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.

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!

Members of Phoenix Club work directly with Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Alabama to raise funds for specific needs such as our Back-A-Youth Campaign, the Rubber Duck Regatta, and scholarship programs. One of the most impressionable things the Phoenix Club does is make frequent visits to the Boys & Girls Clubs to interact and mentor youth.

As a dedicated Gateway Board member, Mrs. Killion soon became Board President. As Board President, she works with the entire board to provide strategic direction, to support Gateway’s President, Jim Loop, and his staff, to provide financial oversight and accountability, to ensure that Gateway has the resources it needs and to serve as an ambassador for Gateway throughout the community.

“It is a privilege to serve an agency that provides such important services to children and families in need […] Gateway is able to quickly respond because of their highly trained staff, who offers a continuum of programs and services for the entire family [...] [With] more than 100 years of service to our community, as the needs of children and families changed, Gateway responded to meet those needs.”—Sandy Killion

Although very busy with her duties, Mrs. Harrell has also built a Christmas program over the last 10 years by partnering with local parishes and organizations to provide Christmas to approximately 200 children, working on off days and late into the night to ensure that no child is left out. She also works hard to obtain resources for children at Easter and for back to school. Young mothers are also assisted as Mrs. Harrell coordinates donations of baby supplies. Staff member with the agency often laugh among themselves that Mrs. Harrell has her own “caseload” as clients often call just specifically to speak with her. We are fortunate and blessed to have Mrs. Harrell at Catholic Family Services.

Mrs. Harrell graduated from Phillips High School in Birmingham. She has been the CFS receptionist since 2000 and has a total of 18 years providing clerical services to local companies, including Southern Natural Gas.

Ann Kelley showed up at our disaster warehouse just a few days after it opened. She had always found ways to help and volunteer throughout her life. She saw an opportunity to continue that tradition after seeing news reports about The Birmingham Salvation Army’s disaster warehouse. The warehouse was opened just a few days after the tornadoes and was a place to provide services and supplies for survivors. “I was amazed at everyone’s attitude, they were so helpful. Anyone that needed assistance got it, no exceptions; and no matter how many people we had working, anyone that wanted to put on an apron and do something was welcomed with a smile.” She said she also liked the way all officers and staff of The Army were working just as hard and willing to do whatever was needed. Day after day, Ann showed up to volunteer, eager to see how people kept meeting the needs. She recalls that there were people from all over the country that arrived with supplies. Big trucks, little trucks, some even came from out of state, asked what we needed and then went to get those exact items. And all the while, she was the middle man, so to speak. “I worked the door where donations were coming in and every day I was amazed at the response of these wonderful people.” And we are thankful for her response. Each morning she walked through the warehouse doors ready to work, constantly helping unload cars and guiding clients to get their much needed supplies. We served over 6,000 survivors, and with countless donations, she did anything to keep it all running smoothly. When a disaster hits like this, The Salvation Army has so many ways to help, but none are possible without our volunteers and those that give of themselves. For two months, Ann took the time to assist us and was a big part of our response every day. Always with a smile and a kind gesture, it makes you wonder if she was put at our front door by God himself, to shine His light on so many that helped. Ann has now become a part of The Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary, and an active volunteer. We thank her and all that aided in providing emergency assistance for a disaster we hope to never experience again. But if we do, we know Ann will be right there for us, “It was just a fantastic experience, I am proud to have been a part of helping so many.”

Jean Piersol and Theodore Childress are Red Cross super heroes. They are indeed the “Dynamic Duo”; people even think they’re married. Affectionately called “Jean and Theodore”, spoken as if their names are one word, travel across the country in Birmingham’s Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV). This is one of more than 300 ERVs stationed around the country, and ready to respond at a moment’s notice and usually they’re in it.

They are super indeed, able to deliver more than 300 meals and snacks in a single round, and with their caring dispositions; they also deliver hope to those suffering from disasters.
Jean and Theodore have been Red Cross volunteers for nearly a decade, training for various volunteer roles and leadership positions. When the call for help goes out, so do they…traveling to multiple disasters including the Indiana and North Dakota floods, Massachusetts tornadoes, and the list goes on and on. But most recently, their work kept them in Alabama as they responded to our neighbors in need following the storms that began on April 15th in West Alabama around Geiger and later on April 27th when deadly tornadoes ravaged the state.

Jean and Theodore are qualified to work in the disaster operations center dealing with the most intricate details, but their passion is being in the field, making sure each person they meet gets a hot meal, a cool drink and a big serving of compassion.
The stories they share of their travels include families sobbing tears of joy because they didn’t know the Red Cross would provide food and supplies free of charge. They often both get choked up describing the people they’ve met over the years during various disaster relief operations. Jean and Theodore don’t consider themselves heroes, but we at the American Red Cross see their capes every day.