Gardendale Magazine - November 2021

NOVEMBER 2021

70s

A

Place

to call

Home Local families’ stories of adoption PAGE 22

Remembering James David

THE PETRUZELLA FAMILY KEEPS THEIR SON’S MEMORY ALIVE PAGE 16

Affair GHS CLASS OF ’71 REUNION, IN PHOTOS

PAGE 28

Quality Amenities for Locals to Enjoy Parks Splash Pad Civic Center Hiking & Biking Trails

Local & National Restaurants Convenient & Unique Shopping

Coming 2022 · The Crossings at Magnolia City Place · · A Premier Development for Restaurants and Retail ·

The Medical Mile The Gardendale Medical Mile is an innovative collaboration of healthcare businesses focused on providing exceptional care and wellness services. It’s an accomplishment that reflects the success and development of our humble city! The Mayor and Council have worked hard to establish Gardendale as the medical hub of North Jefferson County. Join us!

Coming 2023

Bill Noble Park 9 Synthetic Turf Baseball & Softball Fields 1 Synthetic Regulation Football/Soccer Field Playgrounds

Walking Trails Basketball Court Beach Volleyball Pickelball Tennis

There’s so much to enjoy and experience in Gardendale that you will need to experience it for yourself to believe it!

www.cityofgardendale.com | Phone: 205-631-8789 | Address: 925 Main St, Gardendale, AL 35071 [ 2 ] Gardendale magazine

Gardendale magazine [ 3 ]

/ Table of Contents /

10/

16/

Student Spotlight: Ty Thompson prepares to represent band at the Tournament of Roses Parade

Feature: Family’s loss leads them to legacy of hope

[ 4 ] Gardendale magazine

12/

Everyday Folks: Artist Sue Taylor White’s talents bring Western scenes to Gardendale

19/

Kathleen’s Kitchen: Sausage dressing cups

/ Table of Contents /

22/ 20/

Adoption Awareness Month: Local families share their stories

Nonprofit Spotlight: GHS students celebrate 31 years of Christmas Visions

28/ 26/

GHS Then and Now: Class of 1971 reunites at the current school for football game and fun

Calendar: Don’t miss these events.

Gardendale magazine [ 5 ]

/ About Us / On The Cover / Who We Are Gardendale Magazine is published monthly by JBMC Media, a Birmingham-based publishing company.

The magazine is mailed directly to 8,600+ homes and businesses within the city of Gardendale, and it is solely supported by advertisers within the pages of this magazine.

Gardendale Magazine is 100% local; the stories and photos are all about the city of Gardendale, its residents, its businesses, its schools, and its cultural institutions.

It’s our promise to you that we will always keep it this way, so that the content and stories are relevant to everyone who calls Gardendale home.

About the Cover Addison Hallmark, daughter of photographer Jonny Hallmark, is one of seven adopted children in three families that we spoke to for this issue. Jonny and his wife adopted Addison from foster care. Gardendale has been recognized around the state for its support of foster and adoptive families.

Cover photo by Jonny Hallmark

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Staff

It’s never easy asking businesses to invest in advertising, so we want to give a VERY special thank you to these businesses. Please, support them!

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[ 6 ] Gardendale magazine

Matthew Allen Publisher (205) 617-9609, matthew@jbmcmedia.com Rachel Davis Karr Content Director (205) 613-7850, rachel@jbmcmedia.com Chris Shelton Marketing Consultant (205) 541-9663, chris@jbmcmedia.com Anthony Bratina Shweta Gamble Graphic Design

/ Editor’s Note / I’ve always thought adoption was a wonderful, selfless thing for someone to do, but I didn’t have a personal connection until my friends Alvin and Joanna Currington brought home a tiny little girl with blond hair and the biggest blue eyes I had ever seen. Very quickly, Rose became my top model whenever I needed a kid for a photo shoot. In just a couple of years, Rose was a professional who posed perfectly and even taught others how to stay still for pictures. Just a few months after her adoption, her brother Joseph joined the family as well (read their story on page 25. Joseph’s infectious smile and love of dogs made me fall in love with him immediately. For me, they will always be the faces of adoption that come to my mind, but there is no one way that adopted or foster families look. We spoke to three families for this issue who have adopted children and two of them have fostered as well. Because of the legal limitations on using photos of children in foster care, we have focused on the adoption side of things, but the role foster families play in protecting children is second to none.

I also had the bittersweet experience of speaking to the Petruzella family, whose beloved son passed away earlier this year from a rare genetic disorder. They have chosen to use that pain to fundraise for a cure for the disease that took their little boy and help raise awareness for other parents. James David will never be forgotten and his name has become a rallying cry for his “village” as they work tirelessly to honor his short life.

When I visited Sue Taylor White in her home studio, I was in awe of her incredible talent, and I was so interested in hearing about her unique painting process. The fact that I had no idea that one of the country’s most popular Western scene painters lives in Gardendale was amazing to me. I hope you will all be as impressed and interested as I was in her story.

Ty Thompson grew up watching the Gardendale band, as his dad has served as the GHS and Bragg band director. Now he will be representing Gardendale as part of an honor band marching in the Tournament of Roses parade.

As always, we have highlighted a nonprofit in this issue. That is always a special feature for me, but I admit to having a special place in my heart for Christmas Visions. At a time when we hear so much negative news about our young people and how self-centered they can be, these kids are devoting their time, energy and money to helping those in the community who might not have a holiday without the program. I encourage you to think seriously about the program if you are looking for a way to give back this holiday season.

We have gotten so many wonderful story ideas from you guys, please keep them coming and know that, if we haven’t gotten to yours, it is coming! We only have so much space in each issue, and we try to make sure we have a variety of story types in each issue.

We have been so pleased with the continued positive reaction to the magazine after two issues. We have also had a number of messages telling us that you tried out a business you saw in the magazine or called about a business whose information you found in these pages. Supporting our sponsors and talking about the magazine is the best thing you can do to help us continue to bring this product to you each month.

Rachel Davis Karr, Content Director

Gardendale magazine [ 7 ]

/ Mayor’s Corner / Gardendale, Alabama. “Where community meets progress!”

This is a statement you will be seeing more and more as we promote our city. With this phrase comes great challenges. How do we grow our city, bringing in new businesses that our citizens desire, while maintaining our small-town atmosphere and special sense of community? The city council and I are committed to growing our tax base which is needed to pay for quality-of-life improvements that our citizens expect and deserve. While at the same time, identifying and preserving those things that make Gardendale such a great place to live, work and raise a family. Quality of life begins with keeping the community safe and our police and fire departments do a great job ensuring the safety of our residents. From there, you move to education, roads and infrastructure, parks, library and our civic center, all with great employees dedicated to serving the public. All these areas of service are vitally important in a well-rounded city. The cost to provide these services continue to rise, thus the need to expand our city’s tax base. It is a challenge that we as elected officials embrace and we are committed to working hard every day for the citizens of Gardendale.

Not only do we need our city to be successful, we need all of the cities in North Jefferson County to succeed as well. All of the mayors in our area are members of the Jefferson County Mayors Association. We meet monthly to look for ways that we can all work together in an effort to make all of our cities great. We truly are all in this together. From Fultondale to Warrior, we need every city to be as great as they can be. We, as fellow mayors are not just colleagues, we are friends as well. If one city has a need, we all jump in and help. From disaster relief to critical police and fire issues, we are all there for each other.

In closing, I’d like to personally thank Fultondale Mayor Larry Holcombe and the Fultondale City Council for allowing our children to play on their baseball fields in the spring of 2022. In a few weeks we will begin the demolition of Bill Noble Park and construction of the new park will start soon thereafter. During this process, our youth baseball teams will be without a place to play and practice. They have graciously agreed to allow us to play on their fields during this time. On behalf of every player and parent, I thank you all for this generous act of kindness.

As I always say, “Greater things have yet to be done in this city!”

[ 8 ] Gardendale magazine

Local art makes the perfect Christmas gift!

Prints from Gardendale artist Sue Taylor White are now available at

Gardendale Pickers For more information:

taylorwhitegallery.com | (205) 631-5327

Happy Holidays from Village Dermatology!

L T O R : K E L LY F O R D H A M , PA - C | A M A N D A L A N I E R , PA - C | K AT E F E N I N G , M D J E N N Y S O B E R A , M D | R A C H E L P F L E D E R E R , M D | W E N D Y C A N T R E L L , D N P, C R N P 2900 CAHABA ROAD | 205.877.9773 V I L L A G E D E R M AT O L O G Y. N E T @ V I L L A G E D E R M AT O L O G Y Gardendale magazine [ 9 ]

/ Student Profile /

Senior to play in Honor Band at Rose Parade

Story by Rachel Davis Karr Photos courtesy of Thompson family Ty Thompson started his marching band career with a plastic drum on the Gardendale High School sideline when he was a small child. The Gardendale senior still takes the field every Friday night, but now with a real uniform and trombone. Next up, he’ll be representing Gardendale as part of the Bands of America Honor Band in the 2022 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California on New Year’s Day. Both of Thompson’s parents, both of his // Continued on Page 11 // [ 10 ] Gardendale magazine

grandfathers and one of his great-grandfathers were band directors so his love of music started when he was very young. He first started taking piano lessons when he was 3 years old and picked up the trombone in fifth grade. Now he plays the piano and trombone in the Marching, Concert and Jazz bands at GHS as well as playing the baritone with Spirit of Alabama Drum and Bugle Corps. He also sings with the high school Chamber Choir and maintains a GPA of 4.15, making him one of the top 20 students in his class.

Thompson originally auditioned for the Rose Parade Honor Band back in 2019 and was supposed to march in the 2021 parade, but COVID restrictions

/ Student Profile /

// Continued from Page 10 // made that impossible. Fortunately, organizers decided to allow students slated for the 2021 parade march in the 2022 parade. In order to be selected, Thompson had to compete against other students from all over the country to win the spot. Usually Music for All selects 300 students for the honor band for the Rose Parade every four years. These 300 members include winds, percussion and a flag and dance team.

Richard Sauced is the director of the 2022 Honor Band. He is also a composer, conductor, and retired director of the national champion Carmel H.S. (IN) marching band.

“To be selected for this opportunity is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for students, and a testimony to their excellence and achievements,” Saucedo said. “The Rose Parade is one of our country’s national pageantry treasures. The 2022 Honor Band members are ambassadors of America’s scholastic music and arts programs, as well as their schools and communities.

Congratulations to Ty on this fantastic accomplishment and recognition.”

Ty Thompson and his entire family will fly out on Christmas Day and spend a week prior to the parade practicing with the Honor Band and learning four new songs for the parade and a performance at the Tournament of Roses Bandfest and Disneyland. Then the 2022 Rose Parade presented by Honda will begin at 8 a.m.

Pacific Standard Time on New Year’s Day. This year’s theme is “DREAM. BELIEVE. ACHIEVE.” The parade route is a two-hour, 5.5-mile journey down Colorado Boulevard.

Learn more about the parade and broadcast at tournamentofroses.com.

Despite all the stress and work leading up to the parade and the idea that the whole world will be watching the legendary parade, Ty’s mom says he’s not nervous.

“He’s just really excited to meet people from all over and get to march in the Rose Parade,” Jenny Thompson, Ty’s mom said.

Music for All was founded in 1975, as a 501(c) (3) nonprofit educational organization.

According to a press release: Music for All’s mission is to create, provide,

and expand positively life-changing experiences through music for all. Music for All’s vision is to be a catalyst to ensure that every child in America has access and opportunity for active music making in his or her scholastic environment. Music for All’s advocacy efforts inspire and develop models and strategies for successful music programs, through programs like its Advocacy in Action Awards, the I-65 Corridor Project, and support of Indianapolis Public Schools, the Central Indiana Track Show Association, and Indiana State Fair Band Day, and programs like United Sound and Be Part of the Music. Music for All’s programs include more than 45 annual events, including the Bands of America Grand National Championships and Regional Championships for marching bands; the Music for All Summer Symposium camp for students and teachers; the Music for All National Festival for bands, orchestras, choirs, percussion and chamber ensembles; Affiliate Regional Music Festivals; and national student honor ensembles including the Bands of America Honor Band that will march for the fifth time in the Rose Parade in 2021.

Gardendale magazine [ 11 ]

/ Everyday Folks /

Unique process inspires local artist Story and Photos by Rachel Davis Karr One of the country’s most celebrated Western and wildlife painters has lived in Gardendale for decades, quietly creating masterpieces inside her converted garage.

Sue Taylor White moved to Gardendale for better educational opportunities for her children more than 40 years ago. She and her husband James built their dream home, raised their children and welcomed their grandchildren. All the while, Sue was honing her craft. // Continued on Page 13 // [ 12 ] Gardendale magazine

“Anybody can learn to paint. You can learn to use paint and make a pretty picture, but to be an artist, you’ve got to have 15 more paintings ready to go when you finish that one,” White explained.

White started painting in the 1980s and never stopped. Now the painting, framing and art shows consume much of her time, as well as that of her husband of 57 years. James stretches her canvases for her, helps frame the finished projects, travels to shows and helps set up.

James and Sue love to travel and many of their trips out west are the inspiration for her paintings. She

Sue Taylor White shows off her artwork in her makeshift garageturned-gallery. Her work will soon be available for viewing and sale in Gardendale.

/ Everyday Folks /

// Continued from Page 12 // takes numerous pictures during their travels and uses a unique way of using those images to create her own scenes or stories.

One photo of a hunting party coming out of the mountains on a horse trail is a melding of a landscape that inspired Sue and a hunting party from a historic western recreation town they visited.

To explain the process, Sue shows a series of photos taken in the Western recreation town and picks them apart. For instance, in one she likes the picture of a Western-dressed woman sitting on a porch holding a child, but the child isn’t positioned right so she finds another shot where the child looks the way she wants. Combining the two, she now has a single image that fits the story she is forming for these characters. Next she finds a photo of a man standing alone and adds him into the scene of the women. From these individual, random shots, she has woven an entirely new story to paint.

All the inspiration photos she uses are taken by her or her husband during their travels. She started out keeping drawers filled with folders organized by type of image. These days, her approach is a little more high tech and she uses her computer to organize her images. // Continued on Page 14 //

With dozens of magazine features and art show awards under her belt, White has

established herself as one of the country’s most popular artists in her genre, but breaking into the art world wasn’t the easiest for her initially.

Gardendale magazine [ 13 ]

/ Everyday Folks /

PHOTO COURTESY OF SUE TAYLOR WHITE

Sue Taylor White and her husband travel extensively, using their own personal experiences with Native Americans and cowboys as inspiration for her paintings. // Continued from Page 13 // With dozens of magazine features and art show awards under her belt, White has established herself as one of the country’s most popular artists in her genre, but breaking into the art world wasn’t the easiest for her initially.

These days, Sue uses her full name for many of her works, but there was a time when she first started showing her work that it wasn’t like that. She was losing out on chances for shows or competitions to other people. These people were getting more attention and they weren’t more talented or tenacious than Sue, but she began to notice they were overwhelmingly male. She even had people comment that they didn’t believe a woman was painting these Western scenes. Sue decided to beat them at their own game, dropping her first name, Sue, and using her maiden and married names as her professional moniker. So many of her early accolades are listed under just Taylor White.

While her work has mostly been sold at shows and exhibits, she has decided to try showing her pieces locally at Gardendale Pickers. The items for sale will be framed prints of her more popular paintings of wildlife and Western scenes. She began showing the pieces for sale at Gardendale Pickers on November 1.

[ 14 ] Gardendale magazine

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/ Feature /

Family turns tragedy into hope for others Story by Rachel Davis Karr Ashlee Petruzella always knew she wanted children. In fact, she started asking Santa to bring her a baby when she was a little girl.

Her mom ran a daycare in their home and Ashlee said she always loved having a lot of kids around.

When she and her husband, Shawn, had their son, John Paul, almost five years ago, they were thrilled. When daughter Ella Grace came along less than two years later, they were overjoyed. Just a few months after her birth, the couple was once again pregnant. Ashlee said it was a surprise, but the couple was overjoyed to add to their family.

She described the pregnancy and delivery as “normal.” But when their son, James David, was born, nurses described him as “floppy” and said he had “wimpy white boy syndrome.” Ashlee laughed, thinking they were joking, but her newborn was quickly whisked off to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. There he began to have seizures, the first lasting more than eight minutes. In his first 24 hours, James David had four or five more seizures. He would eventually be // Continued on Page 17 //

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PETRUZELLA FAMILY

“James David’s Village” consists of friends and family of the Petruzellas who have rallied around them. The group was the number one fundraiser for the state Epilepsy Foundation Walk this year.

[ 16 ] Gardendale magazine

/ Feature /

James David Petruzella was just 18 months old when he passed away from a rare disorder. Now his family is determined to help others. // Continued from Page 16 // transferred to UAB and then to Children’s of Alabama.

Eventually the genetics teams at Childrens and UAB would identify the likely source of his issues. They asked permission to perform a spinal tap to test James David for the exceedingly rare D-bifunctional protein deficiency, a Zellweger spectrum disorder.

The condition is so rare that there have only been about a dozen cases in the United States. Both Ashlee and her husband are carriers but never had any idea their genes were harboring such a scary secret.

The doctors told the couple they wouldn’t be able to have more children without running the risk of them having the same disorder

and were stunned when they were told there were already two healthy children at home. The odds, they would later learn, were that one in four children whose parents both have the gene will have D-bifunctional protein deficiency. To have more children, the couple will have to undergo additional testing and follow certain procedures to ensure those children would not have the deficiency.

Although Ashlee and her husband were grateful to have answers, they were discouraged by the numbers of the disease. Children with this condition rarely make it to their second birthday and the oldest child with this diagnosis lived to just 7 years old.

Shawn and Ashlee both started digging into any information they

// Continued on Page 18 // Gardendale magazine [ 17 ]

“James David’s Village” consists of friends and family of the Petruzella family who have rallied around them. The group was the number one fundraiser for the state Epiliepsy Foundation Walk this year.

// Continued from Page 17 // could find on the disease, research and treatments. They found that there was no stopping it, but they began to look for the best treatment to give their son as much quality of life as possible.

They found a specialist in Canada named Nancy Braverman, who studies genetic disease in children. Throughout James David’s life, his parents consistently documented his life and the day-to-day changes and struggles so doctors could learn more about life with D-bifunctional protein deficiency and the epilepsy and other issues it caused.

Through all this, the young couple cared for their two older children and James David, who was eventually released from the hospital.

James David suffered from epilepsy caused by his condition, but also thyroid and adrenal issues and low muscle tone related to his condition. He would spend more than 130 days of his short life in the hospital and visit the emergency room more than 40 times.

“He kept us on our toes his entire life,” Ashlee said with a laugh. “But we would do it all again.”

[ 18 ] Gardendale magazine

For the next year, the family lived in a whirlwind of seizures, hospital visits and specialists, until July of 2021, when he passed away at just 18 months old. James David Petruzella would have been 2 years old on Dec, 23, 2021.

All the fundraising in the world won’t give Ashlee Petruzella her precious son back, but it’s the way she can honor his memory and help other families in her shoes. This year, just four months after their beloved son passed away, the couple spearheaded a massive fundraising effort for the Epilepsy Foundation to honor James David.

Their efforts raised more than $10,850 for the cause. But Ashlee is quick to point out that they didn’t do it alone. Their oldest son’s school raised money for the family, sending home more than $4,000 for the team. The company where Shawn and Ashlee’s dad work matched donations from their employees. Countless other people and businesses jumped in to help the young family reach their goal of $10,000 for the walk with t-shirts, bracelets, giveaways and a football board. The team, aptly named “James David’s Village” was the top fundraiser in the state for the event.

/ Recipe of the Month / Sausage Cornbread Dressing Cups are personal size Southern cornbread dressing.

Everyone gets to enjoy the crispy outside edge this way! Bake in mini muffin cups and top with Cranberry Apple Jalapeno Salsa for a party. They are perfect to make ahead and freeze for travel, then reheat when you arrive at your family Thanksgiving or Christmas destination.

SAUSAGE CORNBREAD DRESSING CUPS These are just the right portion size, everyone gets the favored crusty edge, and they take up less room in the fridge or freezer by placing them in the zip-top bag. I’ve even made them in the mini muffin size for snacks or appetizer parties.

Prep Time: 30 mins / Cook Time: 30 mins / Total Time: 1 hr Side Dish Servings: 32 dressing cups Equipment muffin pan Ingredients ½ 16-oz package breakfast sausage 3 tablespoons butter 2 cups chopped onion about 1 large 1½ cups chopped celery 4 large stalks 2 cloves garlic, minced or ¼ teaspoon garlic powder 4 large eggs 1 32-oz container chicken broth (4 cups) 6 cups coarsely crumbled cornbread (1 recipe cornbread from White Lily Buttermilk Cornbread mix using 2 cups cornmeal mix] 4 cups crumbled biscuits or French bread [Made from 6 frozen biscuits or homemade biscuits, or 1 (10.2-oz) can refrigerated flaky or buttermilk biscuits] 1 teaspoon ground sage or 1½ teaspoons rubbed sage ½ teaspoon salt ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350˚.

Cook sausage until browned in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring often to crumble; drain reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in the pan. Add butter to pan and melt over medium heat.

Cook onion, celery, and garlic in butter and drippings over mediumhigh heat 8 minutes or until almost tender, stirring occasionally.

To save a bowl, lightly beat eggs directly in a large bowl. Whisk in chicken broth. Add crumbled cornbread and biscuits and onion mixture with drippings. Sprinkle with sage, salt, and pepper then stir with a large spoon, coating all the cornbread and biscuits.

Spoon ⅓ cup dressing mixture into each of 32 muffin cups that have been coated with cooking spray or greased. If you don’t have this many on hand, they can be baked in batches. Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned on the top and set in the middle.

Let cool 5 minutes in pan. With a table knife, loosen around edges of pan and remove to a serving platter.

Kathleen is a food blogger, food stylist, cookbook author, and former Oxmoor House test kitchen director (Southern Living cookbooks). On her food blog, GritsAndGouda.com, she creates Southern shortcut recipes. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.

NOTES •

• •

Make Ahead: I like to make a double batch of biscuits (frozen or from scratch) a few weeks before the holiday and freeze half for this recipe and eat the other half for breakfast. Same goes for the cornbread. I double the recipe on the White Lily Buttermilk cornbread mix bag (4 cups cornmeal mix) and bake in a 10 to 12-inch cast iron skillet. We eat half with soup that day and freeze the other half for the upcoming holiday dressing.

Notes: You can bake the mixture in a 13x9-inch baking dish at 350˚ for 45 to 50 minutes, if you’d rather.

Torn French bread from the day old shelf at the bakery can be substituted for biscuits. *I usually fry the entire package of

sausage and freeze the remaining half or serve sausage stirred into scrambled eggs for breakfast the next day.

•

Leave the celery leaves on while chopping. They add so much flavor!

•

Sausage can be omitted if you want traditional cornbread dressing. Just use 4 tablespoons butter to cook onion mixture.

•

Make Ahead: Cool dressing cups completely and place on baking sheets. Freeze 1 hour or until firm. Place frozen dressing cups in a zip-top bag and freeze until ready to serve.

To reheat, place thawed dressing cups on foil-lined baking sheets and bake at 375˚ for 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated and edges are slightly crispy.

Gardendale magazine [ 19 ]

/ Nonprofit /

Christmas Visions set to help 205 children this year

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRISTMAS VISIONS

Story by Rachel Karr Gardendale High School’s annual Christmas Visions campaign is underway. Now in its 31st year, the program will sponsor 205 children at 20 Jefferson County schools this year for Christmas. All funds for the program are raised

by Gardendale students, led by the members of the student council, through mid-December and provide wishlist items for the 200+ children in the program.

31 years ago by the Student Council organization,” Alex Lewis, adviser to the Gardendale Student Council, said. “We provide Christmas for underprivileged students within the Jefferson County School District. The money provides Student Council members the opportunity to shop for individuals’ Christmas wants, but more importantly, their needs. The wish lists are sent to us directly from Jefferson County counselors and we currently serve approximately 20 schools within the district.”

“Christmas Visions is a charity initiative started

The majority of the money comes from the

// Continued on Page 20 // [ 20 ] Gardendale magazine

// Continued from Page 19 // small individual donations made by more than 1100 students, but the program also relies on donations from the public and local businesses to ensure all 205 students have a happy Christmas.

Each student working with the Christmas Visions program chooses two or three students to shop for, takes their lists and buys all their needs and then some of their wants. Depending on the amount raised, each child receives $150-$200 worth of items.

Over the years, students have heard heartwarming stories from recipients about how much their Christmas surprises meant to them. High school students have told organizers that it was the first new pair of shoes they had ever received or the first shoes they had owned without holes in them. Some students ask for specific types of food because they consider them a treat. Many kids ask for toothbrushes, toothpaste shampoo, blankets, jackets or other basic items as their needs. Often wants are as simple as basketballs or footballs, coloring books or bicycles.

After the shopping is done, a large bag of toys and other items are delivered to the child’s school for the parents to pick up.

In the 1980s, Gardendale High School students raised money for Toys for Tots, but eventually students wanted something where they could be more involved. So, in December of 1990, GHS’s Student Council created the Christmas Visions program. That year, $8,000 was raised to sponsor just over 50 children. By its 15th year, the total had reached $35,000 The pandemic changed the way Christmas Visions was run last year, with students still fundraising but giving the students in need a gift card, rather than wishlist items. This year, students are hoping the community will reembrace the longstanding tradition in the city.

This year’s goal is $40,000.

For more information or to make a donation to Christmas Visions, please contact Alex Lewis at arlewis@jefcoed.com.

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Chris Shelton chris@jbmcmedia.com (205) 541-9663 Matthew Allen matthew@jbmcmedia.com (205) 617-9609

Kemp’s Kitchen & Bakery (205)-608-8125 608 Odum Rd, Gardendale

Gardendale magazine [ 21 ]

/ Feature /

Adoption Stories Stories by Rachel Davis Karr The Gardendale Community has long been one of the areas in the county where a large number of foster families and adoptive families live. With November being Adoption Awareness Month, these are just a few of the stories of those in the area who have chosen adoption.

For anyone considering becoming a foster or adopter, there are numerous resources in the area, including support groups and programs to help people ready their homes for foster children.

Many of those programs are based at Gardendale First Baptist Church and were initiated by Tracy Hacker, who has hosted more than 70 children through her home in her 10.5 years as a foster parent. She and her husband opened their home to children in need, but also worked in the local community to encourage others to consider fostering and provide support for those who do.

According to an article in LIfeline Children’s Services, Gardendale First Baptist provides systems for children with mental or behavioral issues to buddy with specially trained church members, as well as providing support groups and training classes for those who are interested in being fosters. Although many of the programs have been on hold during the pandemic, the church continues to support those who open their homes to foster children through other means.

The schools and other community resources are also well-versed in handling foster children coming into the area and assisting families with getting the resources they need.

[ 22 ] Gardendale magazine

For information on becoming a foster or adoptive parent, adoptUSkids.org.

Hallmark Family Jonny and Sarah Hallmark have been inseparable since they met a decade ago on a blind date. After they got married eight years ago, they began to talk about children. Sarah had always wanted to adopt but was unsure if Jonny would be on board.

Fortunately, he agreed and they began the process to become a foster home for children who needed a place to stay.

But their third foster placement would change their lives and family forever. That call, to pick up a newborn from the hospital, was how they met their daughter, Addison.

The process of adopting through foster care took a number of years.

Throughout the process, the couple relied on their faith, knowing that as much as they loved her, God loved her more and had a plan for her.

“We trusted that God had her and knew the ultimate goal,” Sarah said. “He knew what family she was supposed to be with the whole time and we chose to trust that He was going to take care of it.”

Jonny and Sarah haven’t ruled out adopting again, but plan to try to have a biological child next.

For other families considering adoption, the couple had this to say.

“Don’t give up, have patience,” Jonny said.

“Love the journey,” Sarah advised. “ It’s not always going to be easy, but the destination is going to be great. So we chose to love the journey throughout the whole process.”

“Love the Journey” has become the couple’s slogan of sorts. Family and friends of the couple are currently selling ornaments bearing the phrase as a fundraiser to help fund the couple’s IVF journey.

Gardendale magazine [ 23 ]

The Hacker Family Tracy Hacker and her husband, Greg, have been married for 32 years and have two biological daughters. When their daughters were 13 and 11 years old, they made the decision to open up their home to children in the foster care system who needed a safe place to land.

The Hackers got into fostering back in 2007 and continued to do it for the next 10.5 years. During that time, 71 children found sanctuary in their home. Every case was different for the family, some kids were there for a night or a few days, while others stayed in the home for years before being adopted or reunited with their families. Four of the children were adopted by the Hackers.

Over the years, Greg and Tracy also worked in their community to encourage other families to foster and find ways to support those who do.

Tracy calls fostering children a calling and believes that obeying God’s call on her family was her responsibility to her faith. In addition to being obedient, she saw it as a way to spread the gospel to the children, their families, social workers and anyone else who came in contact with the family.

“It’s hard on your heart, but it is a way to spread the gospel,” Tracy explained. “Don’t go into it just because you want to keep [ 24 ] Gardendale magazine

kids. It’s a calling.”

She also encouraged anyone considering fostering to remember that they have to love the children just as they would their own biological children.

“You don’t bring them into you house to be a guest,” Tracy said.

“For the time they are there, they are your children.”

People often tell Tracy they couldn’t foster because they would get so attached. While she admits that it is easy to get attached to the kids, she believes that is missing the point of fostering.

“Don’t focus on the end, because you miss the blessing,” Tracy said.

Although the couple ended up adopting three boys and one girl, they also keep in touch with most of their long-term foster placements. In fact, of their 11 long-term placements, there is only one child they aren’t still in contact with. During the process of fostering a child, Tracy said they often would meet the rest of the biological family and develop a relationship with them as well as the children.

“You get to be part of a family if you’ve made those relationships with the birth family,” Tracy explained. “The kids are just changing addresses.”

The Currington Family Alvin and Joanna Currington had considered foster care as their two sons got older, but hadn’t decided if that was the right path for them. Their biological sons, Nick and Zac, were 19 and 12 at the time. Then they got a call telling them one of Joanna’s relatives and his girlfriend were having a baby and they couldn’t keep her. The Currington’s jumped in and applied to adopt her. Because the baby was located in another state and they had to navigate the foster-to-adopt program, it took 14 months to get her. Then, on the day they finalized her adoption, they were told she was about to be a big sister. They immediately started the adoption process for her little brother, Joseph. He was just four months old when he came to live with the family.

navigated through the foster-to-adopt system. The two families make an effort to keep in touch and get the siblings together as often as possible so they can maintain the relationship.

Within the Currington family, the two youngest members keep everyone on their toes. Joanna said, as the only girl, Princess Rose has gotten used to getting her way much of the time, but Joseph knows how to work his position as the baby. Since there is such a big age difference in the kids, the older brothers have been a lot of help in caring for their younger siblings.

Rose tends to seek out oldest child Nick, while Joseph and Zac have an unbreakable bond.

“Our life has never been the same since the day they came to our house,” Joanna said.

When it comes to other families considering adoption, their advice is to carefully consider if it’s what you really want, because the process can be arduous.

The siblings also have older half-siblings who live in another state. That family fostered Rose while the Curringtons

“Make sure you know what you’re doing, because it’s a lifelong commitment,” Alvin said.

Gardendale magazine [ 25 ]

/ Calendar /

// November 19

// November 29

10:30-11:30 SOCIAL CAFE: Speaker/Professor Kirk Cornutt, Gardendale Public Library. Speaker will discuss the topic of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Social Cafe meets every Friday at 10:30 a.m. for coffee, conversations and activities.

6 p.m. at Gardendale Civic Center. The Beautification Board meets the last Monday of each month (except for June, July and August) at 6 p.m. at the Gardendale Civic Center. We look forward to gathering again to set in pace projects to help keep our city beautiful. We are seeking new members to help. Please come join us, and we look forward to seeing all new faces as well as those of our current members.

// November 23 6:30-7:30 p.m. Yarnin with Jesus, Hope Church (formerly Gardendale Mt. Vernon). Contact Beverly Hoff for more information at bhoff@ gmvumc.org

// November 24 10:30-11:30 a.m. Social Cafe: Fantastic Friday Book Club, Gardendale Library. Discussion of the book “Books Can Be Deceiving” by Jenn McKinlay. Social Cafe meets every Friday at 10:30 a.m. for coffee, conversations and activities.

// November 25 8 a.m. Gobble Wobble 5K Trail Run and 1 Mile Fun Run for Cornerstone Ranch. See event listing on Facebook for more information and to register

// December 2 6 p.m. Gardendale Christmas Parade. The annual Christmas parade through the streets of Gardendale will have a theme this year of “A Christmas Salute” honoring the holiday and our country.

// December 4-January 1 Rocket Around the Christmas TreeTrail, Gardendale Civic Center.

There will be a ribbon cutting on December 4 at 6 p.m. to kick off this new event in Gardendale.

// December 7

// November 29 - December 10

10 a.m. Ribbon Cutting for Tazikis Mediterranean Cafe, 430 Fieldstown Road, Ste. 108

Christmas Showcase sponsored by the Gardendale Chamber of Commerce. Shop Local. Eat Local. Think Local.

To have your event or item added to the calendar, email it to rachel@ jbmcmedia.com.

[ 26 ] Gardendale magazine

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facebook: @deogloriawoodworks Instagram: @deogloriawoodworks Gardendale magazine [ 27 ]

/ Family Fun /

GHS Then and Now

PHOTOS BY GARY SCHULTZ

Class of ’71 reunites at current school for football and fun The Gardendale High School and George Rogers Vocational School Class of 1971 recently held its 50 year class reunion. For the reunion, the former students visited the new high school and had a meal prepared by current students under the watchful eye of teacher Jane Houchins. The class of 1971 was remarkable because it was the first class that went all the way through the original high school in Gardendale.

The reunion featured a salad and pasta bar, as well as desserts. The graduates were also able to tour the new school, and view pictures, banners and memorabilia that was displayed at the event. After the dinner and social event, the classmates who were interested went to the high school football game in Driver Stadium.

“We were kind of like a big family because [ 28 ] Gardendale magazine

we grew up together,” organizer Melissa Freeman Jett said.

The two schools had a combined total of 363 students who graduated that year, but only 131 were able to make it back for the reunion.

Although many of the graduates still live in or near Gardendale, others travelled from out of state. Garry Robbins was the classmate who traveled the farthest for the reunion, leaving his home in Finleyville, Pennsylvania to travel back to Gardendale.

Some of the students’ teachers even made it to the reunion, including Maurene Guffin and their first-grade teacher, Dennis Love.

“A lot of them are still here,” Houchins said.

“People like to stay in Gardendale. They still live here and are active in the community.

That was impressive to me.”

Houchins teaches the Event Planning Class that hosted the event and the desserts were made by the Food and Nutrition class. The school has hosted several events using the students in those classes and Houchins said they have already been in contact with the class of 1972 about having their reunion at the school next year.

The reunion committee members were: Melissa Freeman Jett, Dajwanna Motte Bethune, Donna Singleton Tunner, Ron Harding, Sharon Wilkerson Harding, Iris Jones Mills, Rocky Hicks, David Mitchell, Kathy Tunstill Rouse, Kathy McCravy Wise, Glenda Howard Smith, Sandy Camp Thomas, Steven Pitts, John Douglas, Elner Moore Melvin, Phyllis Glenn Kelly, and Beverly Whitlock Nichols.

Gardendale magazine [ 29 ]

/ Family Fun /

[ 30 ] Gardendale magazine

/ Family Fun /

Gardendale magazine [ 31 ]

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