From the Editor

ON THE COVER

Giving Unconditionally

Homewood residents Mack and Sarah Brown donate their 65-year-old home to Build Up, which is a local nonprofit whose aim is to teach young people trade skills such as house renovating. Photo by Lauren Ustad Design by Jamie Dawkins HHello! My name is Anna Grace Moore, and I am the new Chief Magazine Editor for Shelby County Newspapers Inc. which includes Shelby Living, Mountain Brook Magazine, Vestavia Hills Magazine, Hoover’s Magazine and Homewood Life.

It is my privilege to work in such an inspiring industry whose focus is engaging our community, building better relationships and highlighting pivotal figures who shape our way of life. Before coming to work at Shelby County Newspapers Inc., I attended Samford University where I graduated in May of 2021 with a degree in journalism and mass communications with a concentration in public relations. After graduating I welcomed my now nine-month-old, Jacob, in July of 2021 with my fiancé, Justin Breedlove. We live in Hoover where I was raised, and we plan to reside here as we get married and grow our family in the future. Ever since I was little, I knew I wanted to write. I would always write short stories, poems, prose and even essays for fun on my summer reading books. Writing has long been a passion of mine. When I was eight years old in the third grade, I won second place in a poetry contest honoring Hoover City Firefighters. I recited my poem in front of 200 city officials at a brunch, and my picture was published in the paper the next week! Not even the first place winner’s picture made the papers. I was told I was featured because of how dramatically I read about water hoses and house fires. Fast forward more than a decade, and you’ll find me at my corner desk, scribbling down the latest scoops in my brown leather notebook or typing away on my MacBook into the wee hours of the morning. Not much has changed. My passion for the written word has fueled my desire to serve my community because of how people in my community have poured into me. It was not until I became a mother that I realized just how many people it took investing in my future to help me achieve the position I have today. It is such an honor to serve all of you. So, while you can’t always count on Alabama weather, I assure you that you can count on the magazine you’re reading to be entertaining and eye opening. Happy reading, folks!

annagrace.moore@homewoodlife.com