Champions
Recognized by: AIDS Alabama
Date: October 5, 2011
“I began volunteering with AIDS Alabama in February at JASPER House, a 14-unit residential care facility that serves low-income men and women living with HIV/AIDS who also have a mental health and/or substance abuse diagnosis. I came to AIDS Alabama because I needed credit for a class at UAB, but I have continued volunteering even after I completed my hours for the semester. I have found more than an obligation to fill; volunteering has given me a true sense of purpose and engagement that does not exist in books, papers, and tests. Whether I am working in the Operations Department or Development Department, I am always happy. Whatever I have given, AIDS Alabama has given back to me ten times over. They have pulled me away from schoolwork and made me feel part of Birmingham.” – Shayna Bryan
Recognized by: Meredith Foster
Date:
Flo Blackledge serves girls who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to participate in Girl Scouting. She works tirelessly, helping them sell cookies and fall products so they can save to attend programs and take trips to places like Washington DC and New York City.
Girl Scout Outreach Programs, including the Hispanic Initiative, target girls considered at-risk due to life situations including illiteracy in households, single-parent households, obesity and unhealthy lifestyles, lack of adult role models, lack of adult support for education and career planning. GSNCA focuses on ways to minimize barriers to Girl Scouting such as lack of volunteers, lack of parental availability, language, lack of transportation and lack of financial resources.
Recognized by: Martha Patton
Date: August 30, 2011
Assignment: Managing Attorney – Birmingham Municipal Court
Law School: Birmingham School of Law 1998
Undergraduate School: University of Alabama at Birmingham 1989 –
Mass Communications
Prior career: Paralegal; legal assistant; manager of Internal Communications for Compass Bank; Acting Community Resource Officer for the Birmingham Board of Education; Communication Specialist for the Birmingham Board of Education; and Staff Reporter for The Birmingham News
Jequette Edmonson is a champion for the indigent clients she represents at the Birmingham Municipal Court, leading a team of five full-time lawyers and five or six more contract lawyers in that effort. She is known for bringing not only a high level of professionalism to her position but also a caring attitude toward her clients. Her clients are those who live in poverty, sometimes on the street, and often have substance abuse, illiteracy, and mental health issues to deal with as well. Jequette’s cheerful personality spreads to all around her, including the lawyers she supervises, the judges she appears before, and the court personnel she works alongside daily. She sets the example for prompt and effective response to any and all problems, mostly through her excellent communications skills.
Thank you, Jequette, for being a champion for the indigent!
Recognized by: Julean Kirkpatrick
Date:
During the month of July, seventeen nursing students from Jefferson State Community College served 244 volunteer hours at the Crestwood Center. The volunteers assisted staff in the areas of sports, math and science, economic literacy, creative writing, dance, drama and art. Their time and presence made a huge impact on the girls.
