City Mayor’s Minute
Dear friends and neighbors,
Seized quantities of “spice,” a synthetic drug, is displayed during a public forum in Hoover last year. Photo by Jeff Thompson.
Coalitions to raise awareness on dangers of synthetic drugs State Rep. Paul DeMarco will host an awareness program on synthetic marijuana for the public on Jan. 22 at 6 p.m. at Shades Valley Presbyterian Church. The program, co-sponsored by the Mountain Brook Anti-Drug Coalition and A Safe and Healthy Homewood Coalition, will feature a panel including Mike Reese of the Alabama ABC Board, Barry Matson of the Alabama District Attorneys Association, Chief Ted Cook of Mountain Brook Police Department, Officer Kenny Blackmon of Homewood
Police Department and Ann Slattery of the Regional Poison Control Center at Children’s of Alabama. “The purpose of the program is to raise public awareness and concern about the dangers of synthetic drugs such as ‘spice,’ herbal incense and other similar compounds,” DeMarco said. “This is a growing concern in our state and in our local communities.” The program is free and open to the public. The church is located at 2305 Montevallo Road.
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An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves. I’m an optimist! December has passed, once again marking the end of the physical year, and it has been another great year for our city because of the continued excitement by our residents and business owners. This year alone we have completed Patriot Park in West Homewood, investing more than $400,000 in the area that is paid in full. We have built numerous new sidewalks within our city and plan to continue adding more in the very near future. The Sidewalk Project has gained almost unanimous consent from you, our neighbors, and remains one of the most popular projects we have started. In the very near future, we will begin removing the old Recreation Center at Central Park and will begin construction on the new facility. The community has overwhelmingly supported this project, and it will certainly add to our city’s character and charm once completed. In December I met with Target officials, and they have informed me they will open for business on Sunday, March 10 after hiring over 200 employees in January. For those interested, I am told the Hiring Event will be January 17-18. This will be a tremendous boost for our city and give another option for those of you who do not particularly enjoy the drive down Highway 280. When our city was formed by the legislature on February 11, 1927, I wonder if the residents and city leaders ever envisioned Homewood as it currently exists? In Sheryl Summe’s book, Homewood: The Life of a
City, she talks about how the town council of Edgewood (the name before Homewood was formed) thwarted attempts to open new businesses. But in 1924, the future mayor Dr. John T. Callaway finally convinced the Edgewood Town Council that the town needed a drugstore and soon opened the town’s first new business, Edgewood Drug Company. Today, more opportunities exist because of your support of local businesses, and it certainly makes my job as mayor much easier to recruit them. I love promoting this city, our current businesses and our school system. There are so many reasons to locate to Homewood and even more reasons to stay. We have come a long way this year, but now it’s time to start again. I have a firm belief that nothing worthwhile can be achieved for ourselves or for others without first developing a heartfelt belief in our ability to accomplish the task — and we will. Nothing of value comes without effort, and anything we gain this year will be based on how well we can love and serve the people of Homewood. The secret of our future is hidden in our daily routine and we will work hard every day to make Homewood even better. With kindest regards I remain Sincerely,
Scott McBrayer Mayor City of Homewood
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6
• January 2013
The Homewood Star
Firefighters prepare for windstorms By LT. JASON HALLMAN After watching Homewood firefighters struggle to move large trees from the roadways to gain access for emergency vehicles in a post-storm emergency, Mayor Scott McBrayer reassigned one of the City’s surplus BobCat skid steer loaders to the Fire Department for exclusive use during an emergency. “With the BobCat loader available to push downed trees out of the road, firefighters will have much quicker access to areas that are cut off due to storm damage,” McBrayer said. Homewood Fleet Maintenance refurbished the BobCat, bringing the machine to a mechanically sound state. In addition, firefighters have worked diligently to adapt the diesel-powered loader for fire and rescue work. A log grapple bucket for the loader was acquired at no
cost to the city. Fire Department members have also repainted the machine and welded on modifications in preparation for storm scene work. Training for firefighters on the operation of the BobCat has been conducted at Burford’s Wood Waste Recycling facility on Shannon Road. “We have developed communication systems and operation procedures that will allow us to safely utilize the loader in the chaotic conditions that exist in the wake of a storm,” said Fire Medic Brett Ashworth, lead BobCat instructor. “Rescue of victims in a storm aftermath cannot take place if our fire fighters and equipment are unable to reach the scene. The BobCat loader will be kept on a heavy equipment transport trailer and housed at Fire Station 1, ready for rapid deployment,” Fire Chief John Bresnan said.
Police to participate in Polar Plunge The Homewood Police Department will participate in a Law Enforcement Torch Run and Polar Plunge to support the Special Olympics on Jan. 29 at Oak Mountain State Park. Each year, people dress in costume and plunge into Oak Mountain Lake as
a part of the event. The department won last year’s costume contest. This year registration begins at 8:30 a.m., the costume contest will be held at 9:30 a.m., and the plunge will be at 10 a.m. To register online, visit alabamaletr.com.
HFD congratulates retiring officers
Senior Center to offer art classes, make cranes for Civil Rights anniversary Art classes taught by Jo Ann Brown Homewood Senior Center will offer a new art class beginning in January. Recently retired Edgewood Elementary teacher Jo Ann Brown will facilitate this class for adults age 55 and up. Brown holds three different Alabama teacher certifications, one of which is art. In addition to her 27 years of teaching experience with children, Brown is also accustomed to working with the older population. She oversees the care of her 89-year-old mother and has taught classes for groups in which her mother has been involved. Now retired, Brown is looking forward to applying her career skills as she shares her love of clay with members of the Senior Center. Projects created in the class will be suitable for display and gift-giving. Participants will hand-build objects of clay and glaze them for firing in the kiln. Classes will be held on Mondays at 2:15 p.m. starting in mid-January and are free to Senior Center members. Space is limited, so those interested should call Center
Director Aimee Thornton at 332-6502 to register for the class. Birmingham Art Peace Project Homewood Senior Center will partner with other community groups in the Birmingham area for the Birmingham Art Peace Project. This endeavor has been initiated to create a symbolic memorial in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the tragic 16th Street Baptist Church bombing during the Civil Rights era. To help create the memorial, participants are making paper cranes using the Japanese paper-folding technique origami. Inspiration for the project came from the display of these paper cranes hanging in memoriam at Ground Zero in New York. Adopted from Japanese culture, the crane symbolizes peace. Senior Center members will begin making cranes on Jan. 22. For details on participating elsewhere, contact Margot Wade at margotwade@spaceoneeleven.org or Melissa Turnage at goodnewsmelissa@gmail.com.
Ray Cummings
Joe Hardaway
Homewood Fire Department Battalion Chief Ray Cummings and Lieutenant Joe Hardaway retired on Nov. 1. HFD congratulates them and wishes them well in their retirement.
State of the City set for January
The annual State of the City Luncheon, hosted by the Homewood Chamber of Commerce, will be held Thursday, Jan. 15 at 11:30 a.m. at The Club. Mayor Scott McBrayer will speak, and Firefighter, Police Officer and Employee of the Year will be honored. For more information, visit homewoodchamber.com.
January 2013 • 7
TheHomewoodStar.com
Decorating on a dime after the holidays Hollywood resident reflects on decorating her family room on a budget By ELISABETH SANFRATEL The tree is down. The lights are all put up. Everyone survived the busiest time of the year. Now my resolutions are underway. As always, I hope to give more in my love as a social worker and now in my current position as a stay-at-home mom of three very busy little boys. But a new resolution will make my hubby, Scott, happy because it’s about quality not quantity in the dollar sense – to brighten the small family room in what I like to call our Homewood bungalow. Over the years, with no true decorating expertise, the design obstacles I have faced in my home have really made it my own, which makes for a good reflection of us as a family and a home. With that in mind, I set out to tackle a room with only two walls as it opens into three other spaces, with a post-holiday budget in mind. Below are my simple must haves for this project, all which you too can do. Color. Those paint coordination chips at Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams are there for a reason, and pairing together paints is easy. My Hubbard Squash Yellow and Liberty Pewter Grey have worked in more than one area in our home. With that
Elisabeth Sanfratel focused her décor for her living room on the mantel and entryway leading to the adjacent kids/ TV room. Photos by Madoline Markham.
being said, stick with a main color you like and pair it with accent colors on a swatch already chosen for you. Practical furniture. With three little boys, new and costly furniture is most likely not the best idea, although strolling through a good furniture store or antique store is one of my most relaxing hobbies. Still, my couch is easy and versatile in a warm mocha brown. Pillows. I spruced up the room’s two gray rattan style chairs with new seat cushions and throw pillows, an easy and inexpensive way to change
it up. My friends might tell you I have a decorative pillow-buying problem! I might agree, but if you are at places like Homegoods or TJ Max, it’s a problem that won’t require medication. Focus. One focus area for me was the rustic cedar mantel and surrounding bookshelves on one of the room’s full walls. I painted the shelves with one of my accent swatches to highlight special family pieces, accessories and photographs I put on them; the color also leads the focus back onto the other areas of
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the room. For the mantel, I found tall inexpensive, elegant candle holders and framed a print my mother-in-law had found at an estate sale. Splurge for what matters most. I wanted my other big focus to be the entryway from the family room to the kids’ room/TV area, so I budgeted for custom drapes to lead into the space with a dramatic sense of style and fun. I set up an appointment with a design consultation at Calico Corners. After she brought some rolls of fabric to my house, I had decided on a yellow and gray Ikat fabric; it became a fun
texture and color for the space and brought together the colors I was already working with. I didn’t break the bank with huge furniture, but the custom drapes make a huge statement and help me bring the room together. So in the end – and for less than a grand – my room is done. Pillows, fun accessories, custom drapes and displaying my favorite artwork equal a happy hubby. In addition, our happy family room is inviting, comfortable and a place where we can be ourselves. Most importantly though, it’s where I can focus on family.
8 • January 2013
Family fitness
The Homewood Star
Mom who conquered weight problem teaching Mommy and Me Time Fitness classes
By KATEY COURTNEY Natalie Dabney said she was always a “bigger” girl growing up. But after having her first child, her weight rose to 250 pounds. “My first marriage really affected my self-esteem, and I gained weight during my pregnancy,” Dabney said. “I was in an abusive relationship, and my divorce really took a toll on me.” When she married Buddy Dabney in June 2005, she began to lose some of the weight. But she tried every diet imaginable, and none seemed to give her results she wanted. One morning, as she put on panty hose before work, she saw the lines and creases they made on her unfit body. That’s when she decided enough was enough. She quit her job that day and dedicated her life to making the best life for herself that she could. She joined the Shades Valley YMCA and made it her full-time occupation to transition into a healthier lifestyle, complete with exercise and diet. Since then, thanks to her dedication, she’s lost 120 pounds. Now, she’s helping others dedicate their lives as well. In 2011, Dabney became an instructor at the YMCA and began teaching at Mommy and Me Time Fitness, a Homewood fitness organization dedicated to introducing and promoting healthy lifestyles to mothers and their children. “Mommy and Me Time Fitness is a major part of my life. Teaching kids that fitness is healthy and positive is important to start at a young age. I don’t want my children to grow up
Natalie Dabney (right) lost 120 pounds before starting to teach Mommy and Me Time Fitness classes, which allow moms to exercise at their own pace with their children. Photos by Katey Courtney.
like I did,” Dabney said. Mommy and Me Time Fitness offers boot camp, Zumba, Pilates and yoga classes for mothers and their children and allows participants to exercise at their own pace. Instructors offer high and low impact moves to assist the fitness levels that participants can safely meet. The main goal of the group is to allow mothers, fathers, grandfathers, grandmothers, singles and children to interact in a positive atmosphere while teaching children and adults that exercising is a positive thing.
“My son Jonathan, who’s 3, and my daughter Julia, who’s 5, come with me to most of my classes, and I enjoy creating a special bond and lifelong memories with them,” Dabney said. Besides being the main instructor at Mommy and Me Time Fitness alongside owner Stacey Jernigan, Dabney served on the Shades Valley YMCA Board of Directors for the past three years. In addition, she acted as chair for the Strong Kids Campaign. “The Strong Kids Campaign raises money to help provide funds for underprivileged youth to partake in YMCA services like swimming
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lessons and childcare,” Dabney said. “We gathered donations from the community and area businesses and truly made a difference in the lives of area youth.” Looking back on her journey, Dabney reflected on her choice to make a new life for herself and smiled. “Through the blood, sweat and tears, I made it. By making the decision I made, I gave my children a longer life with their mommy, lost 120 pounds and gave my children an example of how hard work and determination can change lives,” she said.
She advised people looking to lose weight to continue to push through plateaus and to never back down from goals. “God and exercise changed my life,” said Dabney. “I hope to save a life in my service and ministry and I want people to know that no goal is unreachable with the help of God.” The Dabney family attends Dawson Church and St. Elias Maronite Church and is active in the Homewood community. For more information on Mommy and Me Time Fitness, visit mommyandmetime.com or call 3560374.
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January 2013 • 9
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Opinion Ordinary Days By Lauren Denton
Trusting God’s plans While cleaning out files on in our attempts to have a baby. I had our computer recently, I found a surgery, my grandfather began a spreadsheet my husband, Matt, made decline from Alzheimer’s that ended when we got married in 2005 called in his death in September of that year, “The Five Year Plan.” It included my family went through a difficult work goals, things we wanted to do time, and I lost my job. As we turned with the house, vacations we wanted the page into 2009, Matt and I told to save for, money we wanted to sock each other firmly, “This year will be away. As I scanned the document, my better.” eyes stopped when I saw our goal for And it was. By God’s grace (and our 2007: have a kid. doctor), we got pregnant in January. Denton I suppose that back in ’05 when we Our whole family felt like this got married, we figured having a child would be marked the end of the difficulties of the previous as simple as deciding when we wanted to have year. While we were still greatly saddened by it, then planning accordingly. Little did we know the loss of our Papa, we rejoiced in knowing he that God had other plans. After deciding that was whole and happy in heaven, and we were so we were ready to add a child to our two-person thankful that after losing a member of our family, family, we spent the next two years trying to get we’d soon be adding another one. Kate was born pregnant. in November, tiny and healthy. Once we got over the initial shock that we As I think about how different our journey has didn’t get pregnant right away, as it seemed most looked from how I thought it would go back when everyone around us did, we spoke to a fertility we were newly married and somewhat naïve, I’m doctor — and spent much of 2008 in her office. actually thankful for the delay that God ordained We started off hesitantly but ended up with all the for us. It was extremely hard, but the experience injections, medicines and shots that go along with taught me that God really does have a plan even fertility treatment. It was gut-wrenching to see so when it seems like nothing is going according to many friends get pregnant and have sweet babies (my) plan. I see now that He truly knows what I while I was still beating a path to Brookwood need better than I do. I can look back and see a almost weekly. I didn’t understand why God had track record of his faithfulness — not because He chosen that path for us. eventually gave me what I wanted, but because As the Proverb says, “Many are the plans He was by my side, drawing me to Him while I in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose was at my lowest. Now, four years and two kids that prevails.” Our plans definitely didn’t later, I can take comfort in remembering that God include fertility doctors, or a two-year wait didn’t forget me when things didn’t go the way before finally getting pregnant with our first I wanted. Instead, He was busy working for my child, but God’s did. In His careful wisdom, He good and laying the path before me, even when I determined, way before Matt and I even thought couldn’t see the way. about kids, that our joy would be delayed. 2008 was a truly difficult year for us, and not just Lauren can be reached at LaurenKDenton@ because we were endlessly (it seemed) frustrated gmail.com.
SALE Jan 11th-19th
In memory of Dave By BRETT MORRISON
Our employees reaped the benefit of relationships that my Editor’s Note: The life of father spent a third of his life Dave’s Pizza owner, Dave culminating; Dave would have Morrison, 59, was celebrated been so proud of everyone who at the restaurant following his took place in the miracle that memorial service on Dec. 11. happened at our restaurant that His son, Brett, wrote the below night. Our staff took in enough message to the community. donations to truly make this Huge success is what I’d call holiday season bright. that night at Dave’s. Countless On behalf of Dave, myself people came out in support of and our entire staff, I’d like to celebrating my dad’s life. It raise my cup to those of you Dave Morrison truly was amazing. who were able to attend the Employees from almost two decades ago celebration of my father’s life; it meant showed up, old friends were reunited, the the world to see your faces. I fully intend most gracious “regulars” that any restaurant to repay each and every one of your kind could ever want (you know who you are!) donations — maybe not with money, but came out, beers were raised, stories were with kind gestures to strangers and loved told, our Dave’s Pizza employee family was ones alike. We love you and hold you near cradled in the arms of close to 19 years of to our hearts. Keep us in your thoughts and friendship. please continue praying for my family.
Moms reach out to community with prayer Now in its 11th year, Homewood Praying Moms gathers the second and fourth Mondays of the month at Hart and Soul in Edgewood to pray for Homewood children, their teachers and schools. The group, led by Rhonda Moss, asked participants and recipients of prayer to describe what the group means to them. “Homewood Praying Moms is a group of inspiring and supportive women that get together to talk, catch up and pray. Rhonda
is a great teacher for all of us. At each gathering we pray for everyone’s children, the schools, teachers and our wonderful town of Homewood. We end with everyone writing a few note cards to staff members at all five schools to let them know they were prayed for that morning. With everyone being so busy and pressed for time, it is great to sit down and talk with members of our community and
See PRAYER | page 12
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10 • January 2013
The Homewood Star
Faith
Finding common ground Homewood counselor Gordon Bals authors book on marital difficulty By ANNA CATE LITTLE “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17 This is the scripture Dr. Gordon Bals repeated throughout our premarital counseling sessions seven years ago. It meant so much to me at the time that I had it printed and framed for my husband as a gift on our wedding day. Now, reflecting on that scripture, I think it well illustrates Bals’ Daymark Pastoral Counseling practice and its effect on our community. Bals’ delicate words, his commitment to his family, church and clients, and his interminable scriptural knowledge all lend themselves to a sharpening effect: A sharpening of our minds, of our relationships with our spouse and other loved ones, of our desire to draw close to God. And that makes him qualified to write a fabulous book about regaining “common ground” in the midst of a difficult, perhaps broken, marriage: Common Ground: God’s Gift of a Restored Marriage. “Marriage is hard but it doesn’t have to lead to hardened or divided hearts,” Bals said. “Marital difficulty can turn you toward your faith in a way that matters, so your heart softens and you find rest and togetherness with your spouse. The book helps
Counselor and author Gordon Bals with his family. Photo courtesy of Nolen Photography.
you recognize harmful relational patterns and turn toward life-giving relational patterns.” Don’t be fooled by Bals’ quiet, reserved demeanor. He is a seasoned communicator. He talks golf and football with my husband. He lives with four females. And he has a PhD and was in the United States Naval Reserve. But Bals’ true skill lies in both listening and suffering through life’s challenges with his clients. It is not unusual for him to offer up his own experiences. In our case, it has always been the painful gorge that infertility can cut into your marriage. He also has a way of seamlessly weaving scripture into every session without
sounding preachy, or heck, without even opening a Bible. It is like lightning bolts of knowledge; one can almost feel God breathing in the room. And, it goes without saying, Bals will weep with you. He weeps from remembering his own pain, for others’ distress, and from the deepest joy and rest we can all find in Jesus. I, for one, have likened his counseling sessions to a nice massage. You leave feeling rested, feeling peaceful. At least that’s been my experience. My husband Matt and I have not faced huge battles, such as an immediate family member’s death, or a sick or damaged child. But we have our struggles, as do
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all couples. And Common Ground addresses those struggles, which, as Bals eloquently points out, are the result of an evil force working against all marriages. It’s up to us to face this evil with God’s wisdom. Bals and his wife, Dawn, have lived in Homewood 17 years, and their three girls are active in Homewood schools as well as the community. Aimee, a senior, is a Star Spangled Girl; Abby, a sophomore, plays saxophone in the marching band and is in the show choir; Elise, an eighth grader, is a cheerleader. From Gordon officiating our wedding ceremony to Dawn and her girls watching our daughter Caroline over the years,
the Bals have become a special presence in our lives and the lives of countless Birmingham residents. If the following quote from Bals’ book speaks to you the way it does me, then you may want to read the entire, marriage-renewing text: “God pursues you and can restore you into a more loving person. He wants to do this for you not because you try hard, but because He is kind.” Common Ground can be purchased locally at Little Professor Book Center or online at Daymarkcounseling. com or Amazon.com. For more information about Daymark Pastoral Counseling, visit daymarkcounseling.com or call 871-3332.
January 2013 • 11
TheHomewoodStar.com
Restaurant Showcase
Read past Restaurant Showcases at TheHomewoodStar.com
Hart & Soul Coffee Company By MADOLINE MARKHAM Teresa Hartley opened her coffee shop, Hart & Soul, for the community, and she didn’t hold back in making sure no one felt left out. There’s mochas and frappes of many varieties, croissants and pastries for breakfast, paninis and soups for lunch and dinner, cake pops and gelato for after school snacks, beer and wine for late night and live music on weekends. To add to the mix, Hartley plans to open a wine bar in the right side of the store, which, for now, is extra seating and can be reserved for showers and birthday parties. On any given day amidst the bold, colorful décor of the shop, you’ll find Edgewood residents picking up a quick breakfast, college students studying for hours at time, and Bible study groups and classes holding weekly meetings. Sharon Albritton, a decades-long friend of Hartley who works at the coffee shop, is quick to talk about how its pimiento cheese is “to die for.” She said she can’t say what makes it so good, but it’s obvious that you can’t go wrong with cheddar and jalapeños, as the menu lists. Spread it on a panini with pepper jelly, and we agree: to die for. Albritton’s favorite sandwich is the French Dip, and Hartley recommends the Turkey on Raisin Bread, which is filled with provolone, cream cheese and pepper jelly. Other Paninis on the menu include the Prosciutto Bagel, Pesto Chicken
1014 Oxmoor Drive 871-4420 hartandsoulcafe.com Sunday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Tuesday. 6 a.m.-8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 6 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, 7 a.m.-9 p.m.
Hart and Soul in Edgewood sells coffee, pastries, gelato and sandwiches, among other things. Photos by Madoline Markham.
and a Mushroom with caramelized onions and pepper jack cheese. The Hart Salad and Soul Salad are tossed with house-made pear vinaigrette. Daily soups, like everything on the menu, are homemade: Collard Greens with White Beans, Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, Tomato Bisque to name a few. The options for ordering don’t stop
there. “If it’s not on our menu, we can put it together,” Albritton said. For any time of day, there’s a selection of pastries and desserts: Nutella Croissants, Apple Danishes, Cheesecake with Caramel Sauce. Any of these tastes excellent when paired with Hart and Soul’s coffee, Carpe Diem from Spring Hill in Mobile. One customer so favors Hart and
Soul’s Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies and Peanut Butter Cookies Dipped in Chocolate that she orders four dozen cookies a month. Hartley opened the Edgewood coffee shop just shy of two years ago after moving her SoHo Sweets from SoHo to the right side of the storefront, which she later converted into more coffee shop space. Just like her shop, Hartley is Home-
wood through and through. She grew up in Homewood and now lives up the street from the shops in Edgewood. She has watched three of her children graduate from Homewood schools, and her fourth, Anna, is a fifth grader at Edgewood Elementary. “Teresa knows everyone,” Albritton said with emphasis. And it’s everyone that she welcomes at Hart and Soul.
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12 • January 2013
The Homewood Star
Homewood Happenings Kickboxing facility debuts this month The first kickboxing franchise in Alabama, Gauntlet Fitness, is scheduled to open in downtown Homewood in early January. The gym offers fitness-based kickboxing group class training, with a class beginning every hour on the hour according to demand. Classes can accommodate up to 20 participants but always maintain at least a 10:1 student-to-instructor ratio. Head instructor David Sherman has a black belt in three forms of martial arts, and owner Aaron Crocker co-founded Fitness Together in Alabama. Gauntlet refers to steel gloves that knights wore in medieval times; the theme of the class is to accept the challenge of life, said Crocker. “Kickboxing gets you in total shape and uses all major muscle groups,” Crocker said. Gauntlet recommends beginners start with a 30-day Gauntlet Fundamentals class that offers workouts three days a week for four weeks. After that, participants can join the gym for a monthly fee that offers unlimited access to classes. Gauntlet is located 2610 19th Street South and can be reached at 414-6689. For more information, visit gauntletfit.com or find them on Facebook.
New cycling store in Edgewood Edgewood Cycles is now open across the street from Homewood Antiques in Edgewood. The full service bicycle shop performs repairs on any brand of bicycle and sells road and mountain bikes for any age and skill level. They also sell baby joggers, trailers,
clothing and riding gear. Owner Vince Robinson has worked as a professional bike mechanic and bicycle store manager for the past 25 years. The bicycle racer has designed a special messenger-style laptop bag for bikes, and non-bikers that the store sells. Robinson said he was drawn to the location by the neighborhood and that customers have been great so far. He boasts that the store has fast and friendly service, with a turn-around time for repairs between one and two days. Edgewood Cycles is located at 929 Oxmoor Road and can be reached at 7831355. Hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. For more information, visit edgewoodcycles.com.
Vulcan offers Valentine’s Weddings Vulcan Park and Museum is offering special packages to 14 couples looking to have a low-maintenance, stress-free weddings or vow renewals on a budget during February. All packages are reserved on a first-come, first-serve basis and include an intimate 30-minute, outdoor wedding ceremony performed by a licensed officiate, as well as a keepsake bridal bouquet and boutonniere, professional photographs and a champagne toast for the bride and groom. All wedding services and package items are provided exclusively by vendors carefully selected by Vulcan Park and Museum and GoPro Event Solutions. The sunset package has sold out, but daytime packages are still available. For more information or to purchase a package, contact Melanie Goodsell at 933-1409, extension 31 or mgoodsell@ visitvulcan.com.
PRAYER from page 9
Promotional company moving into Bloom building Conzelman and Associates purchased the former Bloom building on 18th Street and plans to move in following renovations. The company sells high-end goods, including brands such as Apple, Panasonic and American Apparel, as well as basic staples with and without logos to corporations. The company’s clients include TV stations, treatment centers and other entities throughout the country. They also work locally with companies such as Protective Life and Vulcan Materials. The new facility will boast a large showroom with more than 1,000 items. After the move, Conzelman and Associates will be located at 2518 18th Street South. For more information, call 879-4354 or visit conzelmall.com.
New location for Moore Agency Jimmy Moore’s All State Insurance Office has moved from 19th Street to 921 Oxmoor Road. The office offers auto, car, farm, flood, life, home and motorcycle insurance. The agency can be reached at 9836441. Hours of operation are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday. For more information, visit agents.allstate. com/jimmy-moore-homewood-al.html.
focus on what really matters. It is wonderful to have met so many other women that I would have never met without HPMs. A lot of us in Homewood don’t have family in-state, so it’s great meeting people that can help fill that hole. I also love that by the end of the school year every student is prayed for individually.” – Julie Estep, member of Homewood Praying Moms “My name’s Abbey Moss and my mom’s a Homewood Praying Mom. Homewood Praying Moms isn’t just a prayer group to me. It feels really good to know that I have God on a constant watch over my school and the faculty, students and all that we do in our day. It’s so amazing the ways that God works in our lives and He really pushes us to achieve great things. With the moms of our students praying to help us realize that we are loved and have potential to do anything that we set our minds too, it impacts many students lives even though they might not know the root of it. Every day I see kids struggling to make the right decisions, and it makes me feel good to know that we have women at home praying for these kids that they might feel the Lord in all that they struggle with. With these ladies praying for us, it’s such a comfort to know that I have God on my side to watch over me, in all that I say, pray and do. And I thank the Homewood Praying Moms for blessing us with this security.” – Abbey Moss, Homewood Middle School student “Homewood Praying Moms never fails to brighten my day! Every now and then, I receive a small, bright-colored card in my mailbox at school letting me know that Homewood Praying Moms prayed specifically for me and my class that day. It is amazing how that little note always comes on a day when I need it most. That little note strengthens me and reminds me that Homewood truly is a tightknit-community. “ – Rebecca Smith, elementary teacher To find out more about Homewood Praying Moms, visit sites.google.com/site/ prayingmomsofhomewood/.
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January 2013 • 13
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Business Spotlight
Read past Business Spotlights at TheHomewoodStar.com
Once Upon A Time
2900 18th Street South 870-7776 onceuponatimellc.com Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
By MIA BASS It’s evident from stepping in her store that Linda Flaherty loves providing parents – both new and experienced – with everything they need to care for infants. The Once Upon A Time owner greets parents at the entrance to her sea of pale pink and sky blue by speaking softly to babies in their arms. “Let me have a peek,” she says. From infant and toddler clothes to diaper bags and furniture, Once Upon A Time sells a selection of items to create a nursery escape for baby. “It’s a little bit of everything,” Flaherty said. The shop offers gifts for baby showers including blankets, stuffed toys, diaper bags and baby carriers. Although Flaherty and her daughter, Sarah Bailey, are at home in their location in downtown Homewood, they haven’t always been here. She opened Nursery Décor in 1994. At the store, Flaherty brought her love of sewing to the forefront and began designing and making custom nursery linens. Once Upon A Time opened in 1996. As the store grew, it moved to larger locations in Crestline Village. In 2009 it expanded into Homewood with a store on 18th Street. As item variety grew, Bailey came on board with her mother. She worked at the shop while she was in college and jokes that it wasn’t time
Sarah Bailey and Linda Flaherty are the mother-daughter team behind downtown Homewood baby store Once Upon a Time. Photos by Madoline Markham.
to have a baby yet so she had to go her own way. “I was ready to be a grandmother, but she wasn’t ready to be a mother,” Flaherty said with a laugh. Bailey joined the store again as manager and buyer seven years ago and came on as a partner in 2009. “It’s great to be able to share this experience with my mom,” Bailey
HOMEWOOD
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said. The store flooded in December 2011 but was reopened in March 2012, in time for spring showers. Flaherty’s favorite part about her job? “It may be the hardest, but buying,” she said. The mother-daughter pair carefully select each item found in the shop.
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They strive for quality, variety and price points in their products. The two treasure the relationship they have with each of their customers and realize the importance of friendships. “Some people come in and say, ‘I don’t even have a baby, but I had to come in!’” Flaherty said. Mothers on baby number four still
find something they need at Once Upon A Time. So if it’s the once upon a time for you or someone you love, stop by the shop for something to make this special time a little more magical. The store is holdings its annual Furniture and Linens sale Jan. 21-26. Both floor samples and special orders will be discounted.
14 • January 2013
The Homewood Star
Community
Raising up the next generation Islamic Academy of Alabama in Rosedale teaches more than academics
By MADOLINE MARKHAM At the Islamic Academy of Alabama (IAA), each school day is similar to those in other schools. However, it’s the differences that are important. IAA students not only study math, science and English, but also Arabic and Islam. They compete in spelling bees and field days in addition to an Arabic spelling bee and an Islamic quiz competition. They play soccer and create newspapers, and later they gather for prayers and learn to read and memorize the Koran in its original language. “The kids see themselves as Americans and as Muslims,” said Monica Khalaf, a former IAA teacher whose children attend the school. “They are proud to see where they are from and their heritage, as an American and as a Muslim.” The school, located in the old Shades Valley RLC building (and former Rosedale High, a segregated school) in Rosedale, opened its doors in 1996 for just under 40 students up through sixth grade. This year more than 200 students attend the school and represent 18 different countries, drawing in students from around Birmingham and surrounding counties. This is its first year to have a class of graduating seniors. In the afternoon, most of the school gathers for the third of the six
On the school’s annual Culture Day, Alley and Ilma Uddin representing Bangladesh, left. Right, pre-K and kindergarten students make a “tawwaf” around the Kaaba during the annual reenactment of the Hajj ritual at the school. Photos courtesy of IAA.
daily prayers Muslims practice – an opportunity they don’t have in other schools. It was this opportunity for corporate prayer that Khalaf said her son most missed when he attended public high school for a year. The school also draws from traditions in other countries. Each school day begins with an assembly for all students, which is common overseas. There they hear announcements and say prayers. “We teach them lifelong skills and habits, not just calculus and chemistry and Arabic,” Khalaf said. “We want our students to learn to be
strong Muslims who are contributing to the local community and global community.” Male students learn to respect their female classmates and teachers, said Khalaf. When girls start covering their hair at puberty, they are not alone. “The school gives them a more comfortable environment to start wearing [a scarf]; they might be self conscious elsewhere,” Khalaf said. During spring break this year as part of their curriculum, IAA high school juniors and seniors will travel to Mecca in Saudi Arabia on a small Hajj, the name for the
Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca that most Muslims carry out during their lifetime. Back in Birmingham, younger students participate in a miniature version of Hajj each year at the school. “You don’t really understand [Hajj] until you get there, so I think it’s fantastic that they get to do that,” Khalaf said. At their annual Culture Day, each classroom represents a different country where students at the school have heritage. The children dress up, bring in special food and present facts about the area.
The school follows the core curriculum for the state of Alabama and works closely with Homewood City Schools. Homewood has helped point them to resources over the years, and IAA teachers observe Homewood classes and participate in Homewood teacher workshops. “We just think of ourselves as another Homewood school, and I hope [the school system] does too,” Khalaf said. IAA generally follows the Homewood City Schools calendar but takes off Islamic holidays like Ramadan, which fell in October on the lunar calendar last year. Learning about the students at IAA also says a lot about Birmingham’s Islamic community. When Khalaf, who was raised in Pinson, first converted to the religion at age 21, Birmingham’s Muslim community was mostly college students. Since then, it has welcomed converts and lifelong Muslims from all over the world, including many American-born Muslims. Many, like Khalaf, have married within the community, moved abroad and have now returned to Birmingham. The community has grown to include three mosques, one of which is in Homewood. “One of the community’s biggest strengths is diversity,” Khalaf said. To learn more about the Islamic Academy of Alabama, visit iaaschool. net.
Red Balloon Sale
Saturday January 19th! antiques, furniture, artwork, gifts, children’s items, custom nursery bedding, area rugs, jewelry, home accessories, lamps, monogramming, upholstery service, custom slip covers, and so much more!!!
DEBORAH A. SEMA, D.M.D., M.S. SPECIALIST IN ORTHODONTICS
205-942-2270 www.ovortho.com
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January 2013 • 15
TheHomewoodStar.com
Karen Kingsbury to speak at Samford auxiliary luncheon The Legacy League, an auxiliary of Samford University, invites the public to hear USA Today and New York Times No. 1 bestselling author Karen Kingsbury as guest speaker at its annual Scholarship Luncheon on Thursday, Jan. 31. The luncheon will be held at Vestavia Country Club at 11:30 a.m., and ballroom seating opens at 11 a.m. The cost is $50, of which $25 is a tax-deductible contribution to the scholarship endowment. Referred to by Time magazine as the “queen” of Christian fiction, Kingsbury regularly receives correspondence from thousands of readers describing how her fiction has dramatically changed their lives. She has written more than 50 novels, 10 of which have hit No. 1 on national lists. She and her husband, Don, live in Nashville with their five sons, three of whom were adopted from Haiti. Their daughter, Kelsey, is an actress and is married to Christian recording artist Kyle Kupecky. Reservations are required for the luncheon. For more information and to make reservations (available online through Jan. 24), visit samford.edu/legacyleague. For questions, please call 726-2247.
Creek. University professors will be at the festival to talk and answer questions about the salamanders. Educational displays will cover fish, recycling, composting, gardening, fossil tracks, native plants and wildflowers. The festival will also feature music, a chocolate fountain and other food, and crafts for kids. Festival entry and crafts are free. T-shirts and novelty items will be for sale, and there is a small charge for food at the chocolate fountain. For more information on the Friends of Shades Creek, visit shadescreek.org.
Red Nose Run set for Saturday, Jan. 12 Bestselling author Karen Kingsbury. Photo courtesy of Dan Davis Photography.
race begins at 9 a.m. There will be a pancake breakfast starting at 9:30 a.m. Vendors will be also be present. For more information, visit relayforlife.org/homewoodal.
Bridal Market returns to SoHo The Bridal Market will be held Jan. 6 from 1-4 p.m. at Rosewood Hall in SoHo. A variety of vendors will be present. Brides in attendance will be entered in a
The Friends of Shades Creek will hold its annual Salamander Festival on Saturday, Jan. 26 from 3 to 5:30 p.m. at the Homewood Senior Center, located adjacent to Patriot Park in West Homewood. The free event marks the season when salamanders migrate from the mountain of Homewood Forest Preserve by Homewood High School to a wetland pool to find a mate and lay eggs. “If you’re lucky, you might seem them do their dance in the wetland pool,” said Michelle Blackwood, president of Friends of Shades
Clownin’ around for charity
Relay for Life kicks off year with Outrun Cancer 5K The Outrun Cancer 5K benefiting the Relay For Life of Homewood will be held on Saturday, Jan. 26 at Homewood High School. Registration starts at 8 a.m., and the
Annual Salamander Festival to take place at Senior Center
chance to win $500 towards wedding bands from Diamonds Direct. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door. For more information and to register, visit thebridalmarket.com.
By KAITLIN BITZ The 9th Annual Red Nose Run will feature a 5K, a 10-mile run, a Fun Run and lots of clowning around. The run takes place each year to raise funds for the Ronald McDonald Houses of Alabama. This year it will be held Jan. 12 at Rosewood Hall at SoHo Square beginning at 7 a.m. Participants in the Fun Run will be accompanied by Ringling Brother’s Circus clowns and Ronald McDonald himself. Participants who register in time will also receive a goody bag with $5 off coupons for Ringling Brother’s circus, a long sleeve race T-shirt and a clown nose. The race itself is sure to be full of silliness and lots of entertainment. However, don’t forget to register in time. Due to limited parking, only a certain number of participants will be allowed. For more information on registration, costs and packet pickup, visit rednoserun-bham.com. “The Statue of Liberty” participates in last year’s Red Nose Run, which will be held Jan. 12 in SoHo in downtown Homewood. Photo courtesy of Red Nose Run.
16 • January 2013
The Homewood Star
BEST OF
HOMEWOOD The Homewood Star 2013 q
FOOD & DRINK Most Friendly Service q Hart & Soul q Jo Jo’s Diner on Broadway q La Bamba q O’Henry’s Coffee q Salem’s Diner q Sam’s Super Samwiches q Urban Cookhouse Most Kid Friendly Restaurant q Hart & Soul q New York Pizza q Salsarita’s q Sam’s Deli Best Happy Hour q Jackson’s q Little Donkey q Michael’s Restaurant q Oak Hill Best Brunch q Brio q Crape Myrtle’s Café q Hart & Soul q Jackson’s Best Ladies’ Lunch Spot q Nabeel’s q O’Carr’s q Urban Cookhouse q Zoe’s Best Date Night q DoDiYos q GianMarco’s q Jinsei q Michael’s Restaurant Best Casual Dining q Dave’s Pizza q Hart & Soul q Little Donkey q Mangia Mangia q Nabeel’s q Saw’s BBQ q Urban Cookhouse Best Asian Food q Chop Suey Inn q Jinsei q Mr. Wang’s q Pho Que Hung q Yoe Express Best Italian Food q Alfredo’s q Brio q DaVinci’s q GianMarco’s
Best Mediterranean Food q DoDiYos q Nabeel’s q Purple Onion q Sam’s Deli & Grill Best Mexican Food q Cocina Superior q La Bamba q Little Donkey q Los Compadres q Pinches Tacos q Sabor Latino q Salsarita’s Best New Restaurant q Johnny’s q Jo Jo’s Diner on Broadway q Little Donkey q Which Wich Best Pizza q DeVinci’s q New York Pizza q Papa Murphy’s Best Coffee q Hart & Soul q O’Henry’s Coffees q Red Mountain Espresso q Starbucks Best Bakery q Dreamcakes q Hart & Soul q Icing on the Cookie q Pastry Art q Savage’s Best Restaurant Dessert q DoDiYos q GianMarco’s q Jackson’s q Urban Cookhouse
COMMUNITY Best Outdoor Space q Homewood Central Park q Lakeshore Greenway q Patriot Park q Woodland Park Best Community Event q Christmas Parade q Exceptional Foundation Chili Cook-Off q Hall-Kent Fall Festival q Taste of Homewood q We Love Homewood Day
Best Neighborhood q Edgewood q Hollywood q Lakeshore Estates q Mayfair q West Homewood Best Church Choir q All Saints q Dawson Memorial Baptist q Our Lady of Sorrows Children’s Choir q Trinity United Methodist Best Charity Event q A Team Ministries Heart 2 Heart Gala q Children’s Dance Foundation’s Community Fest q Exceptional Foundations Chili Cook-Off q Our Lady of Sorrows Fourth of July Festival q American Cancer Society Relay for Life q MS Walk Best After School Activity q Cookies at Savages q Homewood Library q Homewood Park q Homewood Soccer q Trinity UMC Element Café Local Band/Musician q Andy Meginniss q Blank State/Will Stewart q Danny Whitsett q Homewood High Band q La Resistance q Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires q The Amazing Live Sea Monkeys q The Dill Pickers q The Legendary Pineapple Skinners q Trey Hill, Trinity UMC Contact Worship Best Hometown Hero/Celebrity q Bob Newton q Eric Swope, HMS Cross Country q Julie Gentry q Mayor Scott McBrayer q Paul DeMarco Best Local Personality q Rick Journey q Sam Graphos q Coach Steve Sills q Paul DeMarco q Romen McDonald
Best Place for Family Outing q Homewood Community Garden q Downtown Homewood q Edgewood Creamery q Homewood Central Park q Patriot Park
HEALTH & WELLNESS Best Work Out Facility q Dawson Family Life Center q Firm Body Bootcamps q Homewood FIT q Homewood Rec Center q Iron Tribe Fitness q Shades Valley YMCA q Mommy and Me Fitness Best Dentist q Dr. Deanne Vail q Dr. Julie Webb q Dr. James Reed q Dr. Jack Clark q Dr. Michael Keller q Dr. Jennifer Davis q Dr. Robert Rudolph q Dr. Kari Powell Best Pediatrician q Dr. Keith Stansell q Dr. Melissa Wilson q Dr. Stacey Gilbert q Dr. Elizabeth Peters q Dr. Amy Albert
BUSINESSES & SERVICES Best Place to Have a Child’s Birthday Party q Homewood Central Park q Children’s Dance Foundation q Do It Yourself Crafts Best New Business q A Touch of Whimsy q Classy Closet q Festivity q Jo Jo’s Diner on Broadway q Red Mountain Espresso q RSA Medical Boutique q Southern Fireplaces of Homewood q Steel City Pops Best Children’s Store q Homewood Toy and Hobby q Jack & Jill q Korduroy Krockidle q Once Upon a Time q Sikes q Soca Girl q Swaddle
Vote online through Jan. 25 at
thehomewoodstar/best-of
Best Store to Buy a Gift Alabama Goods Ambiance At Home Festivity Harmony Landing Homewood Antiques Homewood Toy and Hobby
q q q q q q q
Best Store for Men q The Briary q Jos A Banks q Shaia’s Best Place to Buy Home Décor q A Touch of Whimsy q At Home q Harmony Landing q Homewood Antiques q Siebel’s q Three Sheets q The Briarcliff Shop Best Customer Service q Alabama Goods q Applause Dancewear q Homewood Antiques q Hunter’s Cleaners q Publix q The Maids q Twin Construction Best Mechanic Shops q Edgewood Service q Hatfields q Jim and Jims q Malcolm Auto q Rainoldi’s Auto q Rob’e Mans Best Salon q Gary Anthony q The Hair Studio q Hopson James q Parkside q Salon on Crescent q Salon U q Sanctuary Best Store for Your Hobby q Cahaba Cycles q Fretted Instruments q Hobby Lobby q Homewood Toy and Hobby q Sewing Machine Mart q Smocking Bird q Trak Shack Best Jewelry Store q The Diamond Dealer q Edgewood Fine Jewelry q Wallace-Burke
January 2013 • 17
TheHomewoodStar.com
School House
OLS visits Jones Valley Farm The fifth grade class at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic (OLS) School learned that eating healthy can be fun during a trip to Jones Valley Teaching Farm in downtown Birmingham. The students learned the processes required to get food from the farm to the kitchen table. They also learned how to read food labels to help them stay healthy before picking their own vegetables from the farm’s organic garden. “I love this field trip because it is so hands-on, and it teaches students, parents and teachers important nutrition information that we can use for the rest of our lives,” OLS fifth grade teacher Claire Long said.
In the on-site kitchen at Jones Valley, students were instructed how to wash, cut and prepare vegetables and how to eat using all natural ingredients. They even had the opportunity to enjoy their food creations! “Seeing the students picking the vegetables and then truly enjoying the fruits of their labor is such a joy!” Long said. “With childhood obesity on the rise, it is vital that we teach our youth about the impact that their food choices have on their health and their environment,” she said. – Submitted by Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School
Homewood High students participate in Samford’s Turning Points Program
Assistant Superintendent for Business Operations Dr. Kevin Maddox and Superintendent Dr. Bill Cleveland with HHS students in the Turning Points Program.
Homewood High School students Antonio Kelly, Michelle George, Malone Morgan and Jessica Nevins were selected to participate in Samford University’s Turning Points Program. Turning Points, specifically designed for graduation certificate students between the ages of 18-21, meets every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday on Samford’s campus. This transition program concentrates on the
development of life, social, communication and employability skills and includes instruction and job-training opportunities through hands-on activities and classroom instruction. While much time has been spent on learning and practicing important skills, students also enjoyed activities such as baking cookies in a dorm, listening to the Reid Chapel pipe organ, a picnic lunch on the quad and exercising in the gym.
Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School fifth grade students learned about growing vegetables in a greenhouse at Jones Valley Teaching Farm.
Students run school store
Anna Frierson and Rachel Donaldson assist Bianca Perez with her purchase at the HHS School Store.
Coach Rick Baguley’s senior economics classes at Homewood High School created and are running a school store that sells school supplies, novels and Patriot gear to students, faculty and staff. Students do everything from designing, ordering and inventory, to taking the actual orders and making the sales. The
store is open each day during all five lunch periods. Students anticipate having their own blog soon that will allow them to create a “catalogue” in which other Homewood City Schools employees can see their products. Profits from the store go directly to Homewood City Schools.
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18 • January 2013
The Homewood Star
HOMEWOOD PARKS & RECREATION Homewood Community Center Activities
Zumba
ZUMBA is the new craze sweeping America! It is Latin inspired aerobic dance and every class feels like a party. ZUMBA is for all ages, and both sexes! You can burn 500 to 1000 calories in one fun hour! Instructor: Camille Scruggs Contact Info: 256-452-2500 or camillescruggs@gmail.com Location: Temporary Fitness and Programs Facility Days & Times: Monday 5:30-6:30pm Tuesday 5:30-6:30pm Thursday 5:30-6:30pm Saturday 9:00-10:00am
Karate
Classes are held on Mondays and Wednesdays at the Temporary Fitness and Programs Facility from 4:00-5:00 pm . Monthly tuition is $55 - $65. Classes are for children and teenagers ages 4 and up. For more information please contact Master Joe at 966-4244
Young Rembrandts
Draw amazing things with Young Rembrandts! We believe that drawing is a skill that can, and should be learned by all children. Young Rembrandts classes are both fun and educational, and our step-by-step curriculum is developed to teach fundamental art skills in a nurturing environment that gives children an academic advantage. Our weekly classes are for boys and girls 5 to 12 years of age. Classes have relocated to Homewood Parks Temporary Fitness and Programs Facility. All new lessons monthly and each year! Please contact Chris Roberson at (205) 9431923 for more information and to register or visit www.youngrembrandts.com to enroll anytime. WEDNESDAYS, 3:30 – 4:30 PM Enroll anytime! $40 monthly
Belly Dancing with Aziza
Class Location: Temporary Fitness and Programs Facility Class Fee: $60 cash only For more information contact Aziza at 879-0701 or azizaofbirmingham@att.net Learn the ancient art of Middle Eastern belly dance (classic Egyptian style) with Aziza, award winning dancer, with 36 years of experience in performance and instruction. Women only, ages 13 and up are welcome; with no dance experience necessary to enroll. Each session is 5-weeks long on: Tuesday night for beginners, Wednesday night for intermediates and Thursday night for advanced. Times times are 7:00-8:30pm. Beginners start with the basic steps, isolations and shimmies and progress to the intermediate class where you will learn to put the dance together with more advanced steps and combinations plus dancing with the veil; advanced classes include performing with zills, cane, veil with more advanced and longer performances. The classes are for anyone who wants to dance for fun and fitness, as well as those who wish to perform. Aziza has trained dancers to perform for many events in the Southeastern area in addition to dancers who perform regularly at Ali Baba Persian Restaurant in Hoover. www.azizaofbirmingham.com
Kindermusik
As the world’s recognized leader in early childhood music and movement, Kindermusik offers a musical learning adventure that will impact your child now and for years to come! This is accomplished through our extraordinary classroom experience and unsurpassed At Home materials. There’s simply no better way to foster your child’s love of music and love of learning. Classes are available for ages 0 to 5 years. Classes Offered & Schedule: Wednesdays 10:30am - Our Time (18 months to 3 years) 11:30am - Village (infant to 18 months) 1:30pm – Family Time (0-7 years multi-age class) Thursdays 9:30am - Our Time (18 months to 3 years) 10:30am - Our Time (18 months to 3 years) 11:30am - Village (infant to 18 months) 1:30pm – Imagine That (3-5 years of age) Classes have relocated to the Homewood Parks Temporary Fitness and Programs Facility. You can enroll for classes at anytime! For more information call or email Kelly at: (205) 552-6129 (or) Kelly.alligood@charter.net Please visit http://kellyalligood.yourvirtuoso. com for more information or to enroll
Children’s Ballet with Claire Goodhew
Your child can be a fairy, a princess or a butterfly while keeping ballet traditions alive and having fun with classical music. The beginning ballet moves taught are the important foundation for many types of dance. The French names for steps will be introduced. Students will work on coordination, balance, rhythm and flexibility while developing listening skills and strengthening muscles. The environment provided is a happy and age appropriate one. Claire has been teaching ballet since starting as a teenager in Montgomery. Then, after moving to Birmingham, she started teaching with Birmingham Ballet. She has taught preschoolers in Mother’s Day Out and Day Care as well. Girls may wear any color leotard and tights for class, with pink ballet shoes. Classes meet once a week on Mondays at The Homewood Community Center. Times & Location: Monday 3:45pm-4:30pm / Homewood Parks Temporary Fitness and Programs Facility Please contact Claire to enroll or for additional Information: (205) 879-8780
Head Over Heels Gymnastics!
Gymnastics promotes coordination, flexibility and balance. We teach gymnastics at your child’s individual level in a fun, creative and positive environment, therefore developing self-confidence, a love for fitness and a sense of achievement. Skills are taught on a variety of fun props! Location: Temporary Fitness and Programs Facility For More Information about our programs: (205) 981-2720 (or) www.headoverheelsgyms.com
@homewoodparks
Homewood Community Center Project Update
The Homewood Parks and Recreation Board is excited to announce the beginning of construction on a New Community Center for Homewood in January 2013!
Below is a list of when programs and services will resume at our temporary home which is the site of the former Jefferson County Satellite Courthouse, 809 Greensprings Highway, Homewood, AL 35209. Please see below for more information on the temporary facility. Cardio & Weight Room: These areas open at the Temporary Fitness & Programs Facility Wednesday, January 2, 2013 Instructor taught classes & programs: Classes resume Wednesday, January 2, 2013 at the Temporary Fitness & Programs Facility. Homewood Youth Basketball League: will continue to use the Homewood Community Center gymnasium for scheduled games and practices until Friday, January 11, 2013. At that time all practices and games will utilize other facilities.
Temporary Fitness & Programs Facility 809 Greensprings Highway, Homewood, AL 35209
The temporary facility is located at the former Jefferson County Satellite Courthouse. Services at this facility will include cardio & weight rooms, programs room for fitness and instructional classes, and administrative offices. Temporary Fitness & Programs Facility Hours Monday – Thursday: 5:30am – 8:30pm Friday: 5:30am – 7:00pm Saturday: 8:00am – 6:00pm Sunday: 1:00pm – 6:00pm Business Office Hours Monday – Friday: 8:00am – 5:45pm
Athletics
Girl’s Softball
Homewood Parks and Recreation offers Girls Softball. Games are played during the months of March thru May with All-star play in the month of June. Registration: Begins: January 14, 2013 Ends: February 15, 2013 Monday thru Friday 8:00am – 5:45pm Homewood Temporary Fitness and Programs Facility Business Office Program Fee: $60 Homewood Residents $80 Non Residents Fee includes jersey, visor and socks for regular season play. Jakob Stephens – 332-6709 (or) jakob.stephens@homewoodal.org
Homewood Soccer Club Spring 2013 season registration opens January 1, 2013 Homewood Soccer Club is dedicated to creating a balanced youth soccer program for residents of Homewood and is also open to others with payment of a nonresident fee. There are three levels of play in the soccer program: The Patriot Teams: Player’s ages 3 to 7. Teams are established in three age groups, U-4, U-6 and U-8. It is intramural so all activities take place at Homewood Soccer Park. Introduces basic soccer skills and focuses on learning “The Joy of the Game”. The Red Teams: Recreational teams ages 8 and older that offer players the opportunity to learn and enjoy the game in a reduced competitive environment while improving his/her soccer skills. The Blue Teams: are Select (Try out) teams that play at a competitive level. Blue teams are available starting at U-11 up to U-18. Detail information about all three levels of play, including deadlines, fees and Club philosophy is available on our web site at www.homewoodsoccer.com, or call David Putman, Soccer Director, at 979-8974
Homewood Patriot Youth Baseball League HPYBL is a youth recreational baseball league for the citizens of Homewood, as well as, surrounding communities. Please visit our website for more information about the upcoming Spring Season: www.homewoodyouthbaseball.com
www.Homewoodparks.com
January 2013 • 19
TheHomewoodStar.com
Rotary delivers special gifts
Rotary members Pam Holt, Glenn Ellis, Bob Bales, Hall-Kent Elementary Principal Gina Dorough, Hall-Kent teacher Jill Walden, Rotary member Debbie Roberson, Sarah Womack, President Paul Scholl, Jonathan Lopez and Donte’ Bacchus.
The Homewood-Oxmoor Rotary Club recently donated and delivered dictionaries to every third grader in Homewood City Schools. Rotary members personally visited every classroom to
distribute the dictionaries on behalf of the Rotary Club and guided the children as they looked up different words together. The students were free to take dictionaries home or keep them at school.
Edgewood class learns about city officials
Students in Johnny Washington’s class with a Homewood Fire and Rescue Service truck.
Edgewood Elementary students in Johnny Washington’s second grade class learned about the Homewood community by inviting community helpers including members of
the Homewood Fire and Police Departments, local doctors, coaches and more to come to Edgewood and share information about their jobs.
Operation Christmas Child at Shades Cahaba
Students in Laura Hale’s and Lashaundra Richardson’s kindergarten classes collected, sorted and boxed 25 shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. These shoeboxes will be dropped off at a local church and sent overseas for to less fortunate children for Christmas.
Nooks in use at Hall-Kent library
Payton Young and Taylor Williams
Hall-Kent Elementary School students are enjoying the Nook program currently shared in Homewood City Schools.
“I just love seeing them being engaged in learning and most of all they are enjoying reading,” Hall-Kent librarian Emily Strickland said.
20 • January 2013
The Homewood Star
Sports Cheerleaders, Star Spangled girls hold camps
The HHS Star Spangled Girls recently held dance camp at the high school for younger girls in Homewood.
HHS cheerleader Cassy Anderson and Abbey Wade at cheer camp at Homewood’s Waldrop Stadium. Photos courtesy of Danielle Wade.
Sports about town Cordelia Fox, 6, Ella Woods, 8, and Tully Mitchell, 8, enjoy being on the swim team together with Coach Chaz at the YMCA. Photo courtesy of Nikki Woods.
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Milly Myers, Laney Petrella and Jack Myers at gymnastics practice. Photo courtesy of Katie Petrella.
Luke Stewart, age 4, has started playing the Robert Trent Jones Oxmoor Valley Golf Course with his dad, Shawn. His favorite part? Driving the cart! Photo courtesy of Shawn Stewart.
January 2013 • 21
TheHomewoodStar.com
Olympic silver medalist Meb Keflezighi’s visits
The Power to Perform Dr. Geoffrey Connor and Dr. David Ostrowski SPORTS MEDICINE & ORTHOPEDICS 205.803.3700
D
Jennifer Andress, Kile Putman, Allison Putman, Lucas Lamb, Jane Lamb, Meb Keflezighi, Chad Hathorne, Teresa Wilson. Photo courtesy mRuns.com
The Birmingham Track Club hosted one of America’s elite marathon runners, Meb Keflezighi, at aLoft Hotel in Homewood in November. His honors include: 2004 Silver Medalist at the Beijing Olympics, winner of the 2009 ING NYC Marathon, winner of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, and fourth overall finisher at the 2012 London Olympic Games. Keflezighi held a signing for his book, Run to Overcome, and promoted his non-profit,
Meb Foundation, which strives to inspire youth and their families to lead healthy, active, balanced lives. “We are extremely excited about hosting such an amazing athlete here in the Magic City,” said Jennifer Andress, President of the Birmingham Track Club and Hollywood resident. “When you see what Meb has accomplished with his career and how committed he is to helping others, you can’t help but be in awe.”
OLS Volleyball places first
Dr. David Ostrowski
1651 Independence Ct., Suite 211 Birmingham, AL 35209 www.d1sportsdocs.com www.facebook.com/D1sportsmedicine
1982
Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School seventh and eighth grade team won first place in the regular season in the Senior Division of the Birmingham Catholic Diocese. They also took home top honors by placing first in the annual Toy Bowl Tournament.
Front row: Anna Karg, Carolyn Bosworth, Caroline Smith, Laura Lindsay, Anna Grace Nichols, Mallie Hankes. Back row: Coach Michele Alesce, Jessica Walker, Claire Morel, Megan Miller, Erin McMahonand Coach Meghan Alesce. Photo courtesy Mary Pugh.
Cross Country wins state
Homewood High School’s boys and girls cross country teams and coaches.
The Homewood High School varsity boys cross country team earned 5A State Champions, and the girls team was 5A State Runner-Up. Alex Ngei, Mike Rhody,
Logan Sadler and Andy Smith earned AllState Titles for 5A guys, and Ann Mosley Whitsett earned an All-State Title for 5A girls.
Dr. Geoffrey Connor
@ D1_SportsDoc
2012
®
22 • January 2013
The Homewood Star
How to support Not Forgotten Donate. The team is working to build a steady donor base but is grateful for any donation. Keep up with their work. Follow them on their blog, Facebook and Instagram, or sign up for their newsletter on their website. Go on a trip. Not Forgotten sends two summer teams and one over Christmas to love on children, work on construction and renovations, and teach Bible schools and English to the boys. They welcome anyone who is willing. Share their story. Not Forgotten is interested in making connections with local churches and other people who are interested in learning their story and become a part of their work. For more information, visit Notforgotten.org.
PERU
from page 1 part of the boys’ lives long-term. He had seen that they already had seen enough people leave them. “They have poor self-esteem, to put it mildly,” Allison said. “They view everything as a result of their own badness, and they feel like they deserve how they live. It’s hard for them to believe that anyone else can love them.” And so the purpose of their nonprofit ministry, Not Forgotten, is to show the boys that they can be loved. “If they can see love in Gringos, we hope they can start to see the love of God,” Allison said. “They can tangibly grasp that they are worth loving when they see people coming back to them. We are trying to be a visual of that truth. We want them to see that they are not forgotten—not by us and more so not by God.”
Personal and pointed growth
Although the vision to build the boys’ hopes and dreams started with Tyler, Not Forgotten has always been a team effort, with more than 200 Samford students and others from around the Southeast making trips over the past decade. During his sophomore year at Samford, Tyler convinced seven college friends to go with him to Peru as a next step to help the missionaries there in the long-term. “The missionaries sent us off into the jungle with no interns or anything. It was just us,” he said. Spring break his junior year, he took 23 Samford students, and his senior year he took 37—the first year Allison and Kristen McKee, now the Forgotten Team Coordinator and Church Liaison, would go. After Tyler and his friends graduated from Samford in 2006, they continued not only to take trips, but also to explore organic ways to do more for the children. “We found it was hard seeing so
many more needs than we could meet in a trip, like education. So we started supporting teachers,” Tyler said. It was then in 2007 that Not Forgotten was born — to do more to support local ministry and home there.
A vision for long term, holistic change
The more needs the Not Forgotten team tried to meet, the more needs they saw. And they began to see that the homes they had been working with, in their efforts to provide food and shelter, served as a band-aid over more serious problems. They started brainstorming with people on the ground and dreamed up a new home to provide a more holistic approach to “build hope, break the cycle,” as the organization’s tag line says. In April 2011, Not Forgotten purchased 100 acres in Peru to influence the community where they had been working, and the team’s ideas for their property are endless.
O F F
They broke ground last summer for a children’s home to get more kids off the streets or from neglected homes. “We could open tomorrow and have 50 kids,” Allison said. “We have a vision of ways to do this well and to involve the community in taking care of the kids.” In the future, they hope to build a school and teach the children to speak English and use computers so they can work in the tourism industry. They also want to open a farm and a business such as a gas station or ecotourism site to benefit local residents and teach the boys trade skills.
Next steps, here and there
Not Forgotten hopes to partner with more churches and schools in Birmingham, adding to their existing network of support. Allison is now a foster care social worker at Lifeline Family Services, Tyler is an internal medicine and pediatrics resident at UAB and Kristen teaches language acquisition at Montevallo Elementary. All three still live in Homewood, not far from their college friends who are still
very involved in Not Forgotten. They bring their own professional skill sets in speech language, construction, nonprofit management, business and accounting to the ministry. Tyler’s dad, Joe Fuqua, an architect in Huntsville, and Allison’s dad, Randy Pittman, the Vice President for University Advancement at Samford, are both very involved as well. In all they do, the overarching idea of any long-term plan is for Not Forgotten to pour into locals who can be on the front lines in Peru to connect with the children on a deeper level. Realizing that as Americans they have some cultural disconnection in Peru, the team said they want to be as involved or removed as they should be in their vision for the boys. “We can help be motivators for them,” Kristen said. “By working with locals we can teach them to take advantage of the opportunities they have.” Allison added: “Our heart is not to turn them into little Americans but to listen to people about what they need and connect them with things. We try to lay aside what makes the most sense to us here, knowing that we are still not Peruvian.”
Calendar
TheHomewoodStar.com
Homewood Events Jan. 6: The Bridal Market. 1-4 p.m. Rosewood Hall. $10 in advance, $15 at the door. Visit thebridalmarket.com. Jan. 8 – The Oxmoor Page Turners Book Club. 6:30 p.m. Homewood Library. Discussing A Parchment of Leaves by Silas House. Jan. 10 – Meet and Greet Michael Harding. 6 p.m. Forstall Art Center. Painting aficionado Harding will talk about his lines of paints as well as proper paint mixing and blending techniques. Free to the public, space is limited. Call 870-0480. Jan. 10 – 2013 Claypool Lecture. 6:30 p.m. Leslie S. Wright Center. Dr. Brené Brown, New York Times best selling author. Discussion entitled “The Hustle for Worthiness.” Sponsored by Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church. Tickets are $15 each. Call 802-6207. Jan. 11 – Leaps and Bounds. 10:30 a.m. Homewood Library. A class for 2.5- to 4-year-olds designed to help them get the wiggles out while learning gross motor skills. No older siblings please. Call 332-6619. Jan. 11-12 – Oil Painting with Michael Harding. 10 a.m. Forstall Art Center. $145 for the full day. Lunch is provided, but you should bring supplies. Call 870-0480. Jan. 12 – Say Hola to Spanish. 10:30 a.m. Homewood Library. Enjoy a language-learning story time. All ages welcome. Jan. 12 – The Music of Ray Charles with Ellis Hall. 8 p.m. Leslie S. Wright Center. Tickets range from $27 to $69. Call 975-2787. Jan. 12 – Red Nose Run. 7 a.m. Rosewood Hall. 5K and 10 mile run as well as Fun Run that includes
Ronald McDonald and clowns from Ringling Brother’s Circus. Proceeds benefit Ronald McDonald House. Visit rednoserun-bham.com. Jan. 14 – Monday Movie. 3:30 p.m. Homewood Library. Popcorn and juice will be served. Jan. 15 – State of the City Luncheon. 11:30 a.m. Mayor Scott McBrayer will speak. City awards will be given. The Club. Visit homewoodchamber.com. Jan. 15 – The A, B, C’s of Medicare. Noon and 6 p.m. Homewood Library. Karen Haiflich will answer questions about the how benefits are currently computed, how to become insured and how to file a claim. Jan. 17 – After Schooler’s Fun Club. 3:30 p.m. Homewood Library. Children ages 8-12 can come enjoy the cool craft corner. Jan. 17 – The Small Business Workshop Series – Social Media 101. 6 p.m. Homewood Library. This workshop will cover the basics for using social media for business including Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Workshop is free. Call 3326620. Jan. 18 – Creating Altered Books with Allison Rhea. 10 a.m. Homewood Library. Allison Rhea will be teaching people how to use old unwanted books as canvases for many different types of art. Reservations required. Call 332-6620. Jan. 18 – Leaps and Bounds. 10:30 a.m. Homewood Library. A class for 2.5- to 4-year-olds designed to help them get the wiggles out while learning gross motor skills. No older siblings please. Call 332-6619. Jan. 19 – Cereal and Cartoons. 10 a.m. Homewood Library.
Jan. 22 – Synthetic Marijuana Awareness Program. 6 p.m. Shades Valley Presbyterian Church. Rep. Paul DeMarco will host an awareness program for the public. Jan. 24 – Family PJ Story Time. 6 p.m. Homewood Library. Bring your family in their pajamas to enjoy tales and treats. All ages are welcome. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Jan. 26: Homewood Salamander Festival. 3-5:30 p.m. Homewood Senior Center, 816 Oak Grove Road. Jan. 26: Outrun Cancer 5K benefiting the Relay For Life of Homewood. 8 a.m. registration, 9 a.m. race, 9:30 a.m. pancake breakfast. Homewood High School. Visit relayforlife.org/homewoodal. Jan. 26 – Cereal and Cartoons. 10 a.m. Homewood Library. Jan. 28 – Monday Movie. 3:30 p.m. Homewood Library. Popcorn and juice will be served. Jan. 29 – Sports Page Turners. 6 p.m. Homewood Library. Discussing the latest trends in sports and more. Open to second- through fifth-grade students accompanied by an adult. Call 332-6619. Jan. 30 – Better Than Therapy Book Club. 6:30 p.m. Homewood Library. Discussing Richard Jaffe’s Quest for Justice – Defending the Damned. Call 332-6620. Jan. 31 – Scholarship Luncheon with Karen Kingsbury. 11:30 a.m. Vestavia Hills Country Club. $50 tickets benefit students in need of financial aid. Kingsbury is New York Times and USA Today number one best selling author of Life-Changing Fiction. Reservations required 2247.
Jan. 31 – Say Hola to Spanish. 4 p.m. Homewood Library. Enjoy a languagelearning story time. All ages welcome. Feb. 5 – National Pancake Day. IHOP will be giving away free pancakes all day. Their goal is to raise 3 million dollars for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospital’s 30th Anniversary.
Special Events Jan. 4-5 – Monster Jam. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday. BJCC. Monster trucks for the whole family. Tickets range from $10 to $50. Call 800-745-3000. Jan. 12 – Bama Shootout. 8 a.m.-10 p.m. BJCC. 18 of Alabama’s best high school boys and girls basketball teams will play. Ticket prices vary by school. Call 502-435-3255. Jan. 13 – Southern Bridal Show. Noon-5 p.m. BJCC. Call 800-5238917 or visit eliteevents.com. Jan. 20 – Reflect & Rejoice – A Tribute to MLK Jr. 3 p.m. Alys Robinson Stephens Performing Arts Center. Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and Alabama Symphony Orchestra collaborate to present program including Beethoven’s No. 5 and conducted by Roderick Cox. Tickets range from $9 to $24. Call 975-2787. Jan. 21 – Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast. 7 a.m. BJCC. Call 324-8796. Jan. 24-27 – Birmingham Boat Show. BJCC. Tickets are $10. Children are free. Visit birminghamboatshow.com. Jan. 24 – 48th Annual Member Celebration. 5:30 p.m. Botanical Gardens. State Master Gardener
MedHelp Lakeshore Homewood area, Just off I-65 @ Lakeshore Drive exit One West Lakeshore Drive (205) 930.2950
Gifst Chandeliers
Jan. 12 – The Music of Ray Charles with Ellis Hall. 8 p.m. Leslie S. Wright Center. Tickets range from $27 to $69. Call 975-2787. Jan. 16 – Justin Bieber. 7 p.m. BJCC. Tickets range from $41 to $91. Visit aeglive.com or call 800-745-6000. Jan. 25-27 – Madame Butterfly. 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Leslie S. Wright Fine Arts Center. Tickets range from $20 to $90. Student tickets are $12. Visit operabirmingham.org. Jan. 26 – C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters. 4 p.m., 8 p.m. BJCC. Tickets range from $39 to $89. Appropriate for ages 13+. Visit screwtapeonstage.com.
Save the Date Feb. 21 – 12th Annual Taste of Homewood. 5:30-8:30 p.m. Rosewood Hall, SOHO. Visit homewoodchamber.com.
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Feb. 2 – Jazz Cat Ball. 7 p.m.midnight. Old Car Heaven. This event is put on by the Greater Birmingham Humane Society Auxiliary.
Mirrors
Urgent Care • Family Practice • Weight Loss Alternative Medicine • Diagnostic & Lab Services Special Dermatology
Books
Services provided at MedHelp
Jan. 26 – Krispy Kreme Donut Dash. 8:30 a.m. Children’s Hospital. Participants must complete a four-mile run and eat a dozen donuts in one hours or less. Runners who don’t want to eat donuts may register as a casual runner. Benefits Children’s Hospital of Alabama. Visit k2d2fun.com.
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Program Coordinator for Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Kerry Smith will be the featured speaker. Tickets are $20 per person and include refreshments and hors d’oeuvres. Call 414-3950.
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The Doctor will see you Now!
January 2013 • 23
Prints
January 2013
The Homewood Star