Photo by Karim Shamsi-Basha.
KultureCity
KultureCity founder Julian Maha is pictured with his son, Juda.
Winner:
KultureCity
Providing services and awareness for families affected by autism
When Vestavia resident Julian Maha’s son Abram was diagnosed with autism at age 2, the future suddenly became uncertain.
While able to voice his wants and needs, Abram was unable to carry on a regular conversation.
Instead of sitting idle, Maha and his wife, who both work in the medical field, were fueled by a desire to make life better for their son. They realized that a network for families with autism did not currently exist and decided to take action.
“I said, ‘Let’s change the culture,’” said Maha. “With the help of social media, it spread like wildfire. “
KultureCity was recently named as Vestavia Voice’s Cause of the Year. Run from Maha’s Vestavia Hills home, the group has now reached hundreds of families across the world and received a 2014 Top-Rated Nonprofit Award.
Their goal is to give families the tools they need while also educating the wider community on effects of autism.
“There is a fundamental difference between awareness and acceptance,” said Maha. “Awareness always gives you an out. Acceptance does not.”
Over the last two years, KultureCity has helped more than 12,900 families, mailed out 3,246 toys, given out 286 iPads, sent out 204 weighted blankets and provided 20 children with therapy scholarships.
Project descriptions are listed below.
KultureArts
The goal of KultureArts is to expose children and their families and expose them to art, music and horse therapy.
Toys AUcross America
Toys AUcross America was started by KultureCity father Michael Miller and his son Jonathan. The goal is to find each child the perfect toy.
TABLET:kulture
KultureCity equips children with either iPads or Kindle Fires to foster the development of language and assist in communication.
Therapy:KULTURE
Through a partnership with Thrive Behavioral Services in Alabama, they ensure children get the help they need.
Ourhope:KULTURE
In the winter of 2013, Maha heard of an orphanage in Uganda that received no government assistance and was solely supported by an occupational therapist named Jenny Taylor from Birmingham. Maha decided to bring Home of Hope into the KultureCity family in June 2014.
Blanket:KULTURE
Weighted blankets have long been popular for calming children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The idea is that the weight provides gentle, deep pressure that helps calm the child and thus help in the sleep disturbances that are common among those with autism.
Each blanket is weight specific and can often cost $75 and above. Partnering with Cyndi Frisch, the owner of A Thread of Magic, KultureCity provides free weighted blankets.
Sensory Box
For families with a child who has autism, going out to eat can be a traumatic experience because of the sensory overload the child experiences.
That’s why KultureCity introduced the sensory box, a box restaurants have on hand that contains iPads, noise-canceling headphones, toys and more. Two restaurants currently use the sensory box; one is located in Boston and the other is Post Office Pies in Birmingham.
April KultureCity events
April 4- Atlanta Hawks KultureCity Day
April 18-WODism for Autism, Over The Mountain Crossfit Vestavia
April 19-Donohoo Auto Spring Fling
April 24-Alys Stephens Sensory Friendly Dance Performance
For more, visit kulturecity.org.
Photo by Katie Turpen.
Help the Hills
Help the Hills committee members are Shera Grant, Tracy Davis, Julie Ellis, Charlie Shah, Shanta Owens, David Martin and Jennifer Philpot. Not pictured: Dan Pahos, Ryan Ferrell.
Runner Up:
Help the Hills
Leadership Vestavia Hills is making a sizable impact with its Help the Hills campaign.
Readers recently voted the initiative as Vestavia Voice’s Community Cause of the Year Runner Up.
The campaign started as a 2011-2012 LVH class project and has since transitioned into a series of community forums with the goal of fostering open dialogue with parents, educators, and community leaders about drug abuse.
“We want to remove judgment and blame from the conversation,” said Help the Hills board member Julie Ellis.
In August and January, Help the Hills hosted town hall meetings at Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church. VHHS graduate Brad Blount shared his story of heroin addiction. Leaders from the board of education, the police department and the Jefferson County Drug Court also spoke.
In January, Addiction Prevention Coalition Executive Director Sandor Cheka presented the city of Vestavia Hills with the Community Impact Award, honoring the city for its efforts in fighting substance abuse.
On April 7, Help the Hills will host a session with parents and children at VHUMC. Dr. Stephen Taylor will be the speaker. For the past 19 years, Dr. Taylor has worked as a licensed, board-certified general, child/adolescent and addiction psychiatrist. He is also certified by the American Board of Addiction Medicine as a specialist in addiction medicine.
For more about Help the Hills, visit leadershipvestaviahills.com.
