Community Cause of the Year 2015 nominees
The 280 corridor is full of people making a difference in our community, and we need your help to give them the recognition they deserve.
Alabama Wildlife Center
The Alabama Wildlife Center is Alabama’s oldest and largest wildlife rehabilitation and education center, rescuing, treating and releasing about 2,000 patients back into the wild. In 2014 AWC also provided educational programming for more than 25,000 Alabamians, raising awareness of its unique biodiversity, and the need to responsibly preserve and protect our wildlife resources.
Birmingham Prayer Furnace
The Birmingham Prayer Furnace (BPF) seeks to transform the 280 corridor and all of Birmingham by coupling prayer and worship with a desire to bring social change to the area. BPF has carried on the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s by seeking to address racial and social issues with an approach based on Christian faith and an attitude of love.
Cheeriodicals
Gary and Mary Martha Parisher’s Mt Laurel office is packed with children’s toys, snack foods, magazines and piles of bright green boxes. Cheeriodicals works with children’s hospitals across the country to delivery gift boxes. To date, Cheeriodicals has delivered over 7,000 free gift boxes to hospitalized children.
HOPE - Herbs Offering Personal Enrichment
Taziki’s restaurants have an outreach program called HOPE — Herbs Offering Personal Enrichment. Partnered with Shelby County Schools, this project gives children with special needs the opportunity to gain experience with Taziki’s by working with the restaurants.
Laura Langley Memorial Blood Drive
This annual blood drive is held in memory of an outstanding young woman who grew up in North Shelby, attended Oak Mountain High and then was tragically killed in an auto accident just six months after graduating. Laura dedicated her life to making a difference for others.
redcross.org/news/event/alabama/Laura-Langley-Memorial-Blood-Drive-2014
LIFE Ministries
LIFE Ministries is a local organization committed to restoring the hearts of men and women in the U.S. 280 corridor and beyond. One of its primary initiatives is to help couples in crisis, which is making an impact on families and business in the community.
Neverthirst
Neverthirst is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing clean and living water to developing countries. Its office is located off of U.S. 280 in the Edenton subdivision. The organization sends teams out to drill the clean water wells. To date they have completed more than 2,500 projects that serve more than 325,000 people.
Recovery at the Creek
Recovery at the Creek supports men and women in their effort to recover from addictions and unhealthy relationships without charging any fees. It is based out of Chelsea Creek Community Church.
chelseacreekcc.org/adults/recovery
Shelby County Humane Society
In addition to the thousands of owner-surrendered animals the shelter takes in each year, the humane society also provides medical attention and a safe home for abused and neglected animals. Shelby Humane Society works constantly to educate the public about the importance of animal population control.
St. Vincent’s One Nineteen
St. Vincent’s One Nineteen has served 280 area for more than 10 years through a variety of community outreach efforts, including the Annual Heart Day and Mammography screenings. It also hosts the Brenda Ladun Conquer Cancer Run for the American Cancer Society, community wellness classes and its free annual health and wellness Block Party.
The Butterfly Project 365
After her diagnosis with osteosarcoma in 2012, 12-year-old Ally Nelson and her family were surrounded and supported by their church and the Chelsea community. That October, Ally, her mother Christina and their friend Kim Parmley started the Butterfly Project 365, a nonprofit based on the idea of doing an act of kindness every day of the year.
UAB Football Foundation
280 resident Justin Craft runs the UAB Football Foundation, which is dedicated to bringing back UAB’s football program. The program provides scholarship opportunities for many high school football players, cheerleaders and band members from the 280 corridor.
Visit 280living.com/award to vote. Voting ends on March 8.