Vestavia lends a helping hand

From Girl Scouts to local church groups, around 300 Vestavia Hills residents took part in Helping Hands in the Hills on Sept. 12.

Helping Hands is an annual service day put together by the Chamber of Commerce. Chamber President Karen Odle said around 270 people signed up to volunteer in advance, but more people walked up that morning and asked to be given a service assignment.

A few of the participating teams included: Cahaba Heights Girl Scout Troop 181, Vestavia Baptist Church members, Chamber members and students from Pizitz Middle School’s new service club. Kellie Wigley, the 7th grade counselor at Pizitz, said she hopes the service club can take part in multiple volunteer projects each school year.

The projects ranged from picking up litter at Wald Park and along roads to spreading pine straw at the Civic Center and repainting the New Merkle House. An e-recycle and shredding service was at Wald Park all morning. A few groups also volunteered to do yardwork for local senior citizens, and HEAL (Healthy Eating Active Living) partnered with Vestavia students to place “HEAL-approved” stickers on healthy menu options at Sol Azteca.

At the end of the event, volunteers gathered at Wald Park for a cookout lunch courtesy of Western Supermarket.