American Cancer Society Survivors (July/August 2014

Dana & Madison Mayor Troy Trulock

Jack & Deanne Hingel

American Cancer Society Honors Survivors

Written by Kimberly Ballard Photos by Steve Babin

Some of us didn’t know when we saw Leslie Vallely at the Cancer Survivor’s Dinner on Friday, April 25th that we wouldn’t see her again. She and Denise Reichert were co-winners of the American Cancer Society’s (ACS) 2014 Aaron Smith Continuing the Fight Award presented during the dinner at Mayfair Church of Christ. Leslie was a breast cancer survivor who later fought valiantly against leukemia, only to lose that battle a few weeks later on June 13th.

The Survivors Dinner is a precursor to the Relay for Life and an open door to any cancer survivor. Mayfair has thrown open their doors of their church for the dinner, which is catered free by the Texas Roadhouse. They and Nothing Bundt Cakes each donated 500 meals and desserts making the dinner 100 percent free to the Survivors. “The Continuing the Fight award is presented to someone who made a difference with patients while dealing with cancer themselves,” said Kevin Sims, senior manager over ACS North Alabama. “Both Denise and Leslie were currently in treatment. We felt they were equally deserving of the recognition.”

Presented by the Center for Cancer Care, the keynote speaker Grant Vosburgh is a cancer survivor from southern Tennessee who served as Division Relay Advisory Team chair, and is a Tennessee Relay volunteer. His involvement in Relay For Life is personal, but he has become an inspiration to all who know him. n

Barbara Garrison, Leslie & Joe Vallely

Lexie Corder, Halle Koonce, Abbie McKee

Laura Hamner, Jill Wilson, Beth Falkenberg, Emily Pauli

Saluting Huntsville Heroes

At Huntsville EVENT, we’re in the business of celebrating and saluting heroes. We get to highlight them each issue, whether it’s at an event, or in the Spotlight feature. But during the COVID-19 crisis, we’ve had a chance to share stories of how people are literally saving lives. Whether it be by using their circle of influence to inspire “viral volunteerism,” as Hero Ashley Shelton Davis so aptly put it, or anticipating needs that would arise, these heroes have fed and protected thousands of people in our community. Join us in saluting their efforts.

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Mary Pat Riley

North Alabama Mask Makers

Written by Nina E. Woody Photos by Steve Babin

Mary Pat Riley has a passion for learning, helping and nature. Some of her local interests are Maple Hill Cemetery, Botanical Gardens, North Alabama Land Trust, Historic Huntsville Foundation and Burritt Museum. She is a retired Blossomwood teacher, a graduate of Lee High School and the University of Alabama.

In March of this year, Warren Tidwell of Hometown Organizing Project, realized that COVID-19 was going to impact all areas of Alabama, so he reached out to regional disaster leaders and asked them to activate groups to help essential workers obtain protective cloth masks. He contacted Tiffany Watkins from Ardmore, who recruited Mary Pat Riley to oversee the counties of Madison, Limestone, and Morgan as North Alabama Mask Makers (NAMM,) one of eight “sister” groups of mask makers throughout the state.

Although neither Watkins nor Riley sew, they organized a Facebook page asking for help to produce as many high-quality cloth masks as possible. Riley explained, “Immediately, we got responses from other like-minded people who donated sewing supplies, time, and talent to begin sewing masks.”

Initially, the goal of North Alabama Mask Makers was to provide the nine major hospitals in North Alabama with masks. Within days, they had a base of about 30 people who jumped in to sew from their homes. Other people volunteered to help, including picking up or delivering items wherever they were needed.

“The beauty of this generous group is that we have not met most of these people, and we never know from day to day who will be available to do the tasks required to get masks made and delivered. We estimate that we have approximately 100+ active volunteers at any given time,” Riley said.

“While the group’s original goal was to cover as many essential medical workers as possible in the nine major hospitals of North Alabama, hospitals began to receive professional equipment,” Riley clarified. “But we were soon receiving requests for masks in doctor’s and dentist’s offices, medical clinics, food banks, nursing homes, veterans’ homes, individuals with immune deficiencies, children’s services, workmen and maids entering private homes, United Way agencies, hospice workers, first responders, funeral home workers, clergy, homeless populations and many other people who need masks to protect them in their daily lives.”

Another opportunity to help turned into the chance to provide food for those in need. Riley related, “Wayne Farms in Decatur reached out for help with masks. They had implemented extra sanitation stations and were providing the paper mask for their employees, but the paper masks weren’t holding up well in the wet environment. The solution was a cloth mask over the paper mask to help them last longer and further protect their employees.”

For the processing plant, 1,000 masks were needed. Riley reached out for help in fulfilling this large request. The Birmingham Face Masks group stepped up to help.

“They were grateful and offered to donate chicken. Since we provided some masks for United Church and Huntsville Helping Hands, who are running an emergency food bank, we gladly accepted on behalf

of this group. Wayne Farms donated 400 pounds of fresh chicken tenderloins which was distributed through the emergency food bank,” Riley said.

NAMM vets every request for masks, then requests are filled in the order they come in, to be fair to all. Requests are confidential and all NAMM masks are free.

Riley said of the process, “In order to keep everyone as safe as possible, we set up different ‘drop sites’ throughout our North Alabama area.” Each site has a large plastic tub on a friendly porch that is used like a mailbox to deliver needed supplies, turn in finished masks, and as a pickup point for the filled requests. Items are dropped into the tubs and recipients are notified when they can pick them up. “It is all done with minimal contact and feels like the Pony Express!”

For those who want to help, NAMM is seeking dedicated seamstresses. Financial donations can be made to www.hometownorganizing.org to purchase needed supplies.

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Written by Nina E. Woody Photos by Steve Babin

Davis explained how she got involved in helping feed people in need, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Back in March, I saw many people sharing the same post on Facebook which said that if anyone they knew needed food for their kids to please reach out. I thought about all aspects of [this situation.] I have been on every side it. I grew up in an affluent household, graduated from Randolph and college, and after an unfortunate course of events, I became financially destitute. The church council that I was once a board member on had to pay my utility bill and bring my children and me groceries before I mustered the courage to rebuild my life. I started my career after being a stay at home mom for 10 years by using my degree and teaching high school in Madison County. During my time in education, it was obvious that nutritional issues lead to a mountain of issues, so food has always been a way that I feel is easy to show love.” After reading the posts on Facebook, Davis said it came full circle for her. Her mother and a group of her friends pack lunches weekly for Lunches of Love, a backpack ministry that provides food to children in Madison County, Madison City, and Limestone County through the nonprofit Mission Firefly. Knowing that they would have trouble sourcing the groceries during this time because of scarcity, Davis created a social media group and asked friends to allow her to use their businesses as collection points. Davis said, “So many people stepped up, and during this time we were able to mobilize enough businesses and people that we helped raise awareness for Lunches of Love. We provided prepackaged food for over 1,200 kids and families from Lincoln Village, Kids to Love and into Section 8 housing.”

This effort led to more efforts, conversations, and revelations. Davis’ friend Chanda Crutcher, director of the Legacy Center, asked her to join in taking sanitizer and masks and COVID-19 awareness to the elderly sheltering in place in government housing. That led to $5 snack packs, which led to grocery bags, which led to a government grant to provide 2,500 boxes of food and milk from the USDA. “Until the grant kicked in, we held weekly food drives at Insanity Complex in Madison where businesses and people brought the food that fed over 400 seniors, their caregivers, and their families every week,” Davis described. “Insanity wasn’t even open or able to generate revenue, but its general manager, Brenda Buschmann, sent her staff to help me feed people just as she had the first week with Lunches of Love.” Davis says of her involvement, “What I want to convey is how each person can make a difference in their own way and that there is power in one - one thought, one action, one idea. One action on my part can be the catalyst for the action or launching of another action by someone else. One person’s willingness to act can start a chain reaction and lead to ‘viral volunteerism.’”

Davis attributes the resulting blessings to putting thoughts into actions. “I pray that other people react to viral volunteerism. I pray that others notice the needs of others. Be a light, be a spark, be a catalyst. If a single mom of four kids can do it, anyone can!”

To help, visit Mission Firefly, The Legacy Center, charity online.

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Ashley Shelton Davis is a Huntsville native that has served in many roles in the community and her career. From being a teacher and mom of four, to being a catalyst to spur what she terms “viral volunteerism.” Davis currently works as a mortgage loan officer at Supreme Lending.

Lincoln Village Ministries, Kids to Love or your favorite

Manna House Fran Fluhler

Written by Lori J. Connors Photos by Steve Babin

The Deep South heat and humidity are brutal in north Alabama; the rain offers no relief. In fact, it creates a sticky steamy sense of the unbearable. The afternoon’s pop-up torrential downpour hit fast and hard. Despite the weather, there’s always a line at the door. On any given Monday, Wednesday or Thursday, the line begins to form early, sometimes as early as 10 a.m., even though the doors don’t officially open until 3:00 p.m. during the week and at 11:30 on Saturdays. In addition to being hungry, some also have physical limitations, making it hard to stand for long periods of time. A few years ago, some kind souls donated the funds for an awning to combat the weather and benches to relieve the fatigue. Fran Fluhler, Manna House’s director begins each shift with a group huddle. Communication is key. Nobody is left out of the information loop. Fluhler reminds everyone to be pleasant to the incoming line of people, to put them at ease. “No matter what our feet feel like, our faces need to smile,” said Fluhler. The meeting concludes with group prayer. Then, it’s time to start preparing the serving lines. There are at least 50 volunteers at the facility – all doing their part; preparing the hot meals, packing kid’s meals, and lining up to help pass out the vast assortment of produce and meats. Along with the large group of volunteers working to prepare for the day’s arrivals, many more are already on the road delivering meals to those who are limited by illness or COVID-19 concerns. As an enthusiastic force of nature, Fluhler quickly moves from one area to the next, providing instructions to the volunteers while simultaneously giving a brief tour of the over-stacked and over-stuffed facilities. Except for the brand-new volunteers just arriving, Fluhler greets everyone by their first name. Not only does she know their names, she knows their stories. While her breadth and depth of knowledge is astonishing, Fran Fluhler is also a woman of unlimited compassion and humility. For the past sixteen years, Manna House has met the challenges of feeding the hungry of Huntsville and Madison County. Despite Huntsville’s long-standing reputation as the Rocket City, home of a highly educated, highly compensated high-tech population, there exists a large pocket of poverty, almost hidden just below the surface of affluence. Along with poverty comes food insecurity, where grownups and children alike may miss meals due to a lack of food or the means to acquire that food. COVID-19 only served to increase the number of people lining up each day. Along with many in the hospitality and service industries, there were schoolaged children also in need of food. For many, the school lunch program is their one guaranteed meal of the day. With the school closures, Manna House provided 4,000 meals to kids in the Huntsville City School system from March to May. These meals were in addition to their ongoing weekend backpack program which partners churches with local area elementary schools in need. The backpack program provides between 300-400 meals to kids per school. The group of volunteers are a broad mix of age, race, gender, education, and background. Everyone works together as a team to keep the lines moving and to make sure everyone has enough food. Seth Penn and his wife Kelsey have been volunteering since March. “We do a lot of mission work,” said Penn. “When the pandemic hit, travel was out of the question.” Over the past few months, the Penns have made a lot of new friends. “My favorite is the relationships,” said Penn. “Some don’t have family; we are their family. Being able to communicate and to be able to relate, we are literally giving people hope.”

For Garrett Chapin, a disabled Army veteran and Manna House volunteer, it’s about helping people with nowhere else to go. “We get to be their light,” said Chapin.

Fluhler will always credit the volunteers first and foremost, “They are the heart, soul and sweat equity of what keeps Manna House running. Without them, there would not be a Manna House.” However, the empathy, energy, and enthusiasm Fluhler possesses is the driving volunteer squad.

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force and inspiration for the highly motivated, effective