Ten years ago, a grassroots movement began, led by the late Bailey Thomson and others, for civic renewal and constitutional revision. On Thursday, Aug. 19, the organization called Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform will recognize Edgar Gentle with the Bailey Thomson Award and your Community Foundation as Partner of the Year, along with other awards….
Results of a survey of access to fresh foods, sponsored in part by a grant from your Community Foundation, were released today as part of the Health Action Summit 2010. Mari Gallagher, whose firm served as consultant for the Main Street Birmingham project, was keynote speaker for the afternoon session. As reported in today’s News,…
Are you a fan of baseball the way it used to be? Then you probably already know that Birmingham boasts the oldest baseball park in America, a place called Rickwood Field. All year, the official Friends of Rickwood organization has been celebrating the park’s 100th anniversary, but the actual birthday is coming up next week…
Social Citizens blog talks about a new study showing younger people (Millennial generation) are less empathetic than they used to be, and they suggest social media may play a role in that. Do people lose some of their ability to feel the pain of another when they often find themselves in relationships that are more…
Education + Economics + Environment = Changing the Health Equation. That’s the theme for the Health Action Summit, sponsored by the Jefferson County Department of Health and set for Wednesday, August 11, at the Wynfrey. Mark Fenton, host of PBS series, “America’s Walking,” and former champion racewalker, is keynote speaker in the morning. Also on…
Alabama depends on The Nature Conservancy to protect its natural treasures, including the aquatic diversity in 18 river systems and along the beaches and marshes of the Gulf Coast. We also depend on the use of prescribed burns as a way to manage and restore our native forests. According to Keith Tassin, Director of Science…
Just as the New York Community Trust became the catalyst for creation of a September 11 Fund in the wake of the 2001 terrorist attack, the Baton Rouge Area Foundation (BRAF) is providing long-term assistance in the wake of the BP oil spill through the Gulf Coast Restoration and Protection Fund GCRPF). BP itself is…
As taxes rise for many individuals, charitable giving may be the path for many, according to a new survey of financial advisors reported in major philanthropy publications this week. Even as the economy remains uncertain, other donors are expected to keep on giving at the same level, according to an on-line survey of more than…
Helping other people makes you happy. No, that’s not just a lesson from a religious instructor or your Grandma. It’s what researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky says she finds in recent studies, as reported on the Greater Good blog. She used students for one study, asking them to do acts of kindness for others over certain periods…
What’s been happening since the Health Action Partnership won a $360,000 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant in January? This summer, you can see the “growth” at the Seeds of Life Garden planted at the Northeast YMCA. Jerri Haslem reports that the the tomato plants are outgrowing their cages, as if they were part of the…