Community Member of the Year
Winner:
Kelly Garner
Heroically putting others before himself during the unexpected
One more step. One more breathe. One more mile.
The words sounded inside Kelly Garner’s head as his feet hit pavement during February’s Mercedes Half-Marathon. While a multitude of runners crossed the finish line that rainy Sunday, one man’s victory signified something more.
A second chance at life.
“I’ve learned all it takes is that first step,” said Kelly, who was recently voted Vestavia Voice’s Community Member of the Year.
When notified of his nomination, he said he was simply shocked. It is clear after just a few moments of speaking with him that humility is a central part of his character.
“It was a honor for me to even be on the list with the other nominees,” Kelly said. “This is such a gracious community. Everyone here embodies the word hero.”
He is currently writing a book about the story of the night that changed his life just over a year ago.
On January 28, 2014, a sudden onset of snow turned icy roads into a gridlock across Birmingham. In the days that followed, stories circulated of people stranded at school, work and roadways overnight.
For Kelly, a father of two, his story had a near fatal ending.
After the storm hit that day, Kelly, known for putting others before himself, was helping stranded motorists near the Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market shopping center on U.S. 31.
“I just jumped in and started helping, one car after another,” Garner recalled.
Kelly has been a Type 1 diabetic since he was 9 years old. That’s why his oldest sister, Charlotte Garner Carter, was worried when the family received an unusual call from him repeating the same sentence over and over.
Kelly did not make it home that evening. His Panorama Drive neighbors formed a search team that eventually spotted him at the bottom of a 40-foot-deep ravine near the Library in the Forest the following morning. With the help of the Vestavia Hills Fire Department, Garner was carried out of the ravine.
“It was a team effort in carefully moving him from that forest of trees, large rocks and hilly terrain,” Carter said.
Kelly’s injuries included a broken T8 vertebra, bleeding on the brain, five broken ribs on the left and two on the right, and broken bones in his foot. He was eventually moved to Spain Rehabilitation Center to relearn to walk and fine-tune his motor skills.
His doctors described his recovery as miraculous.
“A lot of people ask about my moments while I was at the bottom of the ravine,” Kelly said. “All I can say is that I couldn’t have found a better rock to land on. It was a big rock, so not so bad really.”
Kelly was invited to be the surprise guest at the UAB Trauma Symposium in November. Several Vestavia Hills medics were in attendance. Dr. Ginger Justice, an instructor at the department of trauma, burns and surgical critical care at UAB, introduced Kelly to the crowd by recalling January’s events.
“What stood out to me was that everyone came together,” said Justice. “There were no frozen hearts in Birmingham that day. But there was one that gave more.”
In October, Kelly ran the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K. In November, he ran the Vulcan Run 10K in downtown Birmingham. February’s Mercedes Half-Marathon marked his biggest achievement to date.
“My goal for these runs was simply to come across the finish line,” Kelly said.
Kelly hopes to announce release date for his book soon, tentatively titled The Night That Changed My Life.
For now, he is focusing on his recovery and teaching one of his sons to drive. He said he is thankful for his second chance at life and to be a part of the Vestavia Hills community.
“The devil pushed me in the pit, but God pulled me out,” Kelly said. “I encourage everyone to live well, laugh often and love much with whatever you do.”
Runner Up:
Joe Perez
Vestavia Hills Rotary Club board member
Through years of volunteering and serving on various local boards and committees, longtime resident Joe Perez has made his mark on the city of Vestavia Hills.
Perhaps that is why recently voted as Vestavia Voice’s Community Member of the Year Runner Up.
He is a board member of Rotary Club of Vestavia Hills, trustee in Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce and a graduate and former board member of Leadership Vestavia Hills. Joe is also an active member of Dawson Family of Faith.
He and his wife, Bonnie, have lived in Vestavia Hills since 1982. They have two sons, Matthew, a 2005 Auburn University gradate, and Michael, a 2010 University of Alabama graduate. Both are VHHS graduates.
Joe has also been involved with Vestavia Hills City Schools. He worked with legendary VHHS Football Coach Buddy Anderson for many years and has also been a substitute teachers throughout the schools. Prior to retiring, Joe worked for BellSouth.
He is now the owner of Wild Birds Unlimited in Hoover on U.S. 31, a retail store stocking supplies for feeding and observing birds.
He enjoys giving back to the greater community through mission. He volunteers for Brother Bryan Mission in downtown Birmingham. The organization seeks to minister to the economically, emotionally and spiritually impoverished men in the Birmingham area.
He said he is proud to represent Vestavia Hills and invest his time in a place he sees as special.
“I am humbled and honored to be on the list with such a fine group of people,” Joe said of his nomination.