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| October 2011 | The Homewood Star
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Citizens organize for neighborhood preservation A group of citizens is organizing to preserve Homewood’s neighborhoods. The grassroots group held an organizational meeting September 12 at the Homewood Public Library to discuss their goals and next steps. They confirmed that their primary goal would be to get city council members elected in 2012 who will represent the interests of the neighborhoods and will not vote for land to be rezoned from residential to commercial use. Citizens present expressed concern that the quality of Homewood’s neighborhoods has been deteriorating over the past several years and that their home values could decrease if more land around them is developed. They also said they feel that the current city council is not listening to their concerns. Those present at the meeting said they intend to spread the word about their efforts and bring more neighbors to future meetings. The group plans to appoint a leader for each of the five wards in Homewood to organize citizens within each ward. Some present at the meeting
encouraged fellow Homewood residents to be more active in their city government up until the elections next year too. The group discussed making sure that they had representatives attend all Planning Commission meetings on the first Tuesday of the month and Board of Zoning and Adjustments meetings on the first Thursday of the month. Many people at the meeting expressed that they felt that residents have not been properly notified when property around them was up for rezoning. It was suggested that residents email Anthony Smith to receive his regular city council update emails. The Homewood Star plans to start posting updates from Smith’s emails on www.thehomewoodstar.com as well. The group’s next meeting will be held Tuesday, Oct. 11 at the Homewood Public Library. The time and room location will be announced later and posted on www. thehomewoodstar.com. The Homewood Star wants to be your voice regarding your city. Please contact ashley@thehomewoodstar.com with any ideas for ways that we can better cover the city government as well as citizens’ concerns.
Water is Life benefit By KATIE STEWART
In developing areas of the world, Neverthirst is meeting people’s need for water each day. On Oct. 13 the organization will hold a Water is Life Benefit at Ted’s Garage at 6 p.m. David Platt, pastor of the Church at Brook Hills and author of Radical, will be the guest speaker. Along with listening to Platt, guests can experience a Water Walk, silent auctions and a photo exhibition of the people that are being helped. For tickets and more information, visit www.
neverthirstwater.org/waterislife.The event is being planned by Homewood resident and Neverthirst Internal Projects Coordinator Natalie Gibbs. Neverthirst is a non-profit that provides clean drinking water to villages in India and Africa. The organization seeks to encourage churches around the world by providing clean water for villages to drink. Since Neverthirst began, more 100,000 people have been able to lead healthy lives thanks to new access to clean water.
Update on the Suther family 1829 29th Ave. South, Homewood
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The inaugural issue of The Homewood Star told the story of Gage and Stella Suther. They are young Homewood children diagnosed with Franconi Anemia, an inherited genetic recessive disorder that affects one in every 350,000 births (fewer than 20,000 worldwide). Treatment for FA is a bone marrow transplant, and as our story went to print in April, parents Chelsea and Matthew Suther were waiting for Gage’s condition to reach a point where the transplant procedure could go forward. Gage began treatment at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital in Manhattan, New York in mid-July, and underwent a bone marrow transplant on July 22. “He came through the procedure just fine. His counts started coming up on day seven, which is earlier than we expected,” said Chelsea Suther. The Suthers haven’t had an opportunity to see much of New York City because Gage’s immune system is still vulnerable, so the family spends most of their time in their room at the Ronald McDonald House in Manhattan. “His spirits are great, and we started back with his home-school lessons this last week,” she said. Gage seems to be adapting to life in the big city fairly well. Matthew and their younger child, Stella, who had been in New York during the procedure, returned to Homewood in mid-September, leaving Chelsea and Gage at least until the end of October and
The Suther family. Photo by Shay Allen.
possibly longer. “We have to wait until his T cells (white blood cells known as lymphocytes) reach at least 250, and they are the last to come up,” Chelsea said. Chelsea said that she is so grateful to the people of Homewood, and the surrounding area who read the story in The Homewood Star and donated the money for the children. “It would have been impossible without the people who helped,” she said. While the Suther family is ecstatic over Gage’s progress, their spirits are dampened somewhat by the fact that Stella, who is 5, is now exhibiting early signs of bone marrow failure. To read the Suther’s full story, visit www. thehomewoodstar.com.