2014 Faces and Places

SERVICE-MINDED The Faces & Places that serve Franklin County

A special publication of the Franklin County Times

July 2014

SERVICE-MINDED The Faces & Places that serve Franklin County

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Faces & Places

Citizens for Phil Campbell Franklin County Arts & Humanities Council Franklin Civic-Social Club Vina Civitan Red Bay Lions Club Franklin County Cattlemen’s Association Russellville Rotary Club Russellville Book Lovers Study Club Red Bay Civitan Russellville Kiwanis Phil Campbell Study Club Red Bay Garden Club Russellville Lions Club Cultura Garden Club Russellville Civitan

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From the Editor

P.O. Box 1088 • Russellville, AL 35653 256-332-1881 • fax: 256-332-1883 www.franklincountytimes.com

General Manager

NICOLE PELL

nicole.pell@franklincountytimes.com

Managing Editor

KELLIE SINGLETON

kellie.singleton@franklincountytimes.com

Sales

PEGGY HYDE

peggy.hyde@franklincountytimes.com

Editorial/Photography

MATT WILSON BART MOSS Circulation

GERALDINE BONDS

When thinking of a theme for this year’s Faces & Places, we decided to focus on some of the civic and service organizations that serve each of their communities within Franklin County.

Each of these organizations is made up of dedicated individuals looking to better the cities and towns in which they live, and we all owe a debt of gratitude to these people who are willing to sacrifice their time and talents so that we can all enjoy a better, more beautiful, and more fruitful community.

The list of groups we came up with is in no way an exhaustive list because there are many groups of people who do their part to help those in need. But we believe we have featured some very active groups who have definitely left their mark on not only this county but across the world as well.

Some of these organizations have been around for many, many years while others were more recently formed. Some exist for the primary purpose of helping the local youth and schools, and some exist to help the community as a whole. Some of these groups have large memberships with many volunteers, and some have smaller numbers but make up for it in heart and determination.

Every person, no matter what community they live in, can think of ways that their specific community could be a better place. And instead of just complaining about what should be done, the people in these organizations are the ones stepping up to do something about it and are truly striving to make a difference.

Franklin County would not be the place that it is today without our civic and service organizations and the individuals who serve as their members.

If you are reading this and you do not currently belong to a civic or service-minded group, let me take this opportunity to encourage you to read more about the groups featured in this publication, and find one (or two or three) that appeals to you. Once you have done this, I hope you will make the decision to become a member of the club or group so that you can become a better steward in your city or town through active community service.

-Kellie Singleton, Managing Editor

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Faces & Places

Citizens for Phil Campbell Helping Phil Campbell continue to grow.

After an E-5 tornado ripped apart downtown Phil Campbell destroying many businesses and displacing many residents, there was no shortage of help pouring in from around the state and around the country.

Several citizens had the foresight to realize that outside help would not last forever and that the town would need to take on some revitalization projects of their own.

The solution to this was the forming of the group Citizens for Phil Campbell.

Bruce Forman was one of those citizens who helped form the group. Forman started the organization to help with rebuilding and beautification projects the town would need.

“We really wanted to be able to help improve the town after the tornado,” Forman said.

“We met with the mayor and members of the city council to see what need we could fill. I think the main takeaway was to work on things that help the town image.

“Government agencies would be helping with the rebuilding of the infrastructure and we would work to raise money to help with projects to help the town’s image.”

The first project the Citizens for Phil Campbell began was raising money to build Memorial Park.

The park, located next door to the Chat-n-Chew restaurant in STORY BY the town center, has become a BART MOSS gathering place for festivals, a place for family picnics and famPHOTO BY ily reunions.

KELLIE SINGLETON “The Memorial Park has been a

Faces & Places

real success,” Forman said.

“We are really proud of what it has become and what it can be in the future.

“We are working right now on buying equipment to offer monthly movies in the park for children. We have tried it a couple of times and it has been successful.”

The Citizen’s for Phil Campbell also recently bought banners that line the power poles on the town’s main street. The banners are black and gold (to match the school’s colors) and feature a train signifying the town’s founding story.

“On a personal note, I really like being able to help people in any way possible,” Forman said.

The Citizen’s for Phil Campbell have coordinated several fundraising projects to fund their activities. They have held a silent auction at the Shoals Marriot that featured professional baseball players, including the Atlanta Braves All-Star closer Craig Kimbrell.

They hold the annual Polar Plunge at Mon Dye Bottoms where dozens of people spring into the frigid, winter waters of Bear Creek Lake, and they are also working on a car show.

Barry Pounders said the organization is poised for growth and wants to continue to make improvements where they can.

“We really want to see our community prosper,” Pounders said.

“We have planted some trees and we are still focused on improving the Memorial Park. We would like to add a better sound system, build some restrooms and build a nicer stage for the performances we have at the festivals.”

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Franklin County Arts & Humanities Council

Promoting the arts in the local community.

Anyone who drives through downtown Russellville on the second Saturday evening of the month might think they’ve stepped back into the 1950s once they see the historic Roxy Theatre all lit up and ready to welcome visitors.

The theater is definitely a sight to see with its sign and marquee lighting the night sky, but several years ago, that wasn’t the case.

After many years of serving as the city’s movie theater and entertaining scores of adults and children alike, the theater fell into disrepair and was soon in danger of just becoming a distant memory.

But because of the diligence of one local organization, the historic Roxy Theatre continues to be a place where a whole new generation can enjoy great entertainment and make lasting memories.

The Franklin County Arts and Humanities Council was incorporated in 1976 with the purpose of promoting the arts in the local community.

The group took on the renovation and restoration of the Roxy in the late 1980s and has been making improvements and repairs ever since.

“The Roxy was very much in disrepair when we took over the responsibility for it,” said Susie Malone, president of the Franklin County Arts and Humanities

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Council.

“At one point, you could see the sky from inside the building because of a hole in the roof. It needed a lot of work.”

But Malone said to look at the building today, you wouldn’t know how bad it had gotten before the arts council stepped in.

“We have put in a lot of work, a lot of time, and a lot of effort to get the Roxy back up and operational,” Malone said.

“But I definitely believe it has all been worth it to see the quality of entertainment that has come across this stage in recent years.”

The Roxy has played host to music star Ronnie McDowell numerous times over the years. The nationally recognized group The Secret Sisters has also performed at the Roxy along with well-known names like Mark Schultz, Zack and Angela Hacker, Joseph Baldwin, T Graham Brown, and many talented local musicians.

STORY BY The W.C. Handy Music Festival KELLIE SINGLETON event “The Great Pretenders” is held at the Roxy each July, and PHOTO since 2009, the Roxy has also CONTRIBUTED hosted one of the state’s lon-

Faces & Places

gest-running musical shows – Rockin’ at the Roxy with the KGB. “The Rockin’ at the Roxy event was something we started as a way to promote the arts, support the Roxy, boost tourism and the local economy, and to showcase great talent,” Malone said.

“I believe it has done all of those things and continues to be a great event each month. We appreciate the Kerry Gilbert Band for their dedication to making this such a successful event.”

Proceeds from the event, held on the second Saturday each month, go to the continued upkeep of the theater.

“I don’t think people realize what all it takes to keep the theater up and running,” FCAHC secretary Cheri McCain said.

“There is a lot that goes into the maintenance of the theater, paying for the utilities, and making sure it doesn’t fall into the same disrepair that it fell into years ago.

“We also have several projects that we are looking forward to that we think will be a great asset to the community.”

One of those projects is something both Malone and McCain said they hope to implement very soon.

“We have recently been able to purchase a projector and a full-length, remote-controlled screen for the theater so that we can show movies there,” Malone said.

Faces & Places

“It has been a goal of ours for many years to have the theater serve as a place where families could come and watch movies, and that will finally be a reality now that we have been able to purchase the screen.”

Malone said they have already been using the projector and screen at monthly KGB events.

“We’ve shown old cartoons before the show starts and that has gone over very well,” she said.

“But our goal is to show full-length movies, especially around the holidays. We want to show old classics – movies that the whole family can come out and enjoy.

“We really believe this will be a great thing for the entire county and something that will attract visitors from other parts of the state as well. There’s nothing more charming than watching an old movie in a historic theater.”

Malone said information about the movies would be available as soon as plans are made.

In addition to their many endeavors involving the Roxy Theatre, the arts council is also active in supporting the local schools’ art programs, they give out a scholarship to a graduating senior each year, and they promote other art-related programs and events.

To keep up with all the events held at the Roxy and sponsored by the arts council, visit their website at www.historicroxytheatre.com.

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906 South Jackson Ave. Russellville, AL Faces & Places

Franklin Civic-Social Club Motivating others to take care of one another.

The Franklin County Civic-Social Club was first started in 1992 by Robert Sid Hillman, Sr. as a way to reach out to people in the community and to motivate others to take care of one another.

Current club president, Allen Rorer, said Hillman was in a similar club in Florence that was very community-minded and he wanted to bring something like that to Franklin County.

“He came to me and to several other men and said he wanted to start a civic club as a way to give back to the community,” Rorer said.

“We have all been blessed with so much and felt that if we were able to give to others, then we should.”

Once the groundwork for the club was completed, the men began to focus on a project that would eventually turn into what is now known as the annual Youth Outreach Day held every June at the Chucky Mullins Center.

“We first started having the event at Elliott Branch but we found out it would be better to have it at the Chucky Mullins Center because it is closer and we could involve more kids,” Rorer said.

“We have food, games, slides, prizes and drawings for bicycles. We also have members of the Russellville Police Department and the Russellville Fire Department come out and talk to the kids. It’s just a great day of fun.”

Rorer said the purpose behind the Youth Outreach Day is to show the children in the community, especially the ones that don’t come from a good home environment, that there are many opportunities available for them if they are willing to work hard.

“Not everything in life is going to be positive, so we like to interject positivity and create STORY BY good memories,” Rorer said.

KELLIE SINGLETON “We want to be good role models for these kids just like we would PHOTO BY for our own children.”

KELLIE SINGLETON Harold Vaughn, the club’s vicepresident, said there are many

Faces & Places

other children who have come through the outreach program over the years who are now adults that are a true testament to what a positive influence can do in someone’s life.

“The Youth Outreach Day is just something that has been positive for everyone involved, and we’re glad that we’ve been able to continue to provide the opportunity for our community’s youth for so many years.”

In addition to reaching out to the youth in the community, the Franklin Civic-Social Club also sponsors a scholarship in memory of Hillman and helps families in need around the holidays by helping provide gifts, food and holiday meals.

“When we meet, we discuss many families we know that could use some help and those are the families we focus on,” Rorer said.

He added that they hold several fundraisers throughout the year to help support the Youth Outreach Day, the scholarship and the projects they focus on during the holidays.

“We couldn’t get any of this done without the support of the community and the many people and departments that support us year after year,” he said.

“We want to thank everyone that has helped us over the years and we hope people will continue to support the work we do.”

The Franklin Civic-Social Club meets the third Sunday of each month at 5 p.m. at the Back to Basics Center (formerly the Reedtown High School).

Rorer said the Franklin Civic-Social Club accepts donations year round for their projects and any donations would be welcome.

The membership for the Civic-Social Club currently stands at 11 members. Pictured above is Allen Rorer, Harold Vaughn, Lanny Hubbard, Brian Williams, Byron Graham, and Robert Hillman, Jr. Not pictured are Barry Robinson, Don Willingham, Archie Hubbard, Billy Hamilton and Brian McGuire.

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Vina Civitan

Serving local students and senior citizens of Vina.

The Vina Civitan Club might be a small civic organization in a small community, but there is nothing small about the impact they make for the students and other citizens of their town.

Civitan International is a worldwide, volunteer-based, non-profit service organization with chartered members who focus on serving their respective communities and solving local problems.

Vina Civitan Club was chartered June 18, 2009, and has become focused on serving the local students of Vina as well as senior citizens.

Vina Civitan Club president Bryan Moomaw said their chapter is focused on seeking out and helping people from the community who are in need.

“We try and do one fundraiser a month so we can provide service to the community,” Moomaw said.

“We are all about helping the community and the people that are in need.”

Moomaw said he feels it is important to serve the community because he sees Vina as a place with potential.

“Vina is growing and we want to help it continue to grow,” Moomaw said.

“I was born and raised here and I have seen it grow.

Vina has a lot to offer and we want to encourage more people to come see what we have.”

The service-based approach of the Vina Civitan Club means the volunteers and members have a direct relationship with the community including the Civitan Thrift Store.

“The thrift store is open every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is operated by Civitan members and volunteers,” Moomaw said.

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“The store was recently renovated and updated and it was thanks to community members and local businesses that we were able to do that.”

Moomaw said the paint was donated by Underwood True Value Hardware in Red Bay and lumber was donated by Tiffin Lumber in Red Bay. Poles, bleach, and garbage bags were provided by Paul Emerson and Emerson Doors in Vina.

The Vina Civitan Club also gave two separate scholarships to Vina High School students in 2014. Heather Blackburn received a $1000 scholarship in honor of Kathy Franklin and Ryan Smith received a $1000 scholarship in honor of James Abston. These scholarships are funded each year by the Vina Civitan Club and Moomaw said he hopes to see that tradition continue.

“I’d like to see us get more involved with the schools and helping students,” Moomaw said.

“We want to help everyone that is looking for opportunities. There are so many opportunities in Vina—they just aren’t happening yet.”

Officers of the club include: president, Bryan Moomaw; vice president, Michael Moomaw; secretary, Carol Delong; treasurer, Lula Abston; sergeant-at-arms, Nita Osborn; and club chaplain, Robert Moomaw.

The Vina Civitan Club meets at the Vina Community Center on the first and third Tuesday of each month.

STORY BY All community members are MATT WILSON encouraged to come out and join and support the community PHOTO through service and volunteer CONTRIBUTED work.

Faces & Places

Red Bay Lions Club Helping children who need it most.

The most basic function of getting a good education is being able to read at an early age.

For many poor children, learning how to read is difficult because they have impaired vision and it is not detected until the child has fallen far behind other students.

The Lions Club of Red Bay, formed in 1984, works to identify these children and provide them with eyeglasses so they can remove a major obstacle to learning, said John Torisky, president of the Red Bay Lions Club.

“We try to provide a child with a pair of eyeglasses at least once a month, or more,” said Torisky, who works at Bank Independent in Red Bay. “We are a service organization that focuses on helping the underprivileged children in our community.”

The Red Bay Lions Club also does a clothing and food drive at Christmas every year.

Torisky said that is what he enjoys the most about being a part of the Lions Club.

“I love seeing children’s eyes light up when they get unexpected Christmas gifts,” Torisky said.

“We work with the schools to identify children in need and provide what we can in the form of coats, shoes, clothes and more.”

Last Christmas, the Red Bay Lions Club delivered items to 250 families in the greater Red Bay area.

“Being a part of the Lions Club and being able to help members of our community gives me great joy,” member Tracie Bolding said.

“It is just a blessing to see how appreciative these families and children are at Christmas.

It brings so much joy to my heart.”

The Red Bay Lions Club also awards seven scholarships each year to Red Bay (5) and Vina (2) seniors. The scholarships are service-oriented, and students have to fill out an application and meet certain academic and need-based criteria. Many of the scholarships are named after past members of the organization such as G.A. Mills, Tammy Underwood, Jimmy Hall and Ted Malone.

The Red Bay Lions Club is very active in raising funds to meet the needs of the community. They host an annual golf tournament at Redmont STORY BY Country Club. This year’s event BART MOSS will be on September 27, and the cost is $400 per four-man team.

PHOTO BY They host the G.A. Mills Pancake KELLIE SINGLETON Breakfast every spring, and they also sell mops and brooms and

Faces & Places

cheese as fundraisers as well.

Donations for the Lions Club primarily come from businesses and individual donors.

J.C. Weeks, a local pharmacist, says he love the interaction with the children.

“The Lions Club has a lot on one-on-one interaction with children,” Weeks said.

“We really focus on helping children in need all year long. If teachers call us during the school year and say a child needs shoes or appropriate clothing, we are going to be there for them.

“We have great community support, which helps us be able to give back about $50,000 a year to the community. People know that if they contribute to the Lions Club, we are going to make sure the money gets into the hands of those most in need.”

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Franklin County

Cattlemen’s Association Providing assistance for Franklin County students.

When someone thinks about service-oriented organizations in the community, the Franklin County Cattlemen’s Association may not immediately come to mind.

But if a person took a look at what all this one group does for the community, they would definitely see why the Cattlemen are an important part of Franklin County.

Franklin County Cattlemen president Steven Smith said their local association was one of the original nine county associations that joined the state association in 1950.

Smith said the Cattlemen’s Association exists to serve as a voice for the cattle industry, but their commitment to community service is what really got him involved in the group in the first place.

“I’ve been around cattle farming my whole life, and my Grandfather Smith gave me my first cow when I was seven years old,” he said.

“Over the years, I wasn’t as involved with the cattle business, but when I was serving as the band booster president for Phil Campbell, a couple of the band parents told me they needed a board member for the

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Cattlemen’s Association and asked if I would be interested.

“I knew what all they did for the community, so I agreed, and I haven’t looked back. It has been great to be a part of all the things the Cattlemen are involved in across the county.”

The biggest, and probably most popular, activity the Cattlemen participate in every year are their steak sandwich sales, which serve as a fundraiser for their scholarship program.

Orland Britnell, who has served as president of the county as well as the state Cattlemen’s Association in years past, said the Cattlemen steak sandwich sale days are almost like a holiday and they have six different sales each year.

“This started out as a small fundraiser when we first started doing it, but the response from the community was so STORY BY great that we kept expanding to KELLIE SINGLETON where we now do this six times a year,” Britnell said.

PHOTOS BY “It takes about 40 volunteers to KELLIE SINGLETON

Faces & Places

put one of these sales on, and we appreciate all the people who volunteer their time to help.

“And we especially appreciate the community for being so supportive. Without their support, we couldn’t do as much with the funds we raise.”

Those funds go to support multiple scholarships that are given to graduating seniors across the county. This past May, the Cattlemen gave out 24 scholarships on their own and two more Cattlemenrelated scholarships – the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association’s “Tagged for Greatness” scholarship and the Thomas Harbin Memorial Scholarship – were also presented to local students.

“We are very proud of these students and what they have accomplished and we are glad to be able to help them further their education with these scholarships,” Britnell said.

“We also appreciate the family of Thomas Harbin for establishing this scholarship in his name. He was a great friend and a great Cattleman. He was always there, no matter what the event was, and he was always willing to help out and go above and beyond for the Cattlemen and for the community. He was a great example of what this organization is all about.”

In addition to their lucrative scholarship program, the Cattlemen also sponsor several activities during the month of October each year in support of National Beef Month.

For more than 40 years, the Franklin County Cattlemen’s Association has been donating beef to be used in county and city schools that have a family and consumer science department where cooking is done.

Teachers who have received this beef have noted year after year how much this helps their programs.

“We hope the donation helps the teachers financially but we also hope it teaches the students the importance of beef and how many different ways it can be used,” Britnell said.

“Beef is the number one product for protein, which is such an important part of a person’s diet.”

Another project that strives to educate the county’s youth about the importance of beef is the Cattlemen’s reading program where a Cattlemen member goes to read to a first grade classroom during the month of October and then donates the book to the school’s library.

“We go read to every first grade class in the county and city schools,” Smith said.

“The book is always something that relates to the cattle industry, but it’s also on a level that first graders can understand. The kids always seem to love it.”

Faces & Places

In addition to these projects, the Cattlemen also cook their all-American beef burgers for four different blood drives as well as the Envirothon events each year as well as supply the labor to cook for the Farm City Banquet and the Chamber of Commerce Banquet.

“We think it’s important to note that with our ribeye steak sandwiches, our beef burgers, and anything else we do, we only use 100 percent American beef,” Orland said.

“The price of beef is going up, but we still believe it is important to only use American beef in our products because we believe our community deserves the very best beef we can provide for them, and that’s going to come from American beef.”

Even though the Cattlemen’s Association helps and supports cattle farmers, Smith said anyone who wants to support the activities and projects of the Franklin County Cattlemen’s Association is welcome to join.

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Russellville Rotary Club Providing scholarships to local RHS seniors.

The Rotary Club of Chicago was one of the very first service organizations ever formed when Paul P. Harris started the group in 1905.

Since that time, Rotary International has grown to include more than 1.2 million members in clubs worldwide, and collectively, Rotarians have made a huge impact on both local communities and international causes.

Franklin County is home to the Russellville Rotary Club, which was chartered in May 1961.

According to Wilbur Underwood, who is the Russellville club’s longest serving member, each Rotary Club must be sponsored by an established club before being able to apply for their own charter.

Underwood said the Florence Rotary Club was interested in sponsoring a new club and looked to Russellville to make that a reality.

“Some members from the Florence club came to Russellville and met with several business leaders on Feb. 2, 1961, to see if there would be any interest in starting a club here,” Underwood said.

“There were around 20 people who verbally committed to forming our own club, so the Russellville group applied to Rotary International for their charter, and the district governor came and presented the charter in May of 1961 to the 21 charter members.”

Underwood said he officially became a member on Sept.

11, 1961 following the birth of his and his wife’s second child.

“There are only four of those charter members still left – J.C. Yancey, Curtis Grissom, Homer Grissom and Bill Foster,” Underwood said.

“We had a great group of charter members and we have continued to attract many fine people to the club over the years.”

The Russellville Rotary Club meets each Monday at the Daily Bread BBQ restaurant in downtown Russellville and members hear from informative speakers and discuss club business, including service projects and fundraisers.

“One of our most popular service projects our club has sponsored was providing car seats for new parents who

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brought their children home from Russellville Hospital,” Underwood said.

“We loaned the car seats out to those parents who didn’t have a car seat, and that seemed to be very helpful to these young families.”

The Russellville Rotary Club was also one of the first local clubs to support the Meals on Wheels program, and they also provide scholarships for graduating seniors, something Underwood said they are proud to do.

“This past May, we were able to provide three scholarships to RHS seniors, and we know that they will put those funds to good use in continuing their education at the collegiate level,” he said.

And as part of the larger Rotary International group, the Russellville club supports the Rotary Foundation, which has made it their mission to eradicate polio from the world.

“Rotary started this mission to wipe out polio in 1979, and through the help of many Rotarians and through a partnership with Bill Gates and his foundation, Rotary clubs were able to take the number of countries plagued with polio from 125 in 1988 to only three in 2012,” Underwood said.

“It is a good feeling to know that you have helped with this mission, even if it was in a small way.”

And while the service projects the Russellville Rotary Club participates in are reason enough to be part of the group, Underwood said the friendships and camaraderie have also been a motivating factor for him to stick around for almost 53 years.

“Being a member of Rotary gives me the opportunity to associate with both men and women whom I wouldn’t normally see or meet in my daily walks of life,” he said.

STORY BY “I have formed life-long friend- KELLIE SINGLETON ships because of this organization, all while having the chance PHOTO BY to help others and make a differ- KELLIE SINGLETON ence. You just can’t beat that.”

Faces & Places

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Faces & Places

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Russellville Book Lovers Study Club Serving many areas of the Russellville community.

The Russellville Book Lovers Study Club might sound like a group of people who only gather each month to discuss their favorite author or the latest book they have read, but that is far from true for this group of civic-minded women.

Book Lovers was first established in 1928 as a way for women to be actively involved in helping their community grow and prosper, club member and past president Susie Malone said.

“Many years ago, the civic organizations were just for men, but the women desired an opportunity and a chance to make a difference,” she said.

“Book Lovers was one of those organizations that gave women that chance and the club has been active nonstop since it first began in 1928.”

It would be almost impossible to list all of the different projects, causes and benefits the club has supported over its history because this list is so long, but what club president Cheri McCain said she enjoyed was the diversity in the group’s projects.

“We support many different areas and many different organizations either monetarily or through our volunteering,” McCain said.

“Last year our members had a combined total of 1,219 volunteer hours, the club donated nearly $1,000 to different organizations, and we had over $2,000 in in-kind donations.”

As one might could guess from the group’s name, one of the areas they lend support is actually related to books.

“We support the local libraries, which includes the Russellville Public Library and the city schools’ libraries,” McCain said.

“Many of us who are in Book Lovers are current or retired school teachers or we have been associated with

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the education profession. We know how important books are and how important reading is, so we make it a point to support our libraries as they support our school children in their education.”

Locally, Book Lovers lends financial support to other service organizations, such as the Cultura Garden Club and the Franklin County Arts and Humanities Council, to help with their projects, and they support organizations like Safeplace, Faith Mission Outreach, the Franklin County Domestic Violence Response Coalition, Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Alabama, the Healing Place, the Salvation Army, Fame Girls Ranch, the Franklin County Department of Human Resources and several different school leadership groups.

Book Lovers also gives a scholarship each year to the graduating senior from RHS who has the third highest GPA. “Our members are involved in many different facets of the community and that allows us to help out in many different ways,” McCain said.

“If we see that there is a need and it is something that we are able to help with, we are more than glad to do what we can for our community.

“We are the citizens of this city, and we believe that it is only right for us to take care of our town and its people through our projects, our donations, and our volunteerism.”

Book Lovers also supports nationally-recognized groups such as Operation Christmas Child, Sew Much Comfort, which is a group that makes adaptive clothing for troops who have undergone extensive medical treatment (including prosthetics, fixators and casts) and have difficulty fitting into regular clothing.

They also partnered with the Russellville High School’s Family and Consumer Science department to support Operation Smile, which is an international children’s medical charity that helps children who are born with facial deformities such as cleft lip and cleft palate. Book Lovers supplied the materials for the students to make “no-no arm bands” for the children undergoing reconstructive surgery that keep a child from touching their face once their surgery is complete.

“This club does so much good for our local community and for others across the state and the country, and it is good to know you have been a part of that,” Malone said.

“But in addition to the service STORY BY projects, the friends you make KELLIE SINGLETON through this club and the fellowship we share is also very enrich- PHOTO BY ing and a great reason to be part KELLIE SINGLETON of Book Lovers.”

Faces & Places

Red Bay Civitan

Working to promote Red Bay’s past, present and future.

One thing that sets the city of Red Bay apart from many other similar small cities is its preservation of history.

The city boasts its own museum, which is a by-product of many years of hard work and attention to detail by the Red Bay Civitan organization.

The Red Bay Civitan organization is part of an international service organization whose main focus is to create better communities. The organization was active in the Red Bay area in the 1930s and 1940s but dissipated for a time. It was resurrected in the mid1970s.

The current organization has 30 active members who focus on promoting the city of Red Bay and its past.

They also work to build a vibrant and active community today.

The Red Bay Civitan’s first brush with history came several years ago when they started a history book project.

After many years of collecting old photographs, artifacts and stories, the Civitan organization decided to open and maintain a museum.

Today, local citizens, former residents and visitors alike can visit the museum and relive the history of Red Bay. Scotty Kennedy, a local photographer, has been an active member of the Red Bay Civitan organization since the early 1980s. He says the history project has been their organization’s primary accomplishment.

“I got involved in Civitan to help provide photographs and artwork for the history book,” Kennedy said.

“I believe our organization has lived up to its mission to build a better community by helping improve the image of our wonderful city.

“I’m proud of the fact that we have helped in some way to improve the quality of life of the people of Red Bay and to have helped in preserving our history.”

Billy Boyd, an independent construction worker, is the current president of the Red Bay Civitan organization.

Boyd said he is proud to be involved in such an active and STORY BY important organization.

BART MOSS “The Civitan organization does a lot of good for a lot of people,” PHOTO BY said Boyd, who moved to Red KELLIE SINGLETON Bay in 1996.

Faces & Places

“I love this community. It is a great place to live and it gives me great joy to know that I have played some role in helping our community grow.”

The Red Bay Civitan’s main project and fundraiser is the Red Bay Depot. The Depot is a thrift store that is open every Friday from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. All the proceeds from the Red Bay Depot go to funding the organizational projects such as the history museum.

The Red Bay Civitan also sponsors an essay contest for high school juniors and seniors. This year’s essay title was “My Favorite Hero.” They also sent two Red Bay High School students to a leadership conference at Harding University in Tennessee.

“We love our history,” Kennedy said, “but, to be a good community organization we must make an investment in our young people if we want to have good stewards of history going forward.”

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Russellville Kiwanis

Helping local youth with support and opportunities.

Club member Jeff Studdard said the Russellville Kiwanis Club donates money to the various All-Star sports teams in the area so they are able to travel to the tournaments and compete against other communities.

Russellville Kiwanis Club participates in the Operation Christmas Child by helping to provide children and families in need with a better holiday experience. The club also donates to Safe Place, a nonprofit organization that provides help and support to runaway teens, and to Healing Place, a non-profit organization that provides support to those suffering from addiction.

Within the schools, Russellville Kiwanis Club is involved with the Boys State program as well as the Key Club program.

“The youth is the future and we are trying to serve the community by helping them,” Archer said.

“If we help the youth by providing opportunities and support, then they will hopefully be able to serve the community in the future as well.”

Russellville Kiwanis Club provides three $500 scholarships each year to students in the area. The individual scholarships are given in honor of B. E. Lee, W. W. Weatherford, and Neil Taylor, Sr. One of Russellville Kiwanis Club’s other main projects is the Reading is Fundamental program. The RIF program is the largest children’s literacy non-profit in the United States and Russellville Kiwanis Club actively participate in raising money to purchase books for children all over the Franklin County area.

“Obviously reading is important and we want to be able to help kids get books in their hands,” Archer said.

“We also donate to the Head Start program, which helps young children get ready for school.”

With 17 current members, Russellville Kiwanis Club is not a large civic organization, but Archer said the numbers change and she feels like it is a great group to be a part of.

“When I first moved here it was kind of hard to find out about and learn about all the different businesses and organizations in town,” Archer said.

“I think being a member of the STORY BY Kiwanis Club is a good way to MATT WILSON

Kiwanis International is a group of community-oriented service clubs located in 80 nations.

More than $100 million annually is raised by Kiwanis International for different communities and the specific needs of those communities.

Kiwanis International was founded in 1915 and will be celebrating 100 years of community service this year. The Russellville Kiwanis Club has been active in the community since 1979 and has been focusing on serving the Russellville and Franklin County areas ever since.

Members of the club are local business owners, teachers and employees of local industry and come and go over the years, but one thing that never fluctuates is how the Russellville Kiwanis Club strives to help the community, especially the children.

Club member Kathy Archer said the Russellville Kiwanis Club is oriented with helping the children.

“We really try and focus on the children in the community with what we do in Kiwanis,” Archer said.

“Most of the fundraisers and service projects that we do and the time we volunteer is geared toward the kids.”

Russellville Kiwanis Club has two main fundraisers each year: the Kiwanis Club Bike Ride and the alwayspopular Pancake Day. “The fundraisers are great times for us as members to meet people in the community,” Archer said.

“They are also great ways for us to raise money and fund some scholarships for students in Russellville and Franklin County.”

Archer said the emphasis both locally and regionally stay involved and in touch with for Kiwanis Club is the youth and helping to provide the other community organizaopportunities and support. tions.”

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PHOTO BY MATT WILSON

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19

Phil Campbell Study Club Giving back to Phil Campbell’s youth.

The Phil Campbell Study Club began in 1951 with the mission of helping the community and promoting cultural events and programs.

Sixty-three years later the club is still going strong and doing inspiring work for the community of Phil Campbell.

The club is made up of 15 women from the Phil Campbell area who want to give back to their community, spend time in fellowship and learn new things.

Frieda Eubank has been in the Phil Campbell Study Club since the early 1980s and has witnessed remarkable achievements.

“We are just a group of women who want to make a difference in our community,” Eubank said.

“I really enjoy meeting each month with our members and working to help others. We have really good meetings and have speakers come from all walks of life.

“I have always been involved in the community and love to do something to make our town a better place to live.”

The Phil Campbell Study Club’s main project is providing scholarships to students at Phil Campbell High School.

Scholarships typically go to two girls.

The main requirements are you must be a graduate of Phil Campbell High School and use the scholarship to attend Northwest-Shoals Community College in Phil Campbell.

Carolyn Vinson takes pride in the fact the Study Club works with the school to make special events even more special.

“I really appreciate being able to help

20

Phil Campbell schools,” Vinson said.

“We provide refreshments at the schools’ awards day. We will provide refreshments at the open house when we open our new high school.

“I also like the great fellowship we have with each other in the club. We have a great time each month and learn a lot from our guests and each other.”

The Phil Campbell Study Club also works with the schools at Phil Campbell and East Franklin to identify children in need and provide them with Christmas gifts each year.

The Study Club’s main fundraiser is recipe book with over 500 recipes.

The books are still on sale for $12.

All of the proceeds go to helping fund the scholarships and Christmas gifts.

Sue Bishop, a retired teacher and longtime member of the Phil Campbell Study Club, enjoys helping students at Phil Campbell High School.

“We really try to help the schools when they need us,” Bishop said.

“We give the scholarships out to Phil Campbell students every year- usually to those who may not get as much scholarship money as others. We take them to eat on the night of our last meeting. They will get up and tell us how appreciative they are and what their career goals are. That is always a very rewarding part of the year.

“I also love helping families in need at Christmas time. If we are able to help one family or one child STORY BY at Christmas, it is BART MOSS worth it.”

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21

Red Bay Garden Club Keeping the city of Red Bay beautiful.

The Red Bay Garden Club has been around for a long time – long enough for the oak trees along old Highway 24 to grow up to the size they are now, according to club member Linda Holcomb.

“The old oak trees on the way out of town along old highway 24 were planted by the club in the ‘30s,” Holcomb said.

“So the club has been around and active in Red Bay for a long time and we’re still contributing to the community today.”

The Red Bay Garden Club does many things around the community and is involved with just as many.

Perhaps one of the most recognizable things the club is involved with is the planting and maintenance of all the potted and hanging plants around the city and local businesses as well as the local parks.

“We do a lot of maintenance and planting at the Bay Tree Park,” Holcomb said.

“At Christmas time we put up the Honor Tree and citizens can participate by purchasing and hanging an ornament on the tree in honor of a loved one or friend.”

The Red Bay Garden Club has a major celebration each year for Arbor Day which is the national day encouraging citizens to plant and care for trees.

The Garden Club also participates in the United States Forest Service’s “Woodsy Owl” program that encourages everybody to “Give a hoot, don’t pollute.”

“We are involved with various programs through the Alabama Forestry (Commission) and the Woodsy Owl program with the Forest Service,” Holcomb said.

The popular “Streetscapes” contest is hosted by the Red Bay Garden Club each year and Holcomb said every-

22

body in town enjoys participating.

“In the fall we always put on a Streetscapes contest where all the businesses and city properties decorate,” Holcomb said.

“There is a theme each year and this year’s theme is ‘Year of the Parks.’ I think this year’s contest will be a good one.”

As a civic organization, the Garden Club gives back to the community of Red Bay not just through monetary donations but through volunteered time and work as well.

“We donate money that we raise from our plant sale that we have every April and from the Christmas Honor Tree and other fundraisers,”

Holcomb said.

“We donate to Dollars for Scholars as well as to the Garden Club of Alabama.

“We have some maintenance help from some of the people with the city, but the Garden Club does a lot of work around town to keep our city beautiful.

“I couldn’t even begin to count how many hours we spend planting and watering and keeping all the plants up around town.”

Holcomb said she feels the Red Bay Garden Club plays an important part in the community and not just keeping things beautiful.

“I think keeping the city beautiful and kept up is important—the citizens are have a lot of pride in the town and how it looks—but that’s not all of it,” Holcomb said.

“We have a lot of people come through Red Bay from all over the place and we want the place to look good when they do. If visitors from Mississippi or south Alabama or Tennessee come through here and they like the way it looks, the way it feels, then they might want to stay and eat at the restaurants or spend some time in the shops, which helps the businesses and the town as a whole.”

Being a member of the Red Bay Garden Club is more than just flowers and trees according to Holcomb.

“Everyone that is involved—club members, volunteers, every- STORY BY body—we spend a lot of time MATT WILSON together,” Holcomb said.

“It feels like family, it really PHOTO does.”

CONTRIBUTED

Faces & Places

Russellville Lions Club Providing eye glasses and eye exams for children.

p tic place that really caters to kids with diabetes and teach them how to live healthily with that disease.” teaches Som Some of the fundraising events the Russellville Lions Club is involved with include two yard sales throughout y the year as well as the familiar Lions Club mops and broo brooms that are always for sale.

“Mo “Most people know about the mops and brooms that we are a always selling,” Spurgeon said.

“W “We sell those and we host a couple of yard sales al along with some other fundraising events. Whatever w we can do to raise money we usually will do so that we can help the schools and the kids and the community as a whole.”

Spurgeon said the main focus of the Russellville Lions Club is vision and helping to provide better v vision for members of the community, but they also raise money for nurse supplies for local nurses.

“We also try and raise money for nurse supplies in the Fran Franklin County Schools,” Spurgeon said.

“So “Sometimes they don’t have all they need and we try and help with that.”

Spu Spurgeon said the Lions Club is a great organization to be a part of and hopes to see it grow in the future.

“I llike helping the community out and I’m glad the Russ Russellville Lions Club is able to help as much as it does with providing eyeglasses and eye exams and trying to Lions Club International is the largest service club do our part in the prevention of blindness,” Spurgeon organization in the world, boasting 1.35 million mem- said. bers, according to the official website.

“I would like to see more people join the club so that The Russellville Lions Club harnesses those resources we would be able to help even more in the future.” to serve the community and focus on their two main service projects: better sight and better health for everyone.

Co-presidents Linda Spurgeon and Diane Baker are both nurses in the Franklin County area and Spurgeon said she sees firsthand the need for help in those two areas.

“We raise money for different civic projects, but we definitely focus on providing eye exams and eyeglasses for children,” Spurgeon said.

“Dr. Wayne Stevens in Russellville helps us out a lot.

We are very grateful to him.”

The club also participates in recycling eyeglasses and having them refurbished and sent to people who are in need and unable to afford proper eyeglasses.

Diabetes and learning to live a better life with diabetes is another main focus of the Russellville Lions Club and Spurgeon said there is a certain camp that is great for that.

“One of the things we do each year is to raise money so we are able to send a child to a specific camp where they can STORY BY learn to live with type-1 diabeMATT WILSON tes,” Spurgeon said.

“Camp Seale Harris is a fantas-

Faces & Places

23

Cultura Garden Club

Making our community a better and more beautiful place.

For the ladies who are part of the Cultura Garden Club, making a difference in the Russellville area through beautification and conservation is a top priority.

“There are a lot of ways that the Garden Club is involved in the community,” member Kathy Archer said.

“Some of these are things the general public may not even be aware of, but we try to do our part to give back to the community and help make the area we live in a better and more beautiful place.”

One of such programs that the Cultura Garden Club sponsors is an anti-litter program for local students in the third through fifth grades.

“There are a couple of us who go into the schools and present this program about the importance of not littering,” Archer said.

“We dress up and try to make it fun and interactive for the children. We also do a poster contest.

“We want them to be interested so they can absorb the actual message about learning to be respectful of the environment and to not litter.”

Each December, the Garden Club, which is a member of the Alabama Federation of Garden Clubs, also sponsors the “Every Light a Prayer for Peace” event to give the community a chance to come together and pray about different issues going on in the world.

Archer explained this is an event that was first started in 1950 by a woman named Dorothy Parrish who began a tree lighting ceremony as a way to show community support for soldiers involved in the Korean Conflict.

“This ceremony is observed in Montgomery every year at the Capitol with the governor and first lady, and there

24

are many other tree lighting and candlelight ceremonies held by federated garden clubs across the state,” she said.

“Cultura actually began this tradition in the 1980s as a prelude to the annual Russellville Christmas parade, and we’ve found that it is a great way for our community to gather together and have a special time of signing, prayer and remembrance for all the issues that we face.”

In addition to the anti-litter and prayer programs sponsored by the Garden Club, probably the most prominent and well-known aspect of their organization is the beautification work they do, especially in downtown Russellville.

Cultura Garden Club vicepresident Martha Sibley said the group is responsible for all the decorative flower pots placed downtown and for their upkeep and maintenance. They also put out the hanging flower baskets that are attached to the decorative street signs in the downtown area.

“The purpose of this is just to improve our area and our community,” Sibley said.

“We want to foster a sense of civic pride. You may not think that a few flower pots or hanging baskets can do much for the appearance of an area, but when you drive through downtown Russellville, especially in the spring and summer, and see these flowers blooming, it just seems to make everything look better.”

In addition to the flower pots and hanging baskets, the Cultura Garden Club is responsible for the initial design, planting and continual upkeep of three flower beds in the downtown area – the bed near the welcome sign on North Jackson Avenue by the former Five Star Pizza location; the bed near the welcome sign on South Jackson Avenue by Russellville Fire Station 1; and the bed in front of Russellville City Hall.

“We have had a lot of help from the city with these projects,” Sibley said.

“We really appreciate all of their support and all they do to help us keep the downtown area look- STORY BY ing nice. It takes a group effort KELLIE SINGLETON and a spirit of cooperation to accomplish all of these things we PHOTO BY KELLIE SINGLETON set out to do each year.”

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ELECT DON GARRARD

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City of Russellville

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Russellville Civitan Serving the community side by side.

Every Tuesday at noon, a group of civic-minded men and women gather together for a time of fellowship, food, and discussion about what they can do to better the community they live in.

Russellville businessman Cecil Batchelor has been a part of this group for almost 66 years, and he said he couldn’t think of a better organization to have devoted all of that time to over the years than the Russellville Civitans.

“I was invited as a guest to attend a Civitan meeting 66 years ago, and joining this group was a wonderful decision,” Batchelor said.

“I can’t think of a better way to get to know the people of your community than to break bread with them each week.

“Because of this club, I have developed friendships that have lasted many years, and I have gotten to know people in this community that I might have never known were it not for our mutual membership in Civitan. It is something I believe everyone would benefit from being a part of.”

The Russellville Civitan club was chartered in 1936.

Civitan International, which was formed in 1917 and includes all the individual Civitan clubs worldwide, has its headquarters based in Birmingham where the UAB Civitan International Research Center is also located.

Batchelor said part of the money the Russellville club (as well as most other Civitan clubs) raises from dues and fundraisers goes to support the research center, which conducts research related to the prevention and treatment of developmental disabilities.

“This is a wonderful thing for our club to be a part of,” Batchelor said.

“They do a wonderful job at this research center and the work they do not only benefits people here in Alabama but people around the world as well.”

Current Russellville Civitan president John Aldridge said that in addition to supporting the UAB Civitan International Research Center, the club supports many local projects as well.

“We are supporters of the Franklin County Relay For

26

Life every year,” he said.

“We have a team and we have a specific fundraiser that directly supports the American Cancer Society and the Relay for Life.”

Aldridge said Russellville Civitan also gives out a scholarship each year to a graduating senior from Russellville High School to help further the student’s education.

“Each year we always invite the scholarship recipient and his or her parents to one of our meetings to present the scholarship, and it’s always great to get to meet these students and hear how this scholarship will help them,” Aldridge said.

The Russellville Civitan club is also involved with the local Meals on Wheels program, and Russellville businessman Joe Tucker heads up the Civitans’ participation.

“I knew what a great program Meals on Wheels was because they delivered to my mother and I saw how much it helped her,” Tucker said.

“When there was a need within the club to coordinate our club’s turn and take meals to these people in the community who needed it, I was glad to take on the job.

“It has been very rewarding to be part of this program, and I am so glad that Russellville Civitan saw this as a need in the community and stepped in to be part of fulfilling it.”

Batchelor said the Russellville Civitans have also recently sponsored a Junior Civitan group at Tharptown High School, which functions as a service organization for teens that teaches the importance of giving back to the community through volunteering.

“This is a great way to teach the younger generations the importance of community service in hopes that they will grow up and choose to be involved in a Civitan organization in their community and continue their service later in life,” he said.

“Civitan is an important part of the community because it is a place where people rise above personal gain and accomplishments and serve side by side to complete projects and be part of something that will always live on.

“We have some wonderful members who have truly done some great things through this organization.”

STORY BY Aldridge said they are always KELLIE SINGLETON looking for new members and would be glad to have anyone visit their meetings anytime to learn PHOTO BY KELLIE SINGLETON more about their club.

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State Representative

Johnny Mack Morrow District 18

(Colbert & Franklin County) www.johnnymackmorrow.com Pd. Pol. Adv. by Johnny Mack Morrow Campaign 1895 Hwy 28 • Red Bay, Alabama 35582

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27

State Senator Roger H. Bedford, Jr.

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