Public Service Committee Charitable Projects 2008 - 2009

Every year the Public Service Committee sponsors numerous charitable activities. Below are some of the highlights from 2008 and 2009.

On February 16, 2008 we hosted our annual Valentine’s Day party at Ketona (Jefferson County Rehabilitation Center). We provided refreshments and live music for about 60 residents who were able to attend the party itself. We also provided flowers and Valentine’s Day cards for all Ketona residents, about 170 in number. David Bright was kind enough to chair the event for the PSC and did a fantastic job. Please see pictures below and letter attached. (Click on a picture for a larger version and a PDF copy of the letter.)

Ketona Thank You letter of appreciation (PDF format)

From April 21 to May 5, 2008 the PSC held the first annual Birmingham Bar Association Hooked on Books Book Drive in conjunction with the Junior League. Gary Lee, Georgia Haggerty and Kitty Brown led the way to an unqualified success. The book drive netted 3753 books for the Junior League to distribute to various educational and charitable organizations. It is hoped that we can continue the book drive as an annual event. Also, it should be noted that we enlisted the aid of Regions Bank, Compliance Department and Infinity Insurance in an effort to better draw upon the resources our corporate colleagues can provide.

On June 14, 2008, the Public Service Committee hosted Service Juris 2008. This year Service Juris utilized 175 volunteers from the Birmingham legal community and featured projects at the following sites:
- Glenwood Autism and Behavioral Health Center where volunteers painted houses and rehabilitated natural areas;
- Jackson Elementary School (joint venture with the Magic City Bar Association) where volunteers painted classrooms, repaired playground equipment, and undertook landscaping work;
- Children’s Village (which takes in children between the ages of 6 and 18 who are orphaned, abused, neglected, or have broken family relationships) where volunteers painted bedrooms and steam cleaned carpet;
- My Sister’s Closet (an initiative of the Birmingham YWCA that assists women in need of career clothes for job interviews and new employment) where volunteers sorted and labeled donated clothes and installed shelving;
- The Bell Center (which is dedicated to maximizing the potential of children from birth to three years of age who are at risk for developmental delay) where volunteers moved furniture and cleaned up the playground and toys;
- Community Kitchens of Birmingham (an organization dedicated to feeding the hungry in Birmingham) where volunteers served lunch and prepared food boxes for families.
Jodie Smith donated his time again this year to serve as project chair of the Service Juris Sub-Committee which consisted of Kitty Brown, Jack Carney, Audrey Channell, Scott Boykin, and Gary Lee. According to Candy Williams, Executive Director of Hands on Birmingham, the feedback from all of the work sites this year was very positive. Service Juris continues to be the PSC’s widest reaching public service initiative.

Hands On Birmingham is a non-profit organization that specializes in pairing busy professionals with community service projects. Hands On provides the PSC invaluable assistance with Service Juris and the Children’s Village project. In the future, the PSC recommends the PSC and/or Birmingham Bar Association and/or Birmingham Bar Foundation show its support for Hands on Birmingham by purchasing a table at its annual awards luncheon.

On May 30, 2008 our very own Jodie Smith was honored as the 2007 Hands on Birmingham Corporate Volunteer of the Year. Jodie was nominated by the Birmingham Bar Foundation and received the award in large part due to his efforts through the PSC and Service Juris. We were very pleased to see Jodie receive the award as he is a very deserving recipient. Please see pictures below of Jodie with Lee Benton and receiving the award from Hands on Birmingham Board President, Angie McEwen.

The PSC again conducted its annual school supplies drive benefitting Big Brothers, Big Sisters. Philip Corley coordinated the event on our end and was instrumental in its success. While it is impossible for us to gauge the amount of supplies collected, the drive went well and Big Brothers, Big Sisters was very appreciative of our efforts. nbsp;Please see below feedback we received.

I am so excited to receive the abundance of school supplies donated by the Birmingham Bar Association. For most of us, back to school means receiving a supply list from our children’s teachers then going to Wal-mart, Office Depot, or the local drug store and filling the order, many times with the best we can find because we want our children to have the best. The parents of the children in our program want the best for their children too but for one reason or another many of them cannot afford even the smallest items. So our parents dig through drawers for old pencils, they borrow money to purchase paper, and they dust off the worn out backpack from last year and put the meager supplies in it. The backpacks are put on the children and they are sent to school. The children don’t feel the excitement of a new notebook, of putting a new pencil holder in the notebook and filling it with their new, brightly colored pencils and pens. There is no excitement about new markers and full bottles of glue. Instead of looking forward to school there is dread.

"The Birmingham Bar Association is changing all of this. Through your donations of school supplies the children of Big Brothers Big Sisters (900-1000 of them) can get excited about a new school year because they are prepared. Our children will have new pencils, glue, notebooks, paper, scissors, markers, rulers and MORE! They don’t have to hang their heads when the teacher checks their supplies for the year or when their friends show them the stack of NEW supplies their parents could afford. The Birmingham Bar Association has provided the tools our children need to learn and the knowledge that their community does care about them.

On behalf of Big Brothers and Big Sisters and especially the children who received the supplies I am so thankful to have a partner as caring and generous as the Birmingham Bar Association."

Sue Johnson, CEO
Big Brothers Big Sisters

"The School Supply Drive shows how much Big Brothers Big Sisters is blessed by the people in our community. The children and the staff in the schools that we serve are so grateful for the supplies that we are able to give to them. Without the Birmingham Bar Association donating to BBBS, we would not be able to help some of the children in our program who might otherwise go without the necessary tools they need for school."

Kiranda Robbins
Big Brothers Big Sisters

On August 2, 2008, the PSC hosted its Second Annual Children’s Village Back to School Party. The event was on site at Children’s Village and a good time was had by all. We were able to share a catered lunch with the kids, enjoy activities such as a water slide and dunking booth, present each child with a $50 gift card to help with back to school necessities, and supply the boys’ house and girls’ house with gift cards for supplies, new vacuum cleaners and a steam cleaner. More importantly, we awarded the first Children’s Village Citizens of the Year Awards Sponsored by the Birmingham Bar Association. The award is given to a male and female recipient for being a good example and showing leadership among their peers. Each recipient was presented with a trophy and a progressive plaque hangs in the home commemorating the award. We are very proud of this event and look forward to continuing it.

On December 13, 2008, the PSC hosted its annual Ketona Christmas Party. $3000 was spent to ensure that each of the 170 residents received a gift from the BBA. We also enjoyed refreshments and music from the Sixth Avenue Baptist Church Youth Choir. We were touched that the choir kids brought their own gifts for the residents. To show our appreciation, we have donated $200 to the choir on behalf of the Bar. Hopefully, this relationship will continue. Michelle Crunk did a great job organizing the event for the PSC. Please see pictures below.

The PSC has continued its fund raising efforts this year by participating in the Belk Charity Day Sale and by collecting money at the Annual Picnic and Christmas Party.