
03/25/2023
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‼️ The application for the 2023 Fox 6 Kids and Jobs program is now open through April 14 ‼️
Kids and Jobs was designed to introduce Birmingham’s youth ages 14-24 to the workforce and cultivate their professional growth!
Students must reside within Birmingham city limits to apply. Visit BhamYouthFirst.org for more information and to apply!
G.W. Carver High School drum major and student leader Gustavo Garcia Perez has been awarded the Princeton Prize in Race Relations in Alabama for 2023.
In recognition of this award, Gustavo will receive a $1,000 award and an invitation to attend the Symposium on Race at Princeton University where he will have the opportunity to meet Princeton Prize winners from across the United States.
In addition to earning the distinction of the first Hispanic Drum Major at Carver High in 2021, Gustavo raised just under $65,000 for blood cancer research during the 2021 Lymphoma and Leukemia Society Student of the Year Program. In the same year he helped make recycling more accessible to his peers by serving as a leader on the school's Altec Innovation Challenge Team and YouthServe School Changemakers Council that won $10,000 to launch the school's recycling program.
🎥: Courtesy of Birmingham City Schools
(3/24, 7:30am):⚠️Severe Storms Remain Possible Tonight through Saturday Morning: We're expecting a somewhat broken line of severe storms to enter western & northwest Alabama as early as 10pm, where greatest concern for tornadoes & damaging winds exists. Severe chances decrease farther east & southeast by Saturday morning.
Bulk trash and brush collections were completed in the following communities on Thursday, March 23:
--South Side District
Riley
Southside
Garden Highlands
11 Loads for 52.86 Tons
5 days behind
--East End District
Spring Lake
8 Loads for 37.69 Tons
On Schedule
--Ensley District
Roosevelt City
17 Loads for 99.50 Tons
1 day behind
--North Birmingham District
Acipco-Finley
5 Loads for 31.35 Tons
2 days behind
The following communities are scheduled to be serviced on Friday, March 24:
Rising-West Princeton
Overton/Oak Ridge Park #2
Roebuck Springs
Huffman
Ensley 1 & 2
Amanda Keller lost her father to HIV-related complications during her senior year in high school in 2003. He was 57.
In the last six months of his life, she learned things about him that had never been discussed, including his sexuality.
Keller's father never spoke openly about his sexual identity, nor did he feel supported in accessing LGBTQ+-affirming resources such as testing or healthcare for HIV. Because of this, his HIV diagnosis went untreated, and his opportunity to live a long, healthy life was cut short.
Keller felt deeply committed to reducing HIV stigma in communities and first connected with Birmingham AIDS Outreach as a volunteer. A few months later on Dec. 1, 2009, which happened to be World AIDS Day, Keller joined the staff of BAO, which works to enhance the quality of life for people living with HIV and AIDS. In 2014, she became the founding director of the Magic City Acceptance Center, which was a new LGBTQ+ youth program of BAO to provide a brave and radically inclusive space for the LGBTQ+ community in Alabama.
The organization has served more than 1,830 LGBTQ+ youth since opening nearly nine years ago. MCAC first worked with those 13 to 24 years old. Today, MCAC serves the community as a fully-fledged LGBTQ+ center through multiple programs available to all ages.
"It was really important to me that people have access to a space where they can have conversations without stigma or shame," said Keller, 38, of Birmingham.
She said that her work at MCAC has allowed her to honor her father’s memory by providing an inclusive space for individuals to receive affirmation and support as well as access to LGBTQ+-inclusive resources and services.
For more information about the Magic City Acceptance Center, visit www.magiccityacceptancecenter.org.
Birmingham is defined by its art, culture, food, and music. Join Mayor Woodfin and some of Birmingham's most talented taste-makers as they discuss what moves them and moves Birmingham forward.
We'll see you Saturday morning at 9 a.m. on 94.9 FM WATV.
Bulk trash and brush collections were completed in the following communities on Wednesday, March 22:
--South Side District
Crestwood South
Highland Park
19 Loads for 95.53 Tons
7 days behind
--East End District
No communities completed (still in Spring Lake)
12 Loads for 53.18 Tons
On Schedule
--Ensley District
Green Acres
19 Loads for 108.43 Tons
1 day behind
--North Birmingham District
North Birmingham
12 Loads for 75.74 Tons
2 days behind
The following communities are scheduled to be serviced on Thursday, March 23:
Riley
South Side
Spring Lake
Roebuck Springs
Roosevelt City
Acipco
On a recent Saturday afternoon during a life skills training session for children in foster care, a student stood up and prayed.
He blessed the food, and he thanked God for sending somebody who cared.
The prayer moved Dr. Martha Bouyer, executive director of My Father's House Foundation, which hosted the training and luncheon. "When that little boy prayed,... it just blessed me," Dr. Bouyer said. "I'm encouraged that what we are doing is a great work."
My Father's House Foundation works with older children in foster care who are in group homes for emotional issues or other reasons. Once a child graduates from high school in Alabama and "ages out" of foster care, that child will have to leave their group home. Depending on the circumstances, 21 years old is the maximum age to "age out" of foster care in Alabama. But many of the students that My Father's House works with, "age out" at 18.
My Father's House starts training foster care children around age 13 in the group homes to prepare them to maneuver life in the real world after foster care.
On the day the student said the prayer, My Father's House volunteers were teaching students how to budget, how to understand the cost of living, etc. In April 2023, they will teach students how to catch the bus, read a bus schedule and read a map, so they will know how to get to appointments, go to work, etc.
"Group homes are doing a great job," Dr. Bouyer said. "But what we do is also critical in helping them to move on. We know that according to state and national guidelines, these are things that every child in (foster) care should know before they graduate."
The Birmingham-based, non-profit organization was founded in 1997 after Dr. Bouyer and her former pastor, the late Bishop Don E. Bush at the Body of Christ Deliverance Ministry, saw a need for the service. Fellow church members pitched in to help.
Dr. Bouyer said a future goal of the organization is to build a transitional life skills campus for the students they serve, so the students can move into campus housing and then into a campus apartment before eventually moving out on their own.
"The name of the organization reflects what I want all youth to feel when things aren't going well, and that they can come home and find what they need at The Father's House," Dr. Bouyer said.
My Father's House stresses the importance of securing a high school education and exposes students to what's possible after graduation, whether that's college, trade/vocational school or work. They take students on tours to the University of Alabama, which has a program for students in foster care. (If a child in foster care attends a state college or community college in Alabama, the state will provide up to $5,000 a year per student for four years, according to the Alabama DHR website.)
My Father's House also provides college book scholarships, attends a student's graduation, and hosts a prom for the juniors and seniors in the group homes they serve. "I often say that My Father's House is like my rent for being on the planet," said Dr. Bouyer. "I'm trying to help somebody make a difference, and I think God is pleased when we reach out beyond our comfort zone."
At this time, My Father's House has six board members, and they are all female. The girl power is not lost on Dr. Bouyer.
"When we first started, we only served girls. When boys in care heard about the program, they wanted to join," Dr. Bouyer said. "We serve, on average, 30 to 42 young people each month. All of the women serving on the board or as volunteers see these teens as ours. We are doing all that we can to help them thrive and survive after an extended stay in foster care."
Other public service efforts that Dr. Bouyer handles include serving as the executive director of the Historic Bethel Baptist Church Community Restoration Fund, which raises money to restore the church that the late Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth led during the civil rights movement. She appeared in a Birmingham-produced documentary about Shuttlesworth in December 2022.
For more information on My Father's House Foundation, visit myfathershousefoundation.org.
Our weekly look at year-to-date public safety stats, courtesy of the Birmingham Police Department.
40 fi****ms recovered last week
353 fi****ms recovered year-to-date 2023
449 fi****ms recovered year-to-date 2022
Look who flew into City Hall today! Thanks to Birmingham Squadron's Commander for stopping by and hyping us up.
**Bulk trash and brush collection update**
Bulk collections were completed in the following communities on Tuesday, March 21:
--Southside District
Redmont Park
17 Loads for 96.01 Tons
8 Days Behind
--East End District
No communities completed (Still in Spring Lake)
8 Loads for 40.43 Tons
On Schedule
--Ensley District
Grasselli Heights
East Brownsville
11 Loads for 56.43 Tons
5 Days Behind
--North Birmingham District
No communities completed (Still in North Birmingham)
7 Loads for 44.72 Tons
2 Days Behind
The following communities are scheduled to be serviced on Wednesday, March 22:
North Birmingham
Green Acres
Spring Lake
Roebuck Springs
Crestwood South
Shecovia "Coco" Moore was never professionally trained to be a makeup artist, but her friends liked the way she worked.
Early in the morning before she reported to her part-time job at a real estate company, Shecovia Dismuke Moore saw clients in her home. Then, when she got off work, she saw more clients.
The owner of the real estate company saw something in Moore that she didn't see in herself at the time: She should make her side gig her full-time gig.
After she had worked at the real estate company for 11 months, he helped Moore see her destiny in November 2017.
"He called me in for a (job) review and said I was working harder at his dream than I was at my own," said Moore, 32. "He said, 'You don't need this job.' And I said, 'I do.'"
"He really kind of gave me a push. He said he didn't fire me, but he pushed me to my purpose."
In February 2018, Moore opened the doors to her business, Coco Moore Makeup. Opening weekend, she made enough money to cover her first month's rent.
"It was mind-blowing," said Coco, a 2008 Huffman High School graduate. "How in the world did I go from being unsure to feeling like this is definitely attainable, and I can actually do this?"
Since opening, Moore has become a go-to makeup artist. She's hosted beauty summer camps for girls at her studio, taught classes to Birmingham teenagers and adults, participated in a community service day at a shelter, created a beginner makeup guide and launched a makeup line.
Her makeup line has grown from lashes and lip colors to a summer 2023 release of new foundations, powders, concealers and even more lip colors.
In 2022, Young Entrepioneers named her the top makeup artist in Birmingham. In 2023, Young Entrepioneers released its list of nominees in various categories, and Moore has been nominated again as Top Makeup Artist in Birmingham. She also has nominations for Entrepioneer of the Year and Top Beauty Expert in Birmingham. (Voting was under way at the time this story was released.)
"I have a saying: 'Do it scared,'" Moore said. "Everything may not look like what you want it to look like, but you have to do something while you are not in that place to get to the place you want to be."
"Your faith has to be big, too. You cannot move without it."
For more information Moore's company, visit cocomooremakeup.com.
**Bulk trash and brush update**
The following neighborhoods were completed on Monday, March 20:
--Ensley District
Germania Park (North)
West Goldwire
Tarpley City
Central Park
18 Loads for 90.26 Tons
3 Days Behind
--East End District
No Communities Completed (Still In Spring Lake)
4 Loads for 23.03 Tons
On Schedule
--Southside District
Forest Park
7 Loads for 41.79 Tons
7 Days Behind
--North Birmingham District
Collegeville
Harriman Park
6 Loads for 47.08 Tons
1 Day Behind
The following neighborhoods are scheduled to be serviced on Tuesday, March 21:
North Birmingham
Crestwood South
Redmont Park
Spring Lake
Roebuck Springs
Grasselli Heights (Up to Spaulding Street, Everything West of Spaulding Street will be collected with Hillman.)
In 2014, a group of women was planning a baby shower for a single mother when they started discussing what mothers really need. Diapers became a popular topic.
This led to one of the women asking if there was a diaper bank in Birmingham. They did some research and discovered there was not one. In 2015, Bundles of Hope Diaper Bank was born. Lindsay Gray was one of its founding members.
"It's one of those things parents don't feel comfortable talking about. They don't want people to know they don’t have enough diapers for their babies," Gray said. "They are embarrassed because, often times, they fear being judged."
But Gray, 38, said there's nothing to be embarrassed about when needing diapers. They are expensive and a necessity. Her organization works to remove any stigma. They also work to provide period products to those in need.
"With each care package we distribute to support families, we just want them to know their families’ needs matter," she said.
When Bundles of Hope started, Gray was a labor delivery nurse at a Birmingham hospital. In 2018, she saw a bigger opportunity to serve women in this community setting. She left her nursing job of 10 years to run Bundles of Hope full time. The nonprofit distributes about 20,000 diapers a month from its downtown Birmingham office they call The Changing Station, which is located at 1430 Rev. Abraham Woods Jr. Blvd. Through its 65 community partners, it distributes another 100,000 diapers a month.
Not only do people pick up diapers from Bundles of Hope, but the organization donates diapers to drives. When the City of Birmingham hosted a drive for Selma storm victims in January 2023, Bundles of Hope donated diapers and hand-written blessings.
"We do hand-written cards every month to over 2,500 households. It's a different saying to encourage families in their care-giving journey," Gray said.
There are several ways people can get diapers. They can visit the diaper bank's Birmingham office for Walk-In Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., check out Bundles of Hope's community partner distribution sites or get them from the group's mobile unit that delivers to some families who are unable to make it to pick-up locations.
Recently, Bundles of Hope established a three-month door delivery program with DoorDash for first-time mothers to receive diapers, wipes and period products as well as information on infant safety, early childhood education and postpartum depression screening in three kits. That program is in partnership with the Women Infants and Children (WIC) office and the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama (HICA), who both help identify clients who could benefit from a home delivery service.
"My nursing background keeps me super focused on the client. The families come first," Gray said. "You have to think about what their needs are and meet them right where they are."
For more information on Bundles of Hope Diaper Bank and their partners, visit bundlesdiaperbank.org.
Night life.
**Bulk trash and brush collection update**
Bulk collections were completed in the following neighborhoods on March 18:
--East End District
Roebuck
Pine Knoll Vista
23 Loads for 97.71 Tons
On Schedule
--Southside District
No Communities Completed. (Crews are still in Forest Park)
16 Loads for 117.80 Tons
7 Days Behind
--North Birmingham District
Norwood
12 Loads for 78.52 Tons
2 Days Behind
--Ensley District
No Communities Completed. (Crews are still in Central Park)
15 Loads for 106.96 Tons
4 Days Behind
The following neighborhoods are scheduled to be serviced on Monday, March 20:
Central Park
Tarpley City
Collegeville
Forest Park
Crestwood South
Spring Lake
Roebuck Springs
Award-winning producer and director Aija Penix knows Birmingham has talent, and she's working on projects for the world to know, too.
In 2022, she received a 2022 Sidewalk Film Festival Black Lens grant, which she will put toward a three-day development workshop in Birmingham for Black filmmakers this fall.
It will work like this: writers and local talent will gather in one room to work on Penix's pilot. Actors will be the voice for the characters. They will work through scenes and ideas to get to a finished product.
Once the project is complete, Penix will pitch it as far as she can go. Her dream networks are Netflix and HBO.
"Birmingham has a ton of screenwriters and playwrights who don't have opportunities to write on a series or a pilot, so I want to use the talent here," said, Penix, 34, who lives in Five Points South. "Birmingham is full of talent."
Producing, acting and directing are not new to Penix.
In 2012, she starred on the ABC show, "Nashville," as a background singer for actress Connie Britton's character. Penix was on the show for five years, traveling back and forth to Birmingham.
In 2017, she produced her first film project.
In 2019, she co-founded the Birmingham Black Repertory Theatre Collective. Today, she is the group's chief artistic partner.
Also in 2019, BBRTC presented the play, "Choir Boy," which featured Birmingham talent. It swept awards, including winning "Best Musical and Play of the Decade" in 2020 from Broadway Regional Awards.
But Penix and BBRTC are not done. In 2023, BBRTC will develop a play series for online radio. The first production will be "A Raisin in the Sun," starring Penix as the wife of the main male character. Penix is also developing a new production for young audiences called "Afro Tales," with Carlton V. Bell II.
"Birmingham has been good to me, and I try to be of service to Birmingham," said Penix, who is also an artist in residence with Birmingham Children's Theatre, and has worked with Motown Records/Capital Records, Amazon Prime, Red Mountain Theatre and others as a producer and director.
"I say it all the time: Nashville raised me, but Birmingham made me."
To apply to be considered for the writers' room workshop Penix will host in August 2023, send emails to [email protected]. For more information on the BBRTC's Afro Tales, visit https://www.thebbrtc.com/legacyseason.
Photo credit: Grace Smith
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Mayor Randall L. Woodfin testified today before the House Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, urging lawmakers to end cannabis prohibition.
Katrice Kennedy has dedicated her life to educating children. As the owner of Touched By An Angel Learning Center, hear how she's teaching our youth skills for the next stage of their lives. #99Voices
We have something new for you over on YouTube. The City of Birmingham presents 2of5! 2 minutes of 5 favorites. Real people. Real responses. This week – your five favorite restaurants. Tell us what's in your five and see the full video at youtube.com/@cityofbirmingham
Election Day is coming up. Let these talented Wenonah High school students remind you. #GetOutTheBedAndGoVote Nov. 8.
Take a look at beautiful Red Mountain Park! Birmingham's $225,000 investment will help support operations for this 1,500-acre site.
Sam Wiggins believes the answer to addressing food disparities is in our own backyards. Learn how Sand Ridge Farms is teaching residents to farm and be sustainable. #99Voices
It’s not the Classic without the annual parade! Perfect way to set off a historic day. #MagicCityClassic #parade #aamuedu #asu #hbcu
The Forge Breast Cancer Survivor Center is here to support women as they navigate their breast cancer journey. Ana Emaldi talks about their services and how important it is to have a support system in the latest Pink Convo.
Denise Bell loves Alabama A&M University because its inviting culture makes it feel like home. Hear more about her #HBCULove before we experience the #MagicCityClassic tomorrow! #HBCU #HBCUPride Alabama A&M University
Alabama State grads, stand up! Graduate Herman Lumzy talks about his love for his HBCU ahead of Saturday's big game. #hbcupride #hbcu #alabamastateuniversity🐝 #magiccityclassic2022
Coping with breast cancer is not easy, but these brave women made it through. Hear them discuss the best advice they received on their journey on the latest edition of the Pink Convo. #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth #PinkConvo #BreastCancer #Breasties
Magic City Classic Issue Forum on Student Debt Cancellation
"I refused to die. I refused to give up." Four brave women share the challenges they faced during their breast cancer journey and how they fought through. Hear their stories on the latest Pink Convo.
The City of Birmingham's Pink Convos series is back to tell the stories of breast cancer survivors in our community. Hear how they reacted to news of their diagnosis and where they found their strength. #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth #PinkConvos
Revitalization continues in Birmingham, and that includes the removal of old and blighted structures. Take a look at our progress this year.
Huffman high school scholars are receiving more than an education on architecture concepts this semester. They are designing and building a tiny home from start to finish. Career Technical Education Department Head and Architect Instructor Terence Marzette tells us how the program continues to support his goal to "make sure every student that comes through the program has a certification in any trade of their liking." Hear how this experience is shaping the students' present and creating opportunities for their future.
You won't find a bigger advocate for Miles College than Troynell Nieves. Hear why his HBCU experience still resonates with him years later. #HBCULove #MilesCollege #HBCU
Say hey to Demetrius Davis, a proud alum of University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Learn how his HBCU experience shaped him into the man he is today. #HBCULove #UniversityofArkansasPineBluff
Take a look at the finished product! The Bloomberg Philanthropies Asphalt Art Initiative brought beauty to Smithfield Public Library. Thanks to all the volunteers.
Danielle Baskin, senior event manager for Boutwell, is here to show love to her alma mater, Stillman College. Her family roots run deep there. Check out her story. #StillmanCollege #HBCULove
HBCUs open doors in the lives of graduates. Edward T. Bowser, deputy director of communications, talks about how his days at Norfolk State University paved the way for his current role at the City of Birmingham. #HBCULove #NorfolkStateUniversity
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