
Photo by Neal Embry.
John Henley, second from the left, and other volunteers make pancakes for guests at the 2018 Breakfast with Santa event at the civic center.
When John Henley and his wife, Gina, moved to Vestavia Hills in 2002, they made a conscious decision to be involved in the city.
It’s a commitment they have both fulfilled. The couple is heavily involved at their church, St. Elias Maronite Church, have helped run community events, and been involved in community boards, city leadership and other organizations.
“It’s hard to sit on the sidelines,”John Henley said.
The couple, like many others in Vestavia, moved to the city for the Vestavia Hills school system. Gina joined the PTO, and John joined the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce in 2003 before taking part in Leadership Vestavia Hills from 2005 to 2006.
At that point, John was working for a company that sent him all over the country. He declined an offer to move to New Jersey seven times, he said.
In 2010, John opened a State Farm business and was also a charter member of the Sunrise Rotary club in the city. Two years later, he filled the unexpired term of a City Council member and then ran for a full term and won.
While John said he wasn’t planning to be on the City Council, he said people encouraged him and asked him to run. That same year, the city switched to a council-manager form of government, and John is proud of that.
“The best decision I made as a part of the City Council is being part of the council that hired Jeff Downes,”he said.
John also was part of the group that laid the groundwork for the Community Spaces Plan, a massive infrastructure initiative to improve the city.
“It was exciting for me to look at, number one, putting a plan together and having that come as a reality,” he said.
Gina has been involved in multiple civic organizations. She helped organize the Dogwood Luncheon for the Beautification Board, has served on various PTOs and the Vestavia Hills City Schools Foundation, and has served as vice chairwoman of education for the chamber.
While she said she originally started volunteering to help her own children, she learned to help others and enjoys getting to know people in the community. “If you help the whole community, you help your family,” she said.
Gina, who recently moved from a part-time position to a full-time one with St. Vincent’s Hospital, said she chose to make time to volunteer.
“It’s like anything. You find time for it,” Gina said. “You find a way for it.”
John currently serves as the chairman of the board for the Chamber of Commerce, which he said has been “interesting” in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“That’s been a tough thing,” John said. “We called our members to ask what we could do personally.”
Being on the chamber board and making sure it is thriving is an important task, he said. “It’s important for us to support local business and communities.”
At his own business, John said he has been able to work remotely and has made sure he and his team are still available to meet with customers.
Most days, John is out his front door by 8 a.m., and he works to ensure he meets his chamber responsibilities as well, whether that’s attending a ribbon cutting or a meeting. “There is no typical day,” he said.
But all of the work is worth it, he said, especially when he gets to the end of the day and realizes he made a difference.
John also can be found serving pancakes at the annual “Breakfast with Santa” event, which now serves more than 600 plates a year, he said.
“It’s just the satisfaction of seeing something happen,” John said. “I get a lot of joy out of seeing people happy when things come together.”
Karen Odle, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, said she has known John for a long time.
“I’ve always enjoyed working with him,” Odle said. “He’s level-headed and thoughtful.”
If there’s anything that needs to be done for the chamber, Odle said John is there to step up to the plate.
John also has been involved in coaching softball and announcing games for the high school team. He said he enjoyed getting to coach his daughters and other young girls.
“It was a lot of fun,” he said. “It’s interesting to coach girls who are just learning how to play softball.”
For the past five years, he served as the voice of the Lady Rebels softball team.
“It has been a great deal of fun to see all of the players come through the program and finish at the high school,” he said.
The Henleys helped start the Citizens of the Year event, hosted each year by Leadership Vestavia Hills. This year, however, they took center stage, being named citizens of the year.
“We never would have thought we’d be recognized,” John said.
John also spoke fondly of being the 2013 recipient of the Scotty McCallum Leadership Award. “That was a very humbling day to receive that award,” he said.
John said while he isn’t planning on running for City Council again, he does plan to keep working for State Farm and to continue to be as involved in city leadership as long as he is able.
“I don’t see myself ever retiring.”