Helping hand: Civic activities coordinator reflects on 32 years of service

When Vestavia Hills Mayor Ashley Curry’s daughter, who is disabled, wanted to play softball when she was growing up, Curry reached out to Julie Harper, the city’s civic activities coordinator.

Harper helped the family find a team, and Curry’s daughter played, including for two years on crutches. The kind act motivated Curry to want to give back later in life, and he has now served both on the Vestavia Hills Parks and Recreation Board and as the city’s mayor.

Harper has made a life out of asking, “How can I help?”

When she and her husband moved to Vestavia about 40 years ago, Harper began volunteering in different places throughout the city, including on the Beautification Board.

There, Harper helped redesign the Dogwood Festival and helped with other civic events in the city. Soon, then-Mayor Sara Wuska asked her to become the city’s civic activities coordinator.

At the end of 2019, after 32 years in that role, Harper retired.

“It was really fun,” Harper said. “I was ready for a change.”

Harper began focusing on various civic events throughout the city, but her focus primarily centered on senior adults, a large percentage of the city’s population. Continuing “National Senior Citizens Day,” Harper began inviting the governor to speak, as well as working to grow the event.

She also helped, along with many other residents, start a senior dance group in Vestavia, with senior citizens meeting each Monday night at a local lodge for live music and dancing, a practice that continues today.

“We were really the only dance in town,” Harper said. “The goal was to build activities there [at the lodge].”

Harper said the lodge was the idea of then-Mayor C. Pat Reynolds, who, Harper recalled, campaigned on the idea of creating a meeting place for seniors within the city.

Harper also worked to enhance children’s programs, met with various groups around the city and worked closely with city leadership to implement city plans. She was also the first driver for Wuska’s senior transportation program, which continues today.

“Each day is always so different,” Harper said.

Most importantly, Harper said, the role allowed her to fulfill the dreams of Vestavia residents.

“You’re saying ‘yes’ to the public; you’re helping them create their dreams,” Harper said.

Harper was able to take Vestavia’s senior citizens all over the world, from the Caribbean to the Passion Play in Arkansas to England.

When Pearl River was built in neighboring Mississippi, however, senior citizens and others wanted to travel there for their fun, Harper said. “There was a clamor to go over there,” she said.

Her best memories are made up of the times where she was able to help others actualize their dreams and desires, Harper said. She also enjoyed planning bus trips and taking part in various events in the city.

Harper even learned how to drive the bus. She earned her commercial driver’s license, which pleased her mother, whom Harper said was of the opinion that people need to learn how to do many different things.

While Harper had her license, she benefited from the combined wisdom of seniors on a few occasions when the bus would suffer fl at tires.

“The group on the bus was so helpful … so it worked out OK,” Harper said.

One year, Harper helped plan a Santa breakfast and was able to find the best “Santa’s helper” in town: Butch Zaragoza, the former mayor of Vestavia who served before Curry.

“He was so good with those children,” Harper said.

Harper praised the relationship between the city and the Vestavia Hills school system, which allowed her to sell tickets to the breakfast in the classroom.

“We try to be good neighbors,” Harper said.

Harper said she has seen the city grow over the years, and while the city has certainly changed, there’s still a need for volunteers who want to give back to their city as she did. “I feel like everybody counts,” she said.

Curry said he has enjoyed seeing Harper give back to other people in the community.

“I’ve always been impressed with the passion she had, particularly for the seniors,” Curry said. “I can’t say enough good about that.”

Curry said Harper’s willingness to continue volunteering after retiring “speaks volumes to her care and concern.”

Harper said she will take some time to figure out what to do next, admitting she is kind of slow in making decisions, but, whatever she does next, she said she knows she’ll still be volunteering somewhere in Vestavia, asking what she can do to help. She is already fielding calls from people asking her to lend a hand, she said.

“They’re not going to let me go.”