The journey to mend his heart led

Ward Park for Birmingham Parks and Recreation. He enlisted the help of fellow Troop 53 members along with donations from friends and family for the project.

Payne had leftover money from his fundraising efforts, so he made a donation of $1,100 to the Alabama Audubon Society.

Payne is a sophomore at Mountain Brook High School, where he runs cross-country and track. Payne is the son of Mary Katharine and Keener Baxley. He and his family attend Canterbury United Methodist Church.

Max Joseph Benton Earns Eagle Rank

Max Joseph Benton of Troop 53 of the Boy Scout’s Vulcan District was recognized for earning the rank of Eagle Scout on Jan. 8 at a Court of Honor Ceremony at St. Peter’s Anglican Church. Two fellow scouts were honored at the same event.

Max completed his Eagle Scout ranking on Aug. 11 under the leadership of Scoutmaster Franklin Bradford.

Max, a ninth grader at Mountain Brook Junior High, has dedicated many years to his Eagle Scout journey. He including patrol leader. He was nominated for the Order of the Arrow and managed a troop cleanup project at all four of Mountain Brook School System’s elementary schools.

He has earned 23 merit badges, including the backpacking merit badge, for which he did 11 nights of isolated wilderness camping and 75 miles of backpacking.

He said throughout his scouting career that he wanted his Eagle Scout project to benefit Mountain Brook Elementary. After meeting with Principal Ashley McCombs and several city officials, he began work to remodel the amphitheater on the periphery of the school playground.

With the help of fellow scouts, he reconstructed the wooden stage at the center of the amphitheater and paved the gravel surround as well as adding a new portion of fence adjacent to the stage.

This endeavor took months of preparation, from collecting donations to organizing scout volunteers to help build the project. The outdoor amphitheater now provides a safe place for the children and staff of the school to use for outdoor teaching and recreation.

Max is not only an active member in his scouting troop but also is a member of the Mountain Brook Junior High track team, and the Mountain Brook Mountain Biking team.

Outside of school-related events, he is an active member of Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church and enjoys traveling across the country with his

Vestavia Hills’ Mitchell Awarded Eagle Rank

Philip Mitchell was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout at Dawson Church Troop 83 on Nov. 10.

Philip began scouting at an early age and earned the Arrow of Light as a Cub Scout. Since joining Troop 83, Philip has held several leadership positions, including assistant patrol leader, patrol leader, senior patrol leader, historian and instructor. Philip earned 22 merit badges and attended Seabase high adventure.

Philip’s Eagle Scout project involved planning, designing, building and installing a dog agility course for the Greater Birmingham Humane Society. The project included building six exercise sets for the health and well-being of dogs awaiting adoption.

Philip is a senior at Vestavia Hills High School and is a member of the Speech and Debate Team. In his spare time, he enjoys fencing as well as learning about computers.

Philip’s parents are Joseph and Vivian Mitchell. He is a member of the Church of the Highlands. Philip plans to attend college in the fall and

Qua was born with tricuspid atresia that required a series of open heart surgeries as an infant. But as a teen, his health took a dramatic turn. Qua’s pediatrician and cardiologist recognized something wasn’t right with his heart and sent him to Children’s of Alabama. Our team was standing by when he arrived by helicopter, and within two weeks he received a new heart. He rebounded quickly and was back at home a few weeks later, thanks to the expert heart team here at Children’s of Alabama.