I hope everyone is settled into the “back to school” routine. I recently attended a PTO council meeting and once again I was impressed with the number of Vestavia Hills parents that volunteer for leadership positions with our PTOs. I remember from my days as treasurer for the Central Elementary PTO that we had 100 percent participation. That commitment by our parents contributes to the success of our school system. Thank you PTO for all that you do.
This past month, we honored our senior citizens with National Senior Citizens Day. This day was created as a day to support, honor and show appreciation to our seniors and to recognize their achievements. Our seniors also play a crucial role in the vitality of our services and quality of life activities for senior citizens.
Speaking of our seniors, we had a very successful “Crimes against the Elderly” conference this past month. This informational seminar was taped by our library technical staff and will be made available for citizens through the city’s website. Soon we will be hosting an event to address computer-related crimes. Information about this will be forthcoming.
In November, the city will have two separate events to honor our veterans. The first will be held on Nov. 8 at Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church. This event will feature the VHHS band (brass ensemble), the VHHS Honors Choir and other entertainment. Our guest speaker will be retired Maj. Gen. Paulette Risher. The second event will be held on Nov. 9 at the New Merkel House. This event will feature Della Fancher-Smith of the Alabama Veterans Memorial. These two events are intended to pay tribute to the men and women that have served in all branches of the military, Coast Guard and the U.S. Merchant Marine. Please join us at these events as we salute our veterans.
As you know, Vestavia Hills has partnered with Homewood, Mountain Brook and Hoover in the newly formed Freedom from Addiction Coalition (FFAC). We began a series of awareness breakfast meetings in March of this year. The next breakfast meeting is being hosted by Hoover on Oct. 9 at 7:30 a.m. at the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. This event, like the previous ones, will attempt to raise awareness about the opioid epidemic that is sweeping our cities, our state and the nation.
With the assistance of our Vestavia Hills FFAC Advisory Board, I have prepared an “Addiction Resource Guide.” The purpose of this brochure is to help individuals, parents or loved ones in need of assistance with drug or alcohol addiction. This resource guide will be made available through our schools, library, police and fire departments and at city hall. It is our hope that raising awareness and providing ready access to resources will curb the high incidence of drug abuse.
