Join us for the Inaugural Hammer Ride, a 64-mile supported training ride led by USA CRITS D1 teams and former world tour pro, Frankie Andreu. Train with the pros, enjoy lunch and social hour afterword at Avondale Brewery and help bring professional bike racing back to Birmingham.
Special Feature
Tim Tebow Foundation’s unforgettable prom night experience designed specifically for people with special needs, ages 14 and older was recently held for the first time in Birmingham. On February 8, 2019 Oak Mountain Presbyterian rolled out the red carpet for the Night to Shine event with 360 local teen and adult volunteers serving as “buddies” (escorting honored guests) and in other roles to make the night truly memorable for 178 special guests and their families. More than 40 local businesses donated everything to create a stunning prom night experience including food, flowers, limo service, tent and drape, and live music.
Honored guests started their evening receiving the royal treatment including hair and make-up stations, shoe shining, corsages and boutonnieres. Attendees entered by limo on a red carpet, complete with a warm welcome from a friendly crowd, including the UAB Cheerleaders. The event culminated with each guest crowned as king or queen of the prom. While the honored guests enjoyed their special night, their parents and caregivers were pampered in a respite area complete with food, live music, and complimentary pampering services while they waited for the ‘crowning moment.’
The purpose of Night to Shine is to demonstrate to people with special needs that God loves them and that they are worthy. The event launched in 2015 with 44 host churches and 15,000 volunteers honoring 7,000 kings and queens of the prom. This year’s Night to Shine took place in more than 700 locations.
Special Feature
Hear New York Times best-selling author and radio host Eric Metaxas speak at Samford University’s Wright Center on March 19 as part of the Percy Cook Ratliff Lecture Series. Bonnie Lee Rabe, Dean of Samford’s Orlean Beeson School of Education, explains, “The Percy Cook Ratliff Lecture Series was established by Mr. Ratliff’s grandson, William T. Ratliff, Jr. The event enhances the Samford experience by bringing speakers with special expertise to the Samford and Birmingham communities.”
Metaxas has written numerous children’s books and is the New York Times #1 best-selling author of Martin Luther, If You Can Keep It, Bonhoeffer, Miracles and Amazing Grace. His books have been translated into more than 20 languages. Metaxas hosts The Eric Metaxas Show, which is a daily two-hour nationally-syndicated radio program that is heard in over 120 cities nationwide and in more than 80 countries via podcast. Show listeners hear interviews with guests such as theologians N.T. Wright and Timothy Keller. Widely known as an ambassador of the faith, Metaxas also travels both nationally and internationally to speaking events including his March 19 stop in Birmingham.
According to Dean Rabe, participants can expect to hear Metaxas cover topics from his plethora of books and also share wisdom he has gained from his personal life experiences. In addition, by attending this one-night event, participants will financially support funding for the Orlean Beeson School of Education Legacy Scholarship and the Jewel-Littleton Williams Annual and Endowed Scholarship. Reserved seating is available to the public and ticket prices range from $10-$25. All ticket levels include a book signing opportunity after the conclusion of the lecture. VIP tickets are also available for $150 and include access to a VIP book signing and a private reception with Metaxas beginning at 5:30 p.m. Metaxas will speak at 7 p.m. To purchase tickets, visit www.etix.com or call 205-726-2853.
-Melissa Armstrong
Special Feature
I felt tears trickle down my cheeks, watching our son’s car disappear from view as he drove away to college. After twenty-six years of parenting three children, I thought I was ready for the “empty nest” season, excited for new freedoms and adventures to begin, and let’s be honest—fewer dishes to wash—but that afternoon I suddenly realized I was woefully unprepared. Here are five strategies that helped me survive and thrive as an empty nester.
Allow yourself to grieve. When moments of sadness or loneliness arrive, give yourself space (and grace) to “feel the feelings.” You worked hard to raise your child; you loved and cried and prayed for her. It’s natural to experience a void that feels like an ache and recognizing that is important to the process of letting go.
Move past regret. “I should have ___________. If only I’d __________.” Regrets can hit hard, especially if your child’s last years at home made for a rocky relationship. When regrets fill your mind, remember that no parent is perfect, and you did your best with the circumstances you were given. It’s never too late for honest conversations and apologies as you navigate your new normal and seek to build deeper bonds that will last into her adulthood.
Celebrate your new season. I, for one, have enjoyed eating more takeout as an empty nester . . . at any time of the day or night I choose! Not managing a busy family schedule has its perks: more free time, fewer day-to-day conflicts, greater flexibility to be spontaneous. Give yourself permission to have fun, to relax, and to be open to new experiences.
(Re)discover yourself. As a busy mom you’ve probably let some of your own interests and passions go by the wayside. This is a great time to take a class, join a book club, start a Bible study with a friend, or begin a new hobby. Perhaps you’re ready for that career change you’ve been thinking about. I turned to writing as a hobby and wound up with a second career as an author. Take a chance!
Remember, you’ll always be a mom. No matter what happens, or how far away your child may be, you’ll always be her mom. An empty nest doesn’t mean an empty heart . . . and your prayers and love will always bind you together. Motherhood is never really finished—it just changes with the season. Give yourself time to adjust, and you’ll soon thrive as an empty nester!
-Rachel Anne Ridge
Author of Flash, the Homeless Donkey and her March 5, 2019 release, Walking with Henry: Big Lessons from a Little Donkey on Faith, Friendship, and Finding Your Path. She blogs at www.rachelanneridge.com, where she encourages women to find joy and beauty in their daily lives.
Develop Lasting Relationships
Retirement is a time for senior adults to embrace all that life has to offer, and our community is the perfect place to do this. Brookdale University Park in Homewood provides an engaging social life that will pull your loved one away from the television and encourage them to pursue real relationships. Whether it’s laughing with friends at our bridge luncheons or chatting with their favorite nurse, your loved one will be filled with quality interactions – the kind that leave a lasting smile. Our residents bond over mutual interests and common experiences, such as their career fields, college days or time in military service.
Our community thrives on friendship and “community.” We are absolutely delighted when we have a senior and their family visiting and considering a move to Brookdale and they run into an old friend-maybe one they haven’t seen in years! To see that fear and apprehension melt away after a reassuring hug from a friend is why I believe we all work in this business. It is a true joy for each of our associates to play a small role in enriching lives on a daily basis.
-Leanne Messer
Business Development Coordinator, Brookdale University Park
400 University Park Drive, Birmingham, AL 35209
205-870-0786, www.brookdale.com
Experience the Community
Brookdale University Park was a recent sponsor of Samford University Legacy League’s 2019 Scholarship Luncheon featuring best-selling author Jodie Berndt. This event was held at the Vestavia Country Club on Thursday, February 7 with the purpose of raising money to provide life changing scholarships to deserving students with significant financial need. With such a large number of Samford Alumni who live at Brookdale, this is just one of many events in which our residents can participate in on campus as well as off-site outings.
Brookdale is a supporter of multigenerational activities and events, providing opportunities for our residents to engage with people of all age groups. For example, we regularly have groups of college students who do both observations as well as service projects at Brookdale. In addition, we schedule younger groups to come in and perform and visit with our residents such as scouts, church groups, and countless grandchildren! We hope you will visit our beautiful community soon- whether it is to attend one of our events, Lunch and Learns, or a personal visit. You may even run into an old friend!
-Leanne Messer
Business Development Coordinator, Brookdale University Park
400 University Park Drive, Birmingham, AL 35209
205-870-0786, www.brookdale.com
Photo Fun
Prince of Peace Catholic Church’s Women of Worship ministry members recently met at the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama to pack a week’s worth of food into boxes that will be distributed to families in need. The women also meet weekly to participate in a Bible study at the Hoover church.
Photo Fun
YWCA of Central Alabama recently named Sunny Tillman its 2018 Jeana P. Hosch Woman of Valor Award Recipient. Tillman has dedicated her time and talents to the YWCA for more than 20 years. Tillman is seen here with YWCA board member Mary Bradley Hosch Anderson and her father Heyward Hosch.
Photo Fun
Prince of Peace (POP) Catholic School Girl Scouts, Brooke Johnson, Maura Martin, Rezi Ubogu and Elizabeth Goh are seen here at the recent reveal of the play space they renovated at the Ronald McDonald House in Birmingham. The scouts gave the space a fresh coat of paint, restocked the shelves with books and purchased new toys from proceeds from Girl Scout cookie sales. The scouts’ goal was to make the play area fun and inviting for children staying at Ronald McDonald House while they or their siblings receive medical treatment.
Photo Fun
The USS McCampbell is named after Bessemer, Ala. native Capt. David McCampbell, a Medal of Honor recipient and the U.S. Navy’s all-time leading flying ace and top F6F Hellcat ace with 34 aerial victories. The ship recently conducted operations with the Royal Navy Type 23 frigate HMS Argyll in the South China Sea.
Two Time Spelling Champ
Fifth-grader Violetta Rohr recently won the Our Lady of Sorrows (OLS) Catholic School spelling Bee for the second year in a row. With her school title, Violetta represented OLS in the Homewood District Spelling Bee where she placed 3rd.
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