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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Video captures 50 years in 5 minutes

Give us 5 minutes and we’ll give you 50 years of Community Foundation history, illustrated by the great work of hundreds of area nonprofit organizations.
Filmmaker Mark Hendren put together this videographic representation of our first half century, which was shown at the annual meeting on May 11. It’s a wild ride, thanks to [...]

One newspaper’s view of the Community Foundation

As we look back at a great week after our annual meeting on May 11, one highlight was the editorial in the May 15 edition of The Birmingham News. Their editorial board summarized much of the work and the role of the Community Foundation in a way that we would like to share.
The Viewpoint [...]

Green, eggs and ham — great start to the day

So it’s been a busy week in Lake Wobegon, er, Birmingham, starting with the 50th anniversary annual meeting of the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham. So many people, all kinds, sizes, ages, places – all celebrating the accomplishments of this public endowment and experiencing together 50 Ways to Love Our Community at the reception that [...]

Does anniversary call for new blog name?

Imagine a brighter future — that’s what we have been using as the title for our Imagine blog since we set it up two years ago. The pictures along the top all represent people who have imagined some big things — and made them happen — with the Community Foundation.
We’ve been using this Imagine [...]

Annual meeting brings community together

t certainly felt like the start of something great when the Homewood High School drum line began striking the first notes of their cadence. And, yes, to answer Rebecca Ryan’s question, the great stuff included cake!
At our annual meeting on May 11, we heard from our “official” representatives, board chair Eddie Friend and president Kate [...]

50th anniversary gets front-page coverage

From Sunday’s Birmingham News: A new role for The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham emerged 2½ years ago, as Kathy Stiles Freeland faced a roomful of people who fund nonprofit groups.
“Every chair at the table was filled,” said Freeland, executive director of Ruffner Mountain Nature Center. “The chairs along the wall were filled. It was [...]