Regional economic development organization set to launch

Look for the launch next week of the merged organization that will take on the important roles of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Birmingham Metropolitan Development Board in regional economic development. Starting July 14, the organization that still is unnamed will be located at the Financial Center, 505 20th Street North in downtown Birmingham, the current home of the chamber.

Dalton Smith from Region 2020 is president and chief executive. Four senior vice presidents, named last month, are Patrick Murphy, senior vice president of economic development; Barry Copeland, senior vice president of operations/special projects; Dave Rickey, senior vice president of communications, and Myla Choy, general counsel and senior vice president of regional development/public policy.

This merger has the potential for powerful and positive results, especially in the important area of economic development, which continues to be an important issue for participants in our Imagine blog. Because we know we can be stronger when we work together for a brighter future, it’s good to see our region take this step forward.

Keeping the magic alive? Caring people share ideas for future

Young and old, black and white, we all felt the magic of our annual meeting on May 11, and we’re working hard to capture all the ideas we can from that great day. For two weeks, we’ve been sharing the dreams of some of those who were part of our 50th anniversary.

If you missed the occasion, don’t worry. We still want your ideas. So read, think and then, imagine with us as we move forward through our next 50 years.

Cutressa M Williams: I hope we never lose our “Magic.” My wildest dream is for B’ham to really embrace its potential and become the seat of change, setting the pace for the rest of the state as a mecca for thriving economic prosperity, efficient inner- and surrounding, commuter transportation and for being a HUGE melting pot of diverse cultures, peoples and ideas!
Elna Brendel: I enjoy the positive way that we are trying to improve the community and our environment. I would love to see the day when all the different communities work together to improve education, crime, the positive things of each area, and are willing move to help each other grow and change for the best of all of us.
Barbara Royal: To have reputation for outstanding quality in important areas (transportation, education, “one” community vs. fifedoms, cultural, performing, and outdoor arts, museums, leaders in technology advancement, good pool of funds for startup/innovative projects, embracing and utilizing our diversity, etc). We need more that puts us in “the best” categories. This does not always require the most $$, it requires the best leadership and imagination (small and med cities are achieving this, such as Portland, Chattanooga, etc.) There are many examples, but we are not taking advantage of talents and opportunities we already have. So how can we attract more? We also need to be able to better promote the arenas in which we are attractive.
Andy Jenkins: Birmingham’s future rests in the hands of the many volunteers and service organizations that exist. I hope that we never depend on the government to do here what the people can do better by simply motivating volunteers and donors to continue doing what they do best.
Dorrie Fuchs: The level of philanthropic giving is incredible, and I love what this says about the individuals and institutions that call Birmingham home. Being new to the area, I also really appreciate how much people love living here. I would hope that urban renewal can expand the life that exists in parts of the city more broadly. There are many empty buildings and storefronts, and it would be great if they could be brought back into use
Madelyn Jones: If the leadership continues, the Community Foundation will contribute to many lives. We are very lucky to have your support. The low-vision members of our community will be served in a wonderful manner because of your support. Please never forget that loosing vision is one of the most severe disabilities.
Russell Jackson: An Advised Trust Fund established for every charity that provides a “critical” service in this community so they can focus more on the delivery of their programs and services, and less on survival. It would be inspiring if the Community Foundation led this charge to ensure our most precious services, that should have more government support and do not, are sustained indefinitely.
Scout O’Beirne: Ever since I was young enough to know that there was a bigger world out there beyond Birmingham and Hoover I have wanted to leave. I have had the most fortunate opportunities to travel to countries outside the United States and visit grand cities with public transportation and thriving cultural and business districts. Personally for me, Birmingham is a city on the brink of death, if not already dead.
However, attending the Youth Leadership Birmingham program opened my eyes to all of the great events going on in Birmingham and all of the attempts to revitalize the city. And although I think it will take a long, hard effort, especially in these economic times, I think Birmingham can eventually become the great city it once was.

One of the main projects right now in revitalizing Birmingham is the Railroad Park. I have seen other parks like this one, such as the Discovery Green in Houston, that have taken off and have become an extremely important factor in revitalizing a dying downtown. I think the Railroad Park can play this role in Birmingham, and I think it is essential to Birmingham’s revitalizing to have more safe, green areas for families.

Another issue that I think Birmingham really needs to work on is public transportation. It is a bit of a chicken-and-the-egg cycle, what comes first, population or transportation? But I think we have to start somewhere, and the current “public transportation” in Birmingham is a poor excuse for any transportation period. I think what will eventually need to happen with PT are routes running from downtown to outer suburban areas.

Also I think working on supporting local businesses and Urban renewal and development in the area is very important. I know the Innovation Depot does a very good job of fostering new businesses, but we need incentives for those local businesses to stay in Birmingham. Also, Jeremy Edreich is an architect who is currently working on creating affordable loft living space in downtown. Another great way to get businesses and people is to create buildings where store owners can have their own apartments above the store.

We really just need to look long and hard at planning a new, smart, renewed downtown Birmingham that utilizes urban renewal strategies and capitalizes on the current brilliant people we have working to revitalize Birmingham.

Can these ideas spark other thoughts for shared future?

Herbert Patterson cares about hills and trees, but wants the arts available too. Mike Harper wants to make sure we continue to care for one another. Richard Crow values the uniqueness of different neighborhoods. No matter what you care about, sharing ideas is a good start as we plan together for our future.

Kelly Sorrells: Wishes would include adequate transportation system so that citizens may fully experience and use the many amazing resources available in Birmingham (like Lakeshore Foundation!), and a stronger city government with inspired leadership.
Herbert A. Patterson Jr.: The hills and trees are important to me. I like the arts available, too. My dream is a bustling downtown with places to window shop, eat and attend entertainment without driving, i.e. public transportation with entertainment destinations
Lee E. Loder: The desire of many to overcome negative images. Love for one another will become a reality!
Jacqueline Gardner: The community is tight-knit and has a small-town feel. I would love to see a focus on greening Birmingham – from a dirty steel town to an example of recycling and green savvy. Additionally, I think we all would benefit from a rail system for Highway 280 and other more congested areas
Pat Mitchell: The Birmingham City School System to be improved, continuing to provide green space and natural settings
Mike Harper: The best we have to offer is the fusion of our care for each other with the unfolding needs all around us–particularly for those most in need.
Susan Greene: To create a vibrant city that our children will want to come back to to raise their families. A city with good schools, art and culture, and job opportunities. I feel like we’re getting there but still have a ways to go.
Fr. Alex Steinmiller: The new educational committee dialogue with leaders of schools and educators
Mitchie Neel: That we continue to grow and improve.
Yu-Mei Schoenberger: Public transportation
Mark Wesson: Projects like the parks project and other major catalyst projects which are meaningful legacy projects in our community are very exciting to want to be a part of over the next 50 years.
Verna Gates: Our green space.
Thomas Armstrong: Our ability to keep trying to move forward even though progress seems slow.
Ben Wilson: My wildest dream would be for Birmingham to be a more equitable place with greater opportunities for people on each end of the city.
Alice Christenson: My wildest dream is that Birmingham Alabama, will be voted the Best City in the USA in which to live.
Richard Crow: Maintaining the uniqueness of neighborhoods.
Judy Poole: Less crime, better social services.
Karen Kapp: I’m looking forward to a community with a 100% literacy rate.
Bob Boylan: I would love to see more urban living growth. A shift away from suburbs and back into the city. Increase in downtown living would lead to increase in downtown stores, entertainment and greenspace.
Bart Crawford: I would like to see the area, as a whole, come together through joint or central planning, mass transportation and strong regional events.
Charles Priest: I truly value the altruistic nature of the citizens of our community; and hope that never dies.
Ricki Kline: I treasure the sense of community that we have, and hope it continues.
Nancy Ekberg: I love the people and their involvement in their community. I love the many forms of entertainment. This is a very giving community.
Kathleen Claybrook: I love the landscape in Birmingham. The mountains are beautiful. I hope we will keep nature close regardless of how populated we become. I hope they will get ahead of the traffic problems rather than continue to make improvements a day late.
Jacqueline Meyer: I love the generosity and friendlyness of the community. The weather is great!! We need to be out and with each other and we need venues to do it. Birmingham needs to become politically sound with grass roots groups keeping the politicans honest.
Shirley Hamilton: I imagine a community without the political nonsense we have none.
Michael Churchman: I imagine a clean and healthy environment, with strong education for children, support of diversity, and a forward-looking approach to our region.
Marcy Williams: I hope we never lose the “small town feel” with the amenities of a bigger city. We need light rail transportation and a plan to incentivize people to use it.
Nicole Otero: I hope that education is put first in the next 50 years. Too much of greater birmingham is falling behind in education.
Suzette Harris: I hope for a community that mutually trusts its neighbors as well as its elected officials, where we have the highest integrity and ethical standards for each dollar invested into the community. Our priorities should be 1) pre-K to 12th grade education and wellness, 2) mental health (ADHD/depression/mental well-being) 3) the built environment.
Brooke Burgess: I dream that all children will enter kindergarten ready to learn and be successful, which starts with a positive early childhood (zero to five).
Lani Powell: Birmingham is a community of generous and kind people. Our vision at The Literacy Council is of a community that is 100% literate. I have confidence in our community’s ability to reach that goal.
Deb Spradlin: Bham needs a history venue similar to McWane Center. There is one available 1 1/2 hours each way; Huntsville Early Works, Tuscaloosa CHOM, and Montgomery Archives.
Sally Price: Because I work with public education every day, my wildest dream would be to see the 13 public school systems across Jefferson County join hands with each other and with their private school counterparts in programs that are designed to enhance learning for all students and to offer professional development for all teachers and administrators.
Wanda Couts: A safe city with the feeling of a small town, people caring about each other.
Deborah Everson: That we rid ourselves of politicans who cannot “allow” the progress we need. A transportation systen that provides a means for the poor and homeless individuals of our community to search for and find work. We have become selfish with our SUV’s and single passenger vehicles–help the poor help themselves by creating a transportation system that enables all of us to navigate the community more easily, more economically and in a more ecologically responsible manner.

Birmingham Change Fund builds philanthropic ‘family’

The Birmingham Change Fund is officially listed as a giving circle of the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham. But you might call it the Birmingham Change Family, since the varied members of this group have grown as close as the best kind of family as they have shared their time, talent and treasure to create positive change in greater Birmingham.

All the members are different, from a seminary student to an attorney to an engineer. They have in common a love of this community, which they share by giving $250 a year and their volunteer time and talent to nonprofit organizations which they choose as a group. It’s the power of philanthropy multiplied by the 16 members of BCF.

Since its beginning in 2003, first as an interest group nurtured by the Ford Foundation and now as a component fund of the Community Foundation, BCF has made grants of more than $25,000 and contributed hundreds of volunteer hours to the nonprofit organizations they decide to support.

”Our interests have brought us close together, and we refer to one another as family,” said Martha Emmett of BBVA Compass Bank. “We are growing together as we learn more and more about collective philanthropy.”

Click here to find out more about what BCF members say about the group and how you can participate in this or another giving circle, one of the fastest-growing forms of philanthropy. This is Way #47 in our series of 50 Ways to Love Your Community.

Treasuring small-town feel and dreaming of inspired leadership

Still sharing ideas from folks who care about our community — what they see as our strengths and what they dream for the next 50 years:

Kathy Freeland: I was born in and have lived the majority of my life within the city limits of Birmingham. I never want to lose the small town feel of this big town and I never want to lose the natural areas that most of us take for granted in our city.

My wildest dream is that every community/neighborhood within metropolitan Birmingham (Roebuck, Norwood, Mountain Brook, Homewood, etc.) will one day be filled with people of many races, religions and interests but all united behind solid political leadership — leadership that truly works for the good of the entire metropolitan Birmingham-Hoover area.

Willie T. Grant: I would like to see a greater unity and bonding among the races and cultural communities. The efforts of the leaders of the city to take on some of the major challenges and work to overcome them.

Lyord Watson Jr.: What I like about Birmingham is that it is a city with a small town feel. I never want to lose that feeling about the area. But, I would like to see Birmingham’s image improve. I want to hear more about the ethical busness men and women who are doing positive things in the community. I want to Birmingham to have the capcity to compete for midsize conventions and trade shows. I want the city to be clean and be accessible forr people of all income levels.

The wildest dream I have for Birmingham is that everybody has hope. No matter what level of income or education; no matter race or gender; and no matter profession. The belief that, despite one’s current circumstances, things will get better will give the people of the Birmingham metro area the energy and focus to continue to make positve steps to improving Birmingham.
We need people and communities to work together and be more inclusive.

Caroline Downing: The sense of community, I think the fact that Birmingham boasts the largest Kiwanis Club, the second largest Rotary and the largest Jr. League in the world is a testament to our commitment to community involvement and networking.

Terry Ackley: We have the richness of a multi-cultural community and the feel of a “small” big town. I would like to see that in the future governmental agencies work well together and governmental leadership have true friendships with each other and work together with the benefit of the whole community in mind.

Lawrence Conaway: In the next 50 years? Wow! I can imagine our community being progressive and highly competitive with other communities of similar size in the nation. I can imagine a more unified community where our diversity is our strength and not our weakness. And, I can imagine a friendly, caring,and sharing community. I love the Southern hospitality in Birmingham and hope we never lose it.

Katrina Marshall: I love the friendliness and welcoming nature of the city and hope this continues over the decades. The moment that I arrived, I felt connected because so many people reached out to me.

Sharon Elam: I love the diversity of the city. My wildest dream is that our community will work together for the good of all and that we will show respect for all people regardless of race or economic status.

Robert Rex Record: I love that as we have grown, we have retained a small town feel. So many of our “peer” cities are impersonal – not Birmingham. My dream is that we would be the model city for eliminating poverty.

Hugh Hunter: I hope that the people of Birmingham do not lose their ability to be compassionate and understanding of one another and that we can amplify the basic goodness that says you must first give to receive. My wildest dream is that we find a way to make it possible to have good leadership in government.

Tree Davidson: I feel like Birmingham truly has a “community” of people who want to see this city grow and succeed. Many of those people recognize where that starts and how important it is to invest in the next generation. There is a tradition of giving and a generosity that our community has that I have not heard of elsewhere. I feel like there is a definite push towards making this city great.

I would love to see reliable, clean, green mass transit. As the city grows, our commutes get longer and longer. So many of our clients depend on the mass transit system and it needs to grow so that they can get to where the jobs are.

Table tale shows how one family’s ending gives new start

As part of our 50th anniversary, we keep talking about ways to love our community, to love and appreciate the things that are great and to do what we can, with time, talent and treasure, to love and serve this place we call home.

This week, the tale of a table provides a metaphor for how one family showed its love to another family they will never meet, creating a small but significant legacy to help someone else on life’s journey. In this case, the table was part of an estate, no longer needed by the out-of-state beneficiaries. Thanks to a phone call from a local attorney and a connection through the Community Foundation, that table today is serving a family of five as they recover from the loss of their home in a fire.

Community Furniture Bank is the nonprofit organization that made the connection, as they regularly do for people who are downsizing or clearing out a parent’s home, filled with furniture that is no longer needed. As executive director Chris Yarboro explained, this single home yielded rooms full of furniture, along with 25 boxes of goods such as dishes and flatware.

“Just imagine how many families that will help, as they start their new lives,” Yarboro said.

The table quickly went into inventory in the CFB warehouse and was waiting when the woman came in, ready to move back into a permanent home. Today, the table is part of this new family, bringing hope in hard times.

Read more about how Community Furniture Bank helps people make the transition into permanent housing by supplying essentials for living, everything from table to beds and other basics. There are so many ways to love our community — and this is a great one, by helping one another during our lifetime or as a legacy after we’re gone.

Our community’s natural beauty inspires people to imagine

When we listen to people who love our community, they often talk about the natural beauty that surrounds us — the ridges and the valleys, the trees, the rivers and trails so easy to access. What better place than the great outdoors to let your imagination go wild and think about the great things we can all do together to make our future bright.

Beth Young: I love the closeness of rivers to canoe and trails to hike, would like more trails and canoe access. Do not want more sprawl and more roads but rather an investment in mass transit and to see the expressway buried.
Trish Coghlan: I love the beauty of the area with all the trees and the generosity of the people
Babbie Shelton: I love the beauty of our landscape, our four seasons, our biodiversity and our appreciation for all these things as seen in the Three Parks project. I also appreciate our medical center and excellent private hospitals. I appreciate our strong commitment to volunteerism for the improvement of our community.
My wildest dream would be that all children would have access to early childhood education with quality teachers and strong parental involvement. Perhaps we could develop an instructional program for parents of infants, as in a Harlem, NY, enterprise called “baby college.”
Cindy Lowry: I imagine a walkable, bikeable community with vibrant natural parks, healthy air, and healthy rivers that are central to the communities they serve. I imagine a city that retains its Southern charm and its small town feel while attracting a broad, diverse group of citizens who call Birmingham home. I also imagine a community with strong, effective local government and business leaders who truly look out for the needs of the citizens and the common good.
Patricia Mattison: I imagine a walkable community where people from all over the region flood downtown to hang out at local shops, restaurants, and parks. I hope we never lose the topographical beauty and human capital.
Nancy Wagnon: I imagine a crystal clear river running through our city in front of 8th Avenue North, parallel to the Railroad Park green space with 1st Avenue South in between. It will provide a balanced bustling city life with a work/live center.
Joyce Lanning: I hope that we will become a mecca for the new green energy economy – that ever person will have a home, and every home will be energy-efficient and be a net producer of clean energy that is fed back to a smart grid. I hope we don’t lose what is left of our greenspace and can increase it.
Jenny Dorgan: Bike lanes and bike safety awareness,widespread recycling and composting opportunities, clean air as a birthright for our children, access to outdoors for families, economic and environmental justice, progressive leadership, quality education for all, urban revitalization, homes for the homeless, low impact developments protective of waterways, effective public transportation, urban gardens in empty lots and on rooftops downtown, widespread energy and water efficiency and conservation measures, safe streets and neighborhoods, no feral domestic animals on the streets, the list could go on and on…

So why don’t you share what you think?

Transit plans could win stimulus funding, fulfill dreams

Good news surfaced this week for fans of improved mass transit, including many people who have shared their dreams for a brighter future on this Imagine blog. Whether you care about economic development, access to great entertainment or a way to create a greener community, recent news about prospects for funding the In-Town Transit Partnership Project brought some encouragement.

According to an announcement June 25, the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham will seek federal funding for a transit system that would center on Birmingham’s 18th Street corridor and connect to nearby neighborhoods. Check out the video on the RPC website (labeled In-Town Transit Partnership Project Video) for more about how this Bus Rapid Transit Line would operate — it sounds just like what we imagine!

Money for the project’s initial study and construction — an estimated $65 million — would come from the federal stimulus package, under a competitive grant application process for funding specifically designated for Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery, or TIGER. RPC is working now to prepare and submit the application by the September deadline, with a decision expected by January 2010 on whether the funding will be available for this project.

That’s not the end of the story, of course, since estimates are that the system would cost $6.5 million a year to operate. No match is required to receive the funding, according to RPC’s Charles Ball, but local funds will be needed moving forward as well as an effective way to run the system moving forward.

So, keep watching for updates and encourage area leaders as they work together to make this happen. We’ll be doing the same, as part of our commitment to what people say they want in our community — more effective mass transit, and all the other great things that come with that.

‘Philanthropist’ takes big word for charity, makes TV show

Did anyone watch “The Philanthropist” on Wednesday night? We heard so many comments before the fact, such as, “The Philanthropist is to charitable giving as The Pink Panther is to police work.”

At least this is a way for people to get to know this large-sized word for what many people refer to as charitable giving.

Whether you like the premise or not, this is definitely a way to call attention to the importance of giving back to our community, here at home or across the world. Like the movie, “The Ultimate Gift,” it brings attention to an important facet of our society that doesn’t often get the “star” treatment.

Do the philanthropists we know look or act like “billionaire playboy Teddy Rist,” as he is described in one review? Not really. Plus, as a community foundation, we are focused more on an initiative like building healthy lifestyles for local citizens rather than delivering vaccines to an African village.

What all true philanthropists, charitable people, caring individuals and families — whatever you call it — have in common is compassion for others. If a TV show can highlight that virtue, we can work out the rest, and use the occasion to tell our own stories of people doing good because they care and because they can.

It’s hot outside, but imagining is cool

What are your wishes for our community? We are still gathering responses, and we especially appreciate comments from people who are already committed to doing their part for our community, including representatives of our nonprofit partners.

We recently surveyed people who were part of our 50th anniversary celebration, asking them what they liked about the May 11 event as well as for their thoughts about the strengths of our community and what they imagine for our shared future. Here are some thoughtful answers:

Mike Morgan: There is a great sense of community among the participants in these meetings. Would like to see that sense filter to the surrounding city and county government officials. Might help us get to the next level of governmental cooperation and efficiency.
Leigh Laser Collins: Walkability and bikeability…pedestrian-friendly and bike-friendly communities. Quality education for ALL of Birmingham’s children. Emphasis on physical activity and arts opportunities for ALL.
Buddy Palmer: A prominent role for arts and culture in the economic development, community development and political realms.
Wendy Jackson: A green walkable livable city filled with parks, art and well-educated people.
George Culver: I envision terrific, top 10% schools, safe neighborhoods, a supported and flourishing arts community, a dome centerpiece downtown with I-20 below park level, a sense of one/we’re-in-this-together among all municipalities of region, a facilitating beltway around the city, visionary government leaders, economic opportunities for all our citizens.

From anonymous contributors:
– Healthy environment/clean drinking water. Public transportation/light rail system. Less crime. Ethical/responsive/intelligent/progressive city leaders.
– Openness and willingness to engage. Natural heritage.
– I love that this community is full of people who want to give back, go above and beyond, and make a difference in the lives of others. From recreation, to education, to shelters, to counseling to the arts, etc… this community is willing to give so that various worthwhile causes can be used to help this community be grow and be successful.

What are we going to do with all these great ideas and the ones we’ve been gathering for the past year? Stay tuned by following us on Twitter, becoming a Facebook fan, contacting Jan Bell or check our website.