Bham Family - July 2021

JULY 2021

CURTAIN UP! The Birmingham Children’s Theatre plots its return to the stage for 2021-22 PAGE 24

Smart

Snacking Help kids stay satisfied this summer PAGE 20

K&J’s

Elegant Pastries serves up sweets,

and family is the secret ingredient

PAGE 26

Vineyard Family Services Feeding Kids in Need, Promoting Responsible Fatherhood, and Helping Families in Crisis Donations help us: Feed children in need and provide other essential items Deliver family emergency food boxes Aid fathers and mothers with parenting programs Support incarcerated families and children Provide at-risk teens important life skills

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2 Bham Family July 2021

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EDITOR’S NOTE We are in the hottest—and if you’re like my family—busiest part of the summer, and it’s likely you’ve already logged a family beach trip, summer camps, and, let’s face it, some screen time in your Summer ’21 Family Memory Bank. Although we can’t help with the crushing temperatures and humidity, we do have some ideas in this issue to breathe a little life into the last few weeks of summer.

If your kids need to burn off some energy, turn to page 10 to check out Birmingham Boulders, a family-friendly rock-climbing facility in the heart of downtown. Offering family memberships and even a Climbing 101 class for the whole crew, this is sure to be an exciting adventure to try with everyone.

Of course, there’s always room for a sweet treat, summertime or not, and we have just the place to check out in Alabaster. K&J’s Elegant Pastries—known around town for their colossal milkshakes big enough for an entire family to share—fills the bill. Owner Kristal Thomas has taken a cake-making hobby from her home, to a small storefront, and now to a larger store and upcoming second location with her creative confections. Check out her family-focused story on page 26, and swing by for a shake or cupcake any day but Sunday or Monday (closed to recuperate and restock the sugar and flour!).

Birmingham is spilling over with talent, especially when it comes to theatre arts, and we’re thrilled to share that the Birmingham Children’s Theatre is staging their comeback—not that they ever really left— for the 2021-22 season. Executive Artistic Director Ashley Woods’s excitement is contagious as she talks through new shows and endeavors and being back on stage on page 24.

I’m willing to bet that this summer has brought out the snack attack in all of our kids. Feel better about the nonstop pantry pilfering with healthy, filling between-meal ideas from registered dietician and mom of two girls Holley Grainger. Her blog, Cleverful Living, features simple, tasty bites kids love, and she’s sharing her top tips with us on page 20.

You’ll also find guidance from a local dermatologist for protecting kids (and yourself!) from too much sun exposure (page 12) and read about a family who channeled their heartbreak into a mission to aid others through financial assistance for children with disabilities (page 18).

And I don’t want to leave out Adele Benson in our Kids Who Shine column on page 30. Adele organized a Girls Who Run team for her school, The Altamont School, which is an organization that provides girls with tools to empower, equip, and encourage them to be strong community contributors.

There’s still more I haven’t mentioned inside this issue, and we always invite you over to our website and Facebook page to check out other happenings. Birmingham offers endless stories to tell, and we want to share them all. If you know of a person, event, or business we should feature, we’d love to hear from you!

Stephanie Gibson Lepore Content Director and Mom contentdirector@jbmcmedia.com

4 Bham Family July 2021

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ABOUT US

Bham Family is published monthly by JBMC Media, LLC, P.O. Box 26432, Birmingham AL 35260.

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE INSIDE EVERY ISSUE

Just for Dads How to help steer children down the right path, toward the right people. p.8 Active Living Birmingham Boulders brings the world of climbing to local families. p. 10 Medical Spotlight Dermatologist drives home the importance of proper sun protection. p. 12 Faith Church of the Highlands’ Serve Day builds community around town and far beyond. p. 15 Schoolhouse Update from the Hoover School District. p. 16

Arts & Entertainment After a challenging 2020, Birmingham Children’s Theatre is staging a comeback. p. 24 Families in Business K&J’s Elegant Pastries serves up sweets with a side of all in the family. p. 26 Kids Who Shine Adele Benson runs toward success. p. 30 FEATURE STORIES

Libby’s Friends Family turns their journey into nonprofit to support others living with a disability. p. 18 Summer Snacking Curb fridge and pantry raids with tips and recipes from Holley Grainger, MS, RD. p. 20

Bham Family July 2021 7

JUST FOR DADS The last Thursday evening in May was a moment of both celebration and reflection. The early part of the evening was spent teaching life skills to teenagers in the Shelby County Juvenile Detention Ward Center. The latter part of the Williams evening was spent at a four-hour high school senior academic awards ceremony that might have felt like being incarcerated.

In fact, the students in the Shelby County Juvenile Detention center looked like the students who attend the academic awards ceremonies.

As I reflected, I realized what a fine line there is between the students at Juvenile Detention and the students at the ceremony, and I wondered what can be done to help those at the detention center.

As a teenager, I was never in the custody of the Juvenile Detention facility, and I was never invited to academic awards ceremonies—but I was close to both. I would have made the academic honor roll multiple times in high school if I could have avoided the constant “improvement needed” grade that I received as a conduct score.

There were many times in high school when my

behavior, while never malicious, skated around the edges of legal and appropriate. I could have been an honor student with just a little more effort and a little or a lot less chitchatting in class.

With just a couple different choices or by being caught in different circumstances, I, too, could have been a resident of the Juvenile Detention center.

I am very grateful for athletics, youth group, jobs, and positive friendships that kept me busy during teenage years, which lessoned the time I had to make bad decisions. The high majority of teenagers who get in trouble are redeemable.

The executive function part of the human brain, which controls impulse control, decision making, memory, and other important functions, continues to develop into the mid-twenties. I am very grateful for mentors, youth pastors, family, and others who highlighted gifts in me and called out positive attributes that they saw could be developed.

As parents, we need to help our kids be exposed to as many diverse, life-giving people, organizations, books, and art that will help equip and strengthen our kids when they are forced to make decisions that will lead them down particular paths. It is really a multitude of small decisions that happen at unknown times that will shape their paths and environments.

Involvement in athletics and other organizations can help keep kids out of trouble.

8 Bham Family July 2021

Get off the bench and back in the game.

Football, baseball, soccer, cross country and other activities are a way of life in Alabama. If you’re participating in any sport or outdoor activity, we’re here to cheer you on and let you know that the doctors at Precision Sports Medicine and Orthopedics are available in case you need care.

The services we offer and conditions we treat include the following: Sports injuries, trauma and sideline care Arthroscopic surgery Muscle, tendon and joint pain Broken bones or stress fractures Concussion management Regenerative medicine Shin splints, plantar fasciitis and iliotibial (IT) band pain

Knee problems Sciatica (numbness or pain in or around lower back, hip or knee) Joint replacement surgeries Nonsurgical orthopedic care Musculoskeletal injuries Arthritic care Acute and chronic tendon injuries

To make an appointment, call 855-219-6200 or visit PrecisionSportsOrtho.com for a full list of providers.

Bham Family July 2021 9

ACTIVE LIVING

PHOTOS COURTESY OF JOE ORTEGA/BIRMINGHAM BOULDERS

Climbers of all abilities can find a challenge on Birmingham Boulders climbing walls.

Reaching

for the top

Birmingham Boulders offers families and individuals a top-notch climbing facility to stretch mentally, physically Thanks to his dad, Henry, teaching search and rescue in the Sierra Mountains during the late-1970s, Joe Ortega grew up climbing in the Northern California and Oregon mountains.

Those early rock-climbing expeditions got in his blood, and after visiting a climbing gym for the first time in Odessa, Texas, in the mid-1990s, Joe was on a mission.

“When I moved to Birmingham in 2005, it was to open a climbing gym,” he says. “I had been to the city several times on my way to the world-famous sandstone of Horse Pens 40 [a 10 Bham Family July 2021

well-known bouldering spot located northwest of Birmingham in Steele, Alabama].” Joe remembers walking around downtown in 2004 and imagining the potential Birmingham held—perhaps for his own climbing gym.

“I had the opportunity to move here, and I jumped at the chance,” Joe says. And finally, after years of planning, in August 2009 he opened First Avenue Rocks, the first rock-climbing gym in the city. “We opened to a very excited community of CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

climbers. My goal of bringing an authentic indoor climbing experience here was literally a dream come true—something I had been chasing since that first climbing gym experience in Texas.”

“Bouldering,” as the sport is known, is a climbing style that involves scaling boulders or shorter artificial walls at jump height, without the aid of a rope or harness. Most climbs are 12 to 15 feet, and soft pads aid your landing.

First Avenue Rocks became a community center for climbers of all levels, catering to individuals, groups, and younger adventurers, too.

“It served as a training facility and a school,” says Joe. “Scouts could get their rock-climbing Merit Badges on Friday, kids could conquer the rope wall at a birthday party on Saturday, and seasoned stone masters could hone their minds and muscles all in the same modest facility.”

Despite its success, however, Joe acknowledges it wasn’t enough. Within a short time, it became clear that First Avenue Rocks was already outgrowing its facility and needed more space. So, says Joe, “I dusted off my drafting table and went to work designing the gym Birmingham deserved: a world-class training facility with all the best equipment and every tool a climber could ever want to achieve their goals.”

Joe opened the 14,000-square-foot Birmingham Boulders facility in November 2016—at the time, the largest bouldering gym east of the Mississippi—where he also houses The Forge, one of the top five training facilities in the United States.

“Oftentimes, people think of rock climbing as an upper body workout, but climbing truly is an entire body workout,” says Joe. “Climbing increases balance, focus, flexibility, strength, and overall health. Many climbers enjoy a healthy active lifestyle, and because our community is so encouraging, welcoming, and inclusive, we are always finding new people who want to join

in the experience.” To that end, Birmingham Boulders offers a variety of programs for families and children, from a summer camp program that teaches the ABCs of climbing to a competitive team and Climbing 101 classes families can take together. They also offer birthday parties and bookings for youth group outings, field trips, and scouting events.

Joe says that climbing helps increase judgment under pressure and rewards positive character traits such as honesty, self-control, courage, and perseverance, which makes it the perfect family activity. “Climbing also helps individuals to focus on one task at a time and really stay present in the moment in a positive and encouraging environment,” says Joe. Birmingham Boulders offers family memberships that make it cost-effective for the whole gang to participate together. “We have many families that climb with us on a weekly basis,” says Joe. As people readjust to routines again, Joe is excited to be open and offering plenty of programs again this year, as well as planning new events for later this summer and fall. “We just hosted the USA Climbing Youth Bouldering Regionals, as well as Boulder Bash 2021, and we had a great turnout at both events. We’re so proud and excited to be able to host these special events that serve the southeastern climbing community,” he says. “We’re here to bring a firstrate indoor climbing experience to the people of Birmingham, and by giving beginners a place to learn, regulars a facility to enjoy an adventurous experience, and climbers room to train, our goal is to grow the sport of climbing in an authentic encouraging environment.”

Birmingham Boulders is located at 136 Industrial Drive, Birmingham 35211. They are open Monday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. and Sunday noon – 8 p.m. For more information, visit bhamboulders.com.

Birmingham Boulders offers different types of classes and events, including Climbing 101 for beginners.

Bham Family July 2021 11

MEDICAL CITY SPOTLIGHT SPOTLIGHT

ASK A PHYSICIAN KEEPING YOUR FAMILY SAFE IN THE SUN Q: Why is sun protection so important, especially in the summertime?

A: There are three different reasons, all important: to prevent children (and adults!) from getting a sunburn, to guard against premature aging, and to protect against skin cancer Q: How much time in the sun is too much?

Dr. Shellie Marks Dr. Shellie Marks is a board-certified dermatologist who practices at Inverness Dermatology in Hoover. She graduated top of her class from The Florida State University College of Medicine in 2006 and performed research trials at the University of Alabama at Birmingham as a Dermatology Clinical Research Fellow before completing her Dermatology Residency at UAB.

A: Well, it’s really more about protecting yourself while you’re outdoors. Of course, trying to avoid the sun between 10am and 4pm is best, because that’s when UV rays are at their strongest. If you can’t avoid being in the sun during those hours—and I realize that’s the majority of the day kids are swimming or playing sports—then be sure you’re applying sunscreen properly and taking advantage of sun protection tools, like sleeves and sun-protective clothing, rash guards for water play, hats, sunglasses, and shade. One tip we like to use is that if your shadow is shorter than you, you should seek shade.

Q: What types of skin need sun protection?

A: Every single person who is alive needs sun protection. It doesn’t matter what your skin tone is, from pale to dark, everyone should be wearing sunscreen regularly.

Q: What is the difference between UV rays and UVB rays?

A: The simple answer is, they work in different ways. UV rays penetrate more deeply, causing premature aging, brown spots, and wrinkles. They cause the sun damage that shows up later, as we get older. UV rays also contribute to skin cancer. They pass through the ozone layer easily, so they account for the majority of sun exposure. The damage from UVB rays is more immediate, as those are the rays that cause burning and eye damage, such as cataracts. UVB rays can be responsible for skin cancer, too, as melanoma has been related to severe sunburns in people before the age of 20.

Q: How do sunburns happen?

A: Basically, the skin has been overexposed to the point where the damage is immediately visible.

UV rays react with melanin in the skin. When the amount of sun exposure exceeds the amount CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

12 Bham Family July 2021

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

of protection your skin’s melanin can provide, you’re going to get a sunburn. There is no safe way to tan. Any tan is sun damage to your skin. You don’t need a base tan and you don’t need to go the first 10 minutes without applying sunscreen to try and get a little sun.

Q: What type of sunscreen do you recommend?

A: There are two types of sunscreens. Physical/ mineral sunscreen that shields and deflects UV rays away from the skin.. I like to say this type sits on top of your skin like a coating of armor.

This includes zinc sunscreen, which is safe and typically non-irritating, so it’s especially great for anyone with sensitive skin or eczema. Chemical sunscreen acts like a sponge, absorbing the rays instead of deflecting them. Be sure that you choose one that is broad spectrum, which means it covers UVA and UVB rays, water-resistant, and contains the mineral zinc oxide. Lots of great brands hit the right marks. Personally, my favorite is EltaMd. It’s high-quality and what I use on myself and my family. The most important thing is to make sure you’re using enough sunscreen. Most people use only 25% to 50% of the amount that is recommended. For an adult, that’s 1oz., so a shot glass worth of sunscreen. A child won’t need quite that much, depending on their age and size.

Q: How often should sunscreen be applied?

A: Any sunscreen besides water-resistant types

should be applied every two hours. Most waterresistant sunscreens need to be reapplied within a shorter time frame, typically 40 or 80 minutes, because of water play. Those need to be reapplied at the end of the recommended time frame. That’s another nice thing about protective clothing and rash guards—you don’t have to worry about reapplication. Most parents do well with the first application of sunscreen, but then they get preoccupied swimming and playing outside, they forget to reapply during the time frame.

Q: What SPF do you recommend for kids?

A: I recommend that anyone use an SPF of at least 30 or higher. When applied correctly and reapplied appropriately, an SPF 30 sunscreen will provide adequate coverage, blocking 97% of UV rays.

Q: What happens if my child gets a sunburn?

A: Most people won’t tell me that their child got a sunburn, because they’re embarrassed. But I’m glad you asked. The best thing you can do is keep a child (or yourself) cool and hydrated.

When the skin is burned, you will become dehydrated more easily. Obviously avoid getting any more sun. Keep the skin moisturized with Vaseline or a skin protectant like Aquaphor.

Cool baths can also provide relief. You can also use an over-the-counter hydrocortisone and Tylenol or ibuprofen, because it’s antiinflammatory. Just avoid avoid giving aspirin to children for pain relief.

Bham Family July 2021 13

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BIRMINGHAM

FAITH

Reaching THE CITY Church of the Highlands’ Annual Serve Day blesses the community in practical ways

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHURCH OF THE HIGHLANDS

On July 10, thousands of volunteers dressed in iconic red T-shirts will descend upon Birmingham—and far beyond—to love their neighbors.

BY STEPHANIE GIBSON LEPORE If you’ve been out and about on a particular Saturday, especially in July, you have probably seen one of those bright red shirts with “SERVE Team” printed across them. The annual community volunteer day has always been a part of Church of the Highlands, the Birminghambased church with campuses all around the state and in Columbus, Georgia, as well.

“We’ve had Serve Day since the beginning of Highlands, but it was around 2015 that it really blew up,” says Chad Spooner, Central Outreach

for Church of the Highlands. “Pastor Dino Rizzo got involved in a greater capacity, and we got connected with more churches [who now implement their own Serve Days]. Now, before we start a new campus, we have already been in that city to serve. We lead with serving where a campus could be.”

Though groups of Highlands volunteers now also join forces for a First Saturday Serve each month, the big once-a-year day is always in July, this year on the 10th. On that day, thousands of volunteers across the city and beyond will CONTINUED ON PAGE 29

Bham Family July 2021 15

S C H O O L H O U S E NEWS FROM HOOVER CITY SCHOOLS

Maddox leaves Bumpus for Birmingham charter school Tamala Maddox, who has served as the principal of Bumpus Middle School for a decade, is leaving Hoover City Schools to serve as principal at I3 Academy, a new charter school in Birmingham. Having spent 31 years in education, including 21 with HCS, Maddox is taking the lead job with a new tuition-free charter school in Birmingham, a job that she says has always been a dream idea for her. HCS has not announced a replacement for her and is in the process of taking applications for her replacement.

School board approves capital purchases Over the next 7 years, HCS will spend $98 million on capital expenditures, approved in June by the school board. Among the many projects include a 10-classroom addition to Bluff Park Elementary School, the construction of two new elementary schools, 24 new buses, upgrades to athletic and theatrical facilities, and more. The outlay of funds will bring the system’s reserves down from $99 million to $49 million by 2028, enough to fund three months of expenses in the case of an emergency need.

16 Bham Family July 2021

S C H O O L H O U S E NEWS FROM HOOVER CITY SCHOOLS

Tax-free weekend is July 16-18 In 2006, the Alabama Legislature created a tax-free weekend for parents, giving them relief while shopping for items for their children as they prepared to return to school. This year’s weekend is July 16-18, and Hoover, as well as Jefferson and Shelby Counties, are participating, meaning that certain items can be purchased without having to pay city, county, or state sales and use taxes in Hoover.

Items that are exempt from taxes that weekend include clothing such as belts, boots, caps, coats, diapers, dresses, gloves, gym suits, hats, hosiery, jackets, jeans, neckties, pajamas, pants, raincoats, robes, sandals, scarves, school uniforms, shirts, shoes, shorts, socks, sneakers and underwear. Additionally, school supplies eligible for the waiver include binders, blackboard chalk, book bags, calculators, cellophane tape, compasses, composition books, crayons, erasers, folders, glue and paste, highlighters, index cards, index card boxes, legal pads, lunch boxes, markers, notebooks, paper, pencil boxes and other school supply boxes, pencil sharpeners, pencils, pens, protractors, rulers, scissors, writing tablets, clay and glazes, paints, art paint brushes, sketch and drawing pads, watercolors, reference maps and globes, required textbooks priced between $30 and $50 and books priced at $30 or less.

Find a complete list of eligible items at revenue.alabama.gov/sales-use/sales-tax-holidays.

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FEATURE

A Helping Hand

Libby’s Friends is extending financial support to families of children with disabilities who struggle to keep up with debilitating therapy and equipment

BY STEPHANIE GIBSON LEPORE At seven years old, Libby Hagan has already defied expectations—multiple times. Libby was born in 2014 after her mother, Kathryn, carried her full term with no complications during her pregnancy. After some trauma at birth that resulted in Libby struggling to breathe, she was intubated bedside and spent 38 days in the NICU. On the twelfth day of her stay, she was given an overdose of insulin 100 times what should have been administered. “Without intubation, Libby would have passed away,” says her father, Lane.

While the Hagans were reeling from the news of the overdose, an outside pediatric neurologist read Libby’s scans and delivered more grim news: Libby, he said, would never walk, talk, hold up her head, or be able to regulate her body temperature.

“It was like an atomic bomb went off in her brain,” says Lane. “We were told she was only going to live a few months, and that we should go home and love on our baby. And that’s kind of what we expected [to happen]. Fortunately, they were wrong.”

Next, doctors estimated Libby would have a lifespan of three years. “Wrong again. She keeps knocking those doors down,” says Lane of his “sweet, happy” child. Wanting Libby to impact her siblings’ lives, the Hagans had two more children more quickly than they thought they would. Now Drew (5) and Grace (3) adore her.

“They worship the ground she rolls on,” he says.

“They can tell if she’s sad. They love on her and kiss on her—they love her even more than we could imagine. And Libby loves her siblings, too, especially when they’re getting in trouble. She lights up from her vantage point, and it’s just hysterical to watch.”

There’s no doubt about the impact Libby is making on her brother and sister, but now her life is impacting others outside of her family, too.

After Libby’s injuries, both Kathryn, a pediatric nurse, and Lane, who worked at an antibody production lab in Homewood, wanted to prevent 18 Bham Family July 2021

PHOTOS COURTESY OF KATHRYN AND LANE HAGAN

Libby Hagan's life is impacting others in mighty ways, as her parents founded a nonprofit to help other families navigate the financial obstacles they know all too well.

the same thing from happening to anyone else.

The couple reached a settlement with the hospital that ensured Libby would be taken care of for the rest of her life and enabled both parents to be home full-time with their family. But, Lane says, they wanted to do more to give back.

“We had so many people help us—doctors, therapists, lawyers,” he says. “Just so many people who impacted Libby’s life and ours, too. The first 18 months were so difficult because there were many unknowns, and we couldn’t get her medication straightened out. I remember working a lot of hours while Kathryn took Libby to most of her doctor and therapy appointments. Every visit came with new equipment or a new brace or a different device, and the bills added up so CONTINUED ON PAGE 19

Drew, Libby, and Grace

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18

fast,” says Lane, pointing out how quickly kids grow, and outgrow, things like braces. “A few hundred dollars every few weeks adds up, and I kept thinking, ‘I gotta do more. How am I going to catch up?’”

As a result of the settlement a couple years later, the Hagans were able to conquer those medical bills. But other families still needed help. During those early months of Libby’s treatment, Lane had begun to pinpoint areas of need, making notes in his phone. “A wheelchair is fifteen or sixteen thousand dollars. Even with a 20% copay, that’s still thousands of dollars,” he says.

By the end of 2019, Lane knew he wanted to create a nonprofit that could help other families of children with disabilities financially. He was ready to go in February 2020, but Covid derailed the timing. He picked back up last summer, met with a lawyer, and got his board together. “Libby’s Friends kicked off August 3, 2020,” he says.

“Since then, we’ve raised $75,000 and helped 19 families and children so far.” Specifically, Libby’s Friends has covered expenses for a family to visit a specialty clinic in Columbus, Ohio; mileage fees for an in-home therapist in Huntsville; copays for activity chairs and wheelchairs; and the construction of a ramp for a boy in Gardendale; and more, like braces, a sleep-safe bed, and communication devices.

“Seating is very popular because insurance will deny another type of chair as unnecessary, because the person has a wheelchair. But an activity chair is more comfortable. No one wants

to stay in their wheelchair all the time. Outside of medical bills and medical debt, we haven’t had to say no to much,” says Lane, who explains that Libby’s Friends doesn’t want to cause trouble for anyone receiving government benefits. “If that’s involved, it’s best to keep requests to us smaller so it doesn’t mess anything else up.”

Though the majority of funds for Libby’s Friends come from private donations, they did host their first official fundraiser in May, a golf tournament that raised more than $30,000. “That was our first big blowout fundraiser,” says Lane.

“Prior to that, we were solely funded by family, friends, and a few corporate sponsors. We also did a small online t-shirt fundraiser, which helped to get our logo out into the public.” They are currently working on a collaborative fundraiser with Bundles of Hope diaper bank, though details haven’t been confirmed yet.

A starting goal to help just financially has shifted slightly. “I’ve learned that I want to help full circle by putting people in touch with other organizations and giving them ideas to help their child and families live their best lives,” he says.

“It’s turned into much more than I originally thought, and that’s been a huge blessing.”

As more people hear Libby’s story, her impact grows, explains Lane. “We have so much gratitude and fulfillment that wouldn’t have come from previous jobs. We desire to give back and help other parents.” He wants people to reach out, too.

“We want to reach a broad audience who needs our help. We have the funds, and we want to use them.”

Bham Family July 2021 19

FOOD

Summer Snacking Tips and Recipes to Tame the Between-Meal Hunger

No-Cook Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bites

BY HOLLEY GRAINGER, MS, RD

During the school year, my girls follow a set snacking schedule. For us, that means I pack an afternoon snack for Ellie to eat at school (her lunch was at 10:30 a.m. last year) and an after-care snack for Frances. These snack foods usually are a piece of fresh fruit, some popcorn, a bag of chips, or maybe a granola bar of some sort. Some days these snacks can hold them over until dinner.

At other times, they are ravenous, and I find myself trying to put together a meal at 4:30 p.m.

During the summer, my kitchen turns into a snacking free-for-all. Good eating habits go rogue. We’ve no sooner woken up than the girls start asking me for a snack. Because I’ve discovered that summertime means less routine and more mindless (make that endless!) snacking, I’ve shared my favorite healthy snacking tips to help tame the snack attacks.

Make a Snack List: Work with your children

to create a list of easy snacks (both healthy and treats) and rotate them out each week. Go to 20 Bham Family July 2021

the grocery store or farmers market and shop together. Be sure to plan for fresh summer produce that you can purchase and prep together.

Set a Snack Schedule: Bored children often

turn to snacks as a means of entertainment, so use a snack schedule to your advantage. If it is one hour past lunch and your kiddos are already asking for a snack, point out that snack time isn’t until 3 p.m. and offer some water and a new activity instead. It is important to be aware that your child’s rhythm may be off, so be willing to adapt accordingly. If your child was used to sitting most of the day at school and is now swimming and playing most of the day, you need to be sure to offer more food at meal and snack times to accommodate.

Create Snack Baskets: Let each child create

a snack basket, placing their snacks for the day in the pantry or fridge. Then allow them to get creative! I love finding a quick snack to make,

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Bham Family July 2021 21

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whether that be a simple recipe or just grab-andgo orange slices already prepped in a zip-top bag.

Up Their Hydration: Staying hydrated helps to

cut back on feeling hungry. Have some fun with plain water by adding freshly cut strawberries or lemon wedges. My girls love their kid-friendly fruity “spa” water, and they learn how sometimes your body is actually craving water, not food.

Make it a Snacktivity: Turn the snack prep

over to the kids and let them wash, peel, and slice vegetables for dipping. I’ve found that when my girls get bored, they turn to the kitchen for an easy activity fix. Teaching children to eat (and create) fun food combos also helps picky eaters be more willing to try new things.

AIR FRYER PIZZA CRESCENT ROLLS

1 (8-oz) can refrigerated crescent rolls ½ cup marinara or pizza sauce ½ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese 8 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese

Heat air fryer to 375 degrees. Separate dough into 8 triangles and lay on a flat surface. (Lightly flour surface, if desired.)

Spread 1 tablespoon sauce evenly onto each triangle. Sprinkle each triangle with 1 tablespoon mozzarella cheese and 1 teaspoon Parmesan cheese. Add other toppings, if desired.

Starting at the widest part of the triangle, roll up loosely to the tip of the triangle. Sprinkle tops with additional Parmesan cheese. Place 4 crescent rolls on the air fryer tray (lightly greased with olive oil).

Cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until crescent rolls are golden brown. Check halfway through cooking. Repeat with remaining rolls.

STRAWBERRY LEMONADE SMOOTHIES 2 cups frozen strawberries 1½ cups lemonade ¾ cup vanilla Greek yogurt

Combine strawberries, lemonade, and Greek yogurt in a blender. Blend until mixture is smooth and creamy, scraping down sides as needed. Serve immediately.

Freeze extra smoothie in ice cube trays or popsicle molds for a refreshing snack.

HOMEMADE RANCH DIP WITH VEGGIES

1 cup mayonnaise ½ cup sour cream 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped 2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice ½ teaspoon onion powder ½ teaspoon salt A ssorted raw vegetables

Combine all ingredients except vegetables in a bowl and whisk until combined. If desired, you can add milk or buttermilk 1 tablespoon at a time for a thinner consistency. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes in an airtight container to allow flavors to blend.

While dip chills, arrange a variety of raw vegetables on a serving plate. When ready to serve, pour dip into a small serving bowl and place in the center of the plate. Store leftover dip in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

BLACKBERRY AND PEACH SHORTCAKES 1 to 2 cups vanilla Greek yogurt 1 to 2 cups cubed angel food cake ½ to 1 cup blackberries ½ to 1 cup chopped peaches

Add 2 tablespoons to ¼ cup Greek yogurt into the bottom of 4 Mason jars (quantity will be dependent on size of jars) Top with 2 tablespoons to ¼ cup cubed angel food cake, 1 to 2 tablespoons blackberries, and 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped peaches.

Repeat layers.

Seal jars and refrigerate 1 hour or up to 2 days.

NO-COOK PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE BITES 1 cup old-fashioned oats ½ cup natural peanut butter or almond butter ¼ cup mini chocolate chips 2 tablespoons honey O ptional: 1 tablespoon chia seeds or 1 tablespoon ground turmeric

Stir together oats, peanut butter (or almond butter), mini chocolate chips, and honey in a CONTINUED ON PAGE 23

22 Bham Family July 2021

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medium bowl. Add chia seeds and/or turmeric, if desired.

Shape mixture evenly into balls (makes 12 to 14). Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until firm. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY SKEWERS

2 tablespoons natural peanut butter 2 slices whole wheat bread 1 tablespoon strawberry jam 3 to 5 strawberries, cut in half 6 blueberries

Using a knife, spread peanut butter onto one slice of bread.

Spread the jam evenly onto the other slice of bread.

Press the two slices of the bread together, and cut into quarters.

Thread sandwich quarters on a skewer with strawberries and blueberries.

KID CRAFT: RAINBOW TOAST HOW-TO Consider this recipe my 10-minute gift to you. Seriously, get the kiddos set up and let them channel their inner artist and foodie while you close your eyes, make a list, cross items off your to-dos, online shop, check Facebook—you get the idea!

Or join in, because I think I had just as much fun as my girls had making this edible paint and colorful toast.

Milk, bread, food coloring, and creativity are all your kids need to create an edible masterpiece for a fun snack, breakfast, or sandwich.

1½ cups milk, divided Food coloring (red, blue, yellow) 8 slices white bread or white wheat bread Pour ¼ cup milk into each of 6 cups.

Add 3 drops red coloring to one cup, 3 drops blue coloring into a second cup, 3 drops yellow coloring into a third cup, 3 drops red and 3 drops blue into a fourth cup to make purple, 3

drops red and 3 drops yellow to make orange, and 3 drops blue and 3 drops yellow to make green. Stir each cup until vibrant color appears.

Using a Q-tip or clean paint brush, “paint” one side of a slice of untoasted bread. Repeat with remaining bread slices.

Once one side of bread has been painted, cook in a toaster oven on medium heat or in the oven at 350° for 6 to 8 minutes.

• • •

TURN TOAST INTO A TEACHING TOOL • Discuss fractions while dividing milk into cups.

• For younger kiddos, practice counting to 3 while dropping colors into milk.

Discuss primary and secondary colors while making “edible paint.”

Discuss the role of grains in the body.

Allow children to set the thermometer on the oven.

Bham Family July 2021 23

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT CITY SPOTLIGHT

Raise the Curtain

BCT returns to the stage (in person!) as the new season kicks off

BY STEPHANIE GIBSON LEPORE The lights dimmed early on the Birmingham Children’s Theatre 2020 season. While many businesses were forced to pivot to curbside service or reduce what they could offer, the arts community really had no choice but to go semi-dark for a bit. And that’s exactly what the BCT did, pulling the plug on the remainder of scheduled in-person shows for the year.

“During Covid, we definitely minimized, but we never stopped producing,” says Executive Artistic Director Ashley Woods. They were able to continue after-school programming with protocols—masks, temperature checks, sanitizer—and without a single issue. They turned to a virtual experience for 2020’s holiday production "Elves the Experience" in December.

“We spent a year putting out digital content and wondering if people liked it or if they were smiling,” says Ashley. And, while staff and artists are grateful they could produce something, “It’s so much more fun to have interaction.”

While the BCT was able to produce one show at Avondale Park for a weekend last fall (“That was fantastic,” says Ashley), trying to find more available outdoor production spots this past spring proved more difficult. But in May, the BCT was able to coordinate a Storybook Adventure Hunt. The interactive scavenger hunt included three different parks with various clues, all relating to a different children’s tale and culminating with character meetups—Captain Hook, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland. It was so well-received that they added several more dates, plus another iteration with different characters and locations.

“The scavenger hunts are proving to be a nice go-between,” says Ashley. “It’s been wonderful to see children enjoying what we’ve put together.”

She hints that there’s a chance the Storybook Adventures could continue past the summer, as long as families are participating.

“In 2020, our word of the year was flexibility,” says Ashley. “This year, it’s energy. We are so 24 Bham Family July 2021

COVER AND STORY PHOTOS BY TAMMY STRINGFELLOW

Birmingham Children's Theatre will perform "A Christmas Carol" this season.

excited to ramp back up, to be back in the office and theatre talking about putting together shows.

We’re adding back staff. There’s just a whole lot of energy right now.”

Much of that energy is being channeled into summer camps and planning for after-school programming for the upcoming academic year. “Our most frequent and largest audience is school field trips,” says Ashley. “We have a great relationship with the schools.” Two of the scheduled fall shows will tour in more rural counties where getting to the theatre is more difficult. “We’ll do that for any school. If it’s easier to come to them, then we will do that,” says Ashley. “We’re looking to grow outside of downtown. Part of our three-year strategic plan is to have community programs more accessible to different neighborhoods. However many offerings we can give to the public to help them find their comfort level, we will.”

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Perhaps contributing the most energy of all right now is the just-announced first half of the 2021-2022 season and the introduction of an all-access pass instead of season memberships, which Ashley hopes will make attending shows easier by providing more options. [See sidebar.]

“There are different price ranges and flexibility to come to the theatre at the last minute, more like the zoo and McWane offer,” says Ashley.

Fall protocols will include smaller casts and continuing to limit theatre attendance. “We’re very aware that, while staff and artists may be vaccinated, children can’t be.”

Though Covid threw a kink in last year’s productions, Ashley says that time gave staff an opportunity to learn a lot and make some adaptations. One emerging goal is to provide content that is most beneficial for specific age groups. “Is a show too old [for some], too young?

Are we talking down to the audience,” she says of some of the questions they considered. “We wanted to get rid of the gray area and better define what ages shows are for.”

For example, “Dot & Ziggy”, opening in late August, is directed specifically toward a preschool and kindergarten audience. “We are broadening to include more ages and more scripts with a focus on early-childhood development,” says Ashley.

“This is a really charming story about a ladybug, Dot, and Ziggy, a skunk, who are neighbors. They love playing together, but one loves spots and the other loves stripes, and they learn to work through their differences in a playful, engaging way that ties into the developmental aspect of very young brains.”

“Ruff!”, about two shelter dogs who overcome their initial prejudices to team up and help each other get adopted, will debut in September for a kindergarten through third grade audience.

“These are scripts that are new, written in the last couple of years. We tapped into stories for children of this era that are updated and modern,” says Ashley. “We’re working on developing more programming for a high school audience. It’s a work in progress.”

One show that fills the bill is “Zombie Thoughts”, a choose-your-own-adventure show coming in October and November for ages 8 to 15. The script is set in a video game and deals with a character, Sam, who grapples with anxiety.

It’s also been endorsed by a licensed clinical social worker and licensed behavioral analyst for its

ANNOUNCING…THE ALL-ACCESS FAMILY PASS! The Birmingham Children’s Theatre just released the first four stage shows of the 20212022 season, and along with that, some changes to their previous season membership program.

Now, families can purchase an all-access pass that’s good for all shows, including the yet-to-be announced spring season. Prices range from $75 for a Family of 2 Pass (one child, one caregiver) to $120 for a Single Family Pass (three to four members) to a $180 Large Family Pass that covers five or more immediate household family and primary caregivers. To sweeten the new deal, the BCT is offering 20% off passes purchased before September 1st. For more information, visit bct123.org.

depiction of Generalized Anxiety Disorder. “The show is high-energy and funny and weird with a whole lot of heart behind it,” says Ashley. “It has some heft to it, and we hope it will be an outlet with some places to ask questions. It’s different than what we’ve done before, but we’re really excited.”

Rounding out 2021 will be a return to the main stage for the BCT’s annual holiday show, plus a virtual sequel to last year’s Elves the Experience.

“The context is a virtual tour of the North Pole,” says Ashley. “Even though people may not necessarily want virtual this year, it’s a fun theatrical adventure at home, great for a cold or rainy winter day. Even though it’s a sequel, if you didn’t participate last year, you won’t have missed anything.”

Though the second half of the season won’t be announced until a bit later, audiences can count on the BCT producing new shows in the New Year. “We are hoping to do some bigger shows next year,” says Ashley. “More than anything, we just want to see everyone back in the theatre.”

Bham Family July 2021 25

FAMILIES CITYINSPOTLIGHT BUSINESS

Recipe for Success K&J’s Elegant Pastries turns out distinctive treats with family at the center of it all

BY STEPHANIE GIBSON LEPORE Even before you lay eyes on one of the overthe-top creative cakes, or catch a whiff of the cupcakes lining the display case, or even attempt to tackle one of the colossal milkshakes that put K&J’s Elegant Pastries on the culinary map, you catch the infectious joy in owner Kristal Thomas’s voice. She is exactly where she’s meant to be—but she didn’t always believe she could get here.

“Most people know us for the milkshakes,” she says with a laugh that punctuates every other sentence. “But we had a small store for four years before the shakes, and if it wasn’t for my husband telling me not to give up, I wouldn’t have made it. There were plenty of days I’d call him and say, ‘I’m going to shut it down.’ But his motivation kept me going.”

Long before that first small store, on Canterbury Road in Alabaster, Kristal knew she wanted to be a chef—by age 14, in fact. She spent her growing-up years helping her mom cook Sunday lunch and always felt at home in the kitchen. After hearing a lady from The Art Institute of Atlanta mention the culinary arts on a visit to her school, Kristal’s interest was piqued.

“I love to cook, I love to draw, and this was a way to put it all together. That day I was like, oh my gosh—that’s what I want to do,” she says. So, upon graduation, she enrolled in the culinary arts program of the now-closed Virginia College.

“I didn’t study pastry, though,” she says. She had a little experience working with ice-cream cakes from stints at Baskin-Robbins and HäagenDazs at the Galleria, but, “I went to school for savory so I could cover both ends of the spectrum.” In fact, to this day, Kristal has never taken any cake courses, save for one required class in school that touched on French pastries and breads. “All of my cake knowledge is self-taught,” she explains.

Kristal’s completion of culinary school coincided with the opening of The Cheesecake Factory at The Summit, and she joined the restaurant’s opening team. “I worked there eight 26 Bham Family July 2021

PHOTOS COURTESY OF KRISTAL THOMAS

Kristal’s passion is the intricate and fun cakes she creates at her pastry shop. She’s never had any formal cake-decorating training.

years, in the kitchen,” she says. “I was plating food and it was hot and intense and I loved it!”

After awhile, she acknowledges that she started to feel boxed in. “I was making food for someone else. It was repetitive and I couldn’t change the menu,” she says. “So, I started baking for my nieces and nephews, playing around in the kitchen, icing cakes and oh! They looked awful!

But I’m so thankful they allowed me to practice with them.” As she got better, her weekends moonlighting as a cake-maker turned in to a side gig. For a few years, Kristal worked all day, then made cakes on nights and weekends.

“At that point,” she recalls, “I had a one-andCONTINUED ON PAGE 27

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a-half-year-old little girl at home. I left my job, set up a little website, and made cakes. I had gotten up to about seven cakes a week.” It was about then, Kristal says, she had decided it was time for more growth. Her mom happened to be retiring at the same time, and she loaned her $15,000 to get started, with five years to pay back the loan.

Kristal and Jonathan used the money to open that first location of K&J’s—so named for Kristal and the three Js in her life: husband Jonathan and daughters Jakaiya (18) and Jaliyah, who turns 13 next month. “It was me, my husband, and the kids,” she says. “We did it all: We painted, we bought used equipment, we did everything on a budget. We were able to start the business without any debt. It was so humbling. And it was so much of a struggle,” Kristal says.

But despite her threats, Kristal never quit, crediting her work ethic to watching her parents work hard their whole lives. After four years in the tiny shop—“It was just a small walk-in store with cakes and cupcakes, no seating”—Kristal and Jonathan took a chance on a larger storefront.

“We moved to the new location, and someone I advertised with asked me if I’d seen this new trend, these wild shake-ice cream sundaes in Australia. Well, I went crazy,” Kristal says. “I had the ice cream experience from my old jobs, so I

reached out to some of those vendors to see what we could do.” Working with Blue Bell, Kristal began crafting the colossal monster shakes that quickly but rather quietly made K&J’s popular.

“It was mostly word of mouth,” Kristal says of the milkshake trend. Then, unbeknownst to Kristal, a reporter from AL.com dropped in one day to try a shake.

“The article came out and I had no idea, none of us did,” says Kristal. “But that Saturday started out a lot busier than usual. And suddenly, it was insane! There was a line out the door, people were waiting hours for milkshakes. Toward the end of the day, some customers mentioned an article, and we had no clue what they were talking about.

It was a really big surprise for us. That one article changed the entire concept and everything about our business.”

From that day on, it was nonstop. The lines of milkshake-seeking customers was too much for Kristal, her sister, and one other employee to handle. A Travel Channel feature, an article in Southern Living, and lots more press quickly followed. Kristal remembers, “We went from three employees to 16 almost instantly. There was no time to plan, so I just started calling all my nieces and nephews to come work for me.”

Of the three to four “crazy” years with the shakes, Kristal remains grateful, even as she turns more of her focus toward cakes again, which are her true love. “I love doing the shakes, because it’s an opportunity to be creative,” she says. But that creativity spills over onto cakes, too. “The cakes keep us busy. They are my passion! We are typically booked three weeks in advance, and we do about 50 to 60 cakes a week,” she says. “It’s me plus five other decorators.”

While acknowledging her favorite cake flavor is sweet potato iced with a brown sugar, cream cheese, and pecan frosting (“My birthday cake is always sweet potato,” she says), she just can’t choose a favorite a cake project. “That’s too hard! I love anything girly and pink and also the extravagant wedding cakes. You have all the components—baking, icing, creating fondant, stacking—so the part I like about that is seeing the final product. The largest cake we ever did was for a 500-person wedding. The bride and I consulted for over a year, and we didn’t take any other orders the week of the wedding. It was a nine-tier cake with 4,000 sugar flowers, gold paint, royal caps, just very regal. I had to use a ladder to stack it at The Club!” she says. “And then the CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

Bham Family July 2021 27

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27

birthday and baby shower cakes are fun, too, because they don’t have to be so sleek.”

The nine-tier wedding cake was K&J’s largest order, up until Amazon called a few months ago, requesting 6,000 individually wrapped treats—2,000 cookies, 2,000 cupcakes, and 2,000 cake pops—for its employees in Bessemer. “We folded boxes for weeks before we started the treats,” says Kristal.

“And we’ve been dipping, baking, and boxing for days!”

An order that large hints at even more growth, and luckily, Kristal already has plans in the works for a new storefront in downtown Birmingham, right near Eugene’s Hot Chicken in Uptown.

“It got pushed back because of Covid, but we have the plans approved and the contractors are about to start the build-out. So many of my clients are in Birmingham, and they’ve traveled to Alabaster for eight years,” she says. She definitely wants more than one store, so the current location will remain intact for now, too.

Still today, almost everyone who works at K&J’s—save for three employees Kristal says she considers family—is family. Her nieces

Trampolines

Commercial Playground Equipment

and nephews still work for her. As a show of support and a way to help out, her parents insist on cleaning K&J’s every night, and sister Gloria Smith remains by her side as the general manager.

“I’m just so thankful that both sides of our families jumped in to help us,” says Kristal.

“My sister organizes the cakes, makes sure our inventory is good, basically she’s me when I’m not there.” But it’s not often that she isn’t. “My girls are active. I don’t miss a school program, track meet, a football game [her youngest plays in the band], or a field trip,” she says. “It’s the balance of doing work and making sure home is good and being a wife. A lot of people don’t see that part.”

Speaking of her girls, both Jakaiya and Jaliyah work in the shop, too, even though they want to do other things in the future. That’s okay with Kristal, though, she’s just thankful for the time they have together now. “The girls always want to be here helping out, even in the summertime, even with a pool at home,” says Kristal. “You don’t realize how much time you’re away from each other, so we’re very lucky to be able to work together and go home together.

Play Serts

3165 Cahaba Valley Rd, Indian Springs [2 mi. from I-65] (205) 408-4FUN | backyardalabama.com 28 Bham Family July 2021

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

meet up to mow lawns, paint schools, build wheelchair ramps, deliver diapers, groceries, or other supplies, and almost anything else you can imagine.

“Summer Serve Day is the apex of our summer small group season,” says Chad. “It’s a great shared activity to serve our community.”

To that end, it’s a free market system, he says, where each small group comes up with their own projects and submits them to the church to load onto the Serve app, where they can also be opened up for others who may want to join.

“It’s not exclusive. And every campus offers a few anchor projects—larger ones that necessitate more people—for those who aren’t connected to a small group or just want to attend on that Saturday and help out.” An example of an anchor project is a school serve, where they might assign some people to a playground renovation, another crew to painting, more folks to pressure washing, and so on.

“Our people are so creative through small groups, so we let them lead in a lot of different ways,” says Chad. “From a free car wash to handing out water, to adopt-a-block where people

DENTISTRY FOR INFANTS, CHILDREN, TEENS, AND THOSE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

will go into a neighborhood to give it a little TLC, but also bring a bounce house for the kids, mow lawns, cookout, ask people how they can pray for them. We just want to splash the area with love at all points and create ministry moments for everyone, including the kids.”

You don’t have to be a member of Highlands to participate, and in fact, the church offers its non-branded resources to other churches all over the country to use for their congregations. “The project itself isn’t even the goal,” says Chad. “The heart is serving people and Jesus. Here’s a new painted facility in Jesus’ name. Here’s food in Jesus’ name because He loves you.”

The movement has grown so large that the red T-shirts—the church has printed about 155,000 just from 2017 to present—have become something of a credential. “These shirts are a statement now,” says Chad. “I’ve seen disaster response only allow certain personnel into an area, but if you’re wearing a red shirt, it’s an open pass because we have equity. Those people know we’ve come to help.”

Meet the team keeping Birmingham looking good!

Tabitha Jarman Gatrey, DMD

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1830 29th Ave S, Ste 140 | SoHo in Homewood (205) 582-2999 | singlebarrelbarbershop.com Bham Family July 2021 29

KIDS WHO SHINE

ADELE BENSON, 17

Running for fun isn’t anything new to Adele Benson, a rising senior at The Altamont School.

She’s logged miles with her dad, an avid runner, since she was young. She ran in elementary school, at Edgewood, competing in the annual Turkey Trot. And she’s been a member of the cross-country and track team at her current school since seventh grade. So, it’s really no surprise that when it came time to choose a required leadership project, Adele turned to what she knows and loves: running.

Adele is a member of Miree, a leadership volunteer organization that “helps students find their unique expression of leadership and empowers them to discover the strength and beauty of service through The Four Pillars of the Miree Center.” As such, students must create and execute a Miree Project based on something of interest to them that also serves a community need. “I decided to combine my love for running with leadership,” says Adele of her decision to coach a Girls on the Run team. “I actually was a member of a team in third grade, and I felt empowered and encouraged by it. I wanted to give students at my school that same feeling of support.”

Girls on the Run, a Charlotte-based nonprofit, empowers young girls through a specific curriculum that teaches confidence and leadership, along with a focus on physical health through running. Age 15 when she started a team, Adele is one of the youngest women to ever coach a program. Because of her age, she first reached out to the organization to see if she was qualified to coach, and then was responsible for securing another adult through Altamont to be present during the twice-weekly meetups. After all of the front-end work, including a slew of outreach, social media, flyers, and emails, Adele formed a team of six fifth- and sixth-grade girls to mentor through the 2020.

“My team was on the smaller side, but it ended up being better in the long run because we got close really quickly,” she says. “We had a shorter season due to Covid, so a smaller group worked out in our situation.” Each week, the Altamont Girls on the Run team met after school for a short snack time, hangout, and warmup conversation, before they dove into different discussion topics—positive self-talk, good study 30 Bham Family July 2021

skills, healthy habits. “Then we’d do an activity related to our talk topic,” says Adele.

“The curriculum is designed to teach life lessons and motivate the girls, but I learned as much—if not more—because it included stuff I don’t think about, like how you talk to yourself, daily habits, topics that we all need reminders of because they’re sometimes easy to overlook. So it was a nice opportunity for me to do some selfreflection, too,” says Adele.

After the talk training, the girls moved on to the physical training: running. “We ran in the gym, outside sometimes, and we even ran around the school hallways,” says Adele. “It was really fun, even though it sounds chaotic.” After the run, Adele’s team debriefed, discussed goals for the next meeting, and ended with their group cheer.

Next up for Adele: an East Coast college tour and maybe running at the collegiate level.

“It’s something I’m considering,” she says. No matter where she ends up, she plans to continue a partnership with Girls on the Run. “Even if it’s less hands on, I hope to participate in other ways, like spearheading a drive for needs like running shoes and art supplies.” And, who knows— maybe even a future team.

By the end of their junior year, Miree participants must defend their projects, much like a thesis, to a panel of judges. Due to Covid restrictions, Adele submitted her 10-minute speech and Powerpoint presentation via video, noting in her “What I Learned” slide that flexibility is crucial to success and every type of leader has something meaningful to contribute.

Next up for Adele: an East Coast college tour

31 Bham Family July 2021

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32 Bham Family July 2021