The Children’s Hospital of Alabama is growing.

And like a proud mama marking the doorway when her child grows another inch,

Birmingham has every right to beam with pride.

I had the opportunity to tour our Children’s Hospital of Alabama this week along with several other other area media sources and bloggers.

Miracles

On Fox 6 News, they just reported a little girl, age 10, was hit by a car in Chilton County. She was flown to Children’s Hospital of Alabama. My heart just sank. According to sources, the child is in serious condition. Right now, there is a family in worry. There is a community in shock. And there is a little girl who may be fighting for her life.

Yesterday, as part of the tour, Birmingham Mommy founder and Blogger, Trish Bogdanchik, and I shared a helicopter ride. We may have rode in the same helicopter that carried this little girl to life saving services just a few hours ago. Looking at our Magic City from a few thousand feet up makes our community seem so small yet I know each person on the streets and in cars below are unique and loved by someone. I met the crew of the Lifesaver and the Critical Care Transport that may have held been the very people to administer care and compassion to the daughter of some worried parents and citizens of Chilton County.  I can offer prayer and thoughts for this family, along with a strong confidence that she is in the best, most professional care with them.

Our next stop was to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). It is where the smallest of the small Alabamians are cared for with the best technology and a most compassionate staff. Among the beeps of machines slept our fragile fellow citizens. As I was walking away, I notice a beautiful baby boy a few days maybe weeks old, open his eyes and smile as to wake up from a beautiful dream. He is someone’s son and grandson. His dreams are just beginning as he grows each day, learning and playing. He may be a husband and father one day, a Civic leader, a President, a Doctor or Teacher. His body is tiny now but I believe that the staff at Children’s Hospital looks at child and see the potential of a life full of love and laughter.  They know miracles happen and these tiny souls remind them each day what life is really about: love.

Milestones

Children’s Hospital begin as a mission for a small group of Episcopalian men and women gathered to form the Holy Innocents Hospital Association Inc., under the patronage of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Alabama Diocese. The year was 1911 and the original hospital was actual a small frame residential home converted to fit 12 beds and be used as a hospital.

In the 1920′s, with the huge help of the United Way,  it hit a milestone and grew to 60 beds and an outpatient clinic.

In the 1950′s Children’s Hospital of Alabama saw another tremendous growth adding more beds and establishing surgical facilities, free clinics, and an outpatient ward.

Each growth was brought on by challenges but with community and businesses helping, each challenge was met with required monies, volunteers, and growth.

Since the beginning, Children’s Hospital of Alabama has experienced growth spurts, much like the children who have grown up with the care from the staff of Children’s Hospital.

Magic City

Here we grow again!

Under the direction and leadership of CEO Mike Warren, Children’s Hospital of Alabama is hitting another remarkable growth spurt. With the addition of new facilities, utilizing the top medical care professionals in the country, and the generous donations of the businesses, charitable foundations, private organizations, and citizens, Children’s Hospital of Alabama will be able to provide more services, comfort, and state of the art facilities to our future leaders.

Children’s Hospital of Alabama also recognizes the family as a the #1 caregiver of our children. By incorporating family care, education, counseling, and concern to the entire family system that surrounds the sick or injured child, Children’s Hospital of Alabama is strengthening our Magic City families.

Giving Opportunity.

As Potential Birmingham continues to promote the possibilities of giving thanks, there are so many ways to become involved in Children’s Hospital of Alabama’s volunteer services.  Please check out http://volunteer.chsys.org/ for a variety of ways to continue the Miracles, Milestones, and Magic City’s growth.

30 Day Giving Challenge

A small but very effective and needed gift is a gift card for the families of the children who are staying at Children’s Hospital. A simple gift card with a few dollars or more will allow families in crisis to purchase incidentals like toothbrushes and other things they may not have access too ,especially in cases where the family has been involved in an emergency situation.

For more information, please see the Children’s Hospital of Alabama Website.

Do Small Things with Great Love

Potential Birmingham 30 Day Giving Challenge

Did you know that Birmingham Alabama

has one largest Veteran’s Day

celebrations in the United States?

Behind the family pictures, the Christening gowns, bronze shoes, and various other family mementoes in my Grandmother’s cedar chest is the an original D-Day Edition of the Birmingham News. It is more valuable to us than any jewels or antiques. It is the story of our family. It sums up the years of two Woodlawn residents who said prayers each night to each other, a world away, allowing the moon and sun to guide them to each other. My grandmother, caring for the home and her daughters, my mom and Aunt. And my grandfather, serving in the Navy and stationed somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.

Time marches on but the sound of the train arriving at the Birmingham Terminal and the complete silence as the train unloaded the wooden, flag draped caskets are a vivid memory to my mother, 66 years later.

Giving Challenge #2 is simple. Thank A Veteran!

This Thursday, you will have a chance

to say thank you in so many ways.

You can learn more about Veteran’s Day Event in Birmingham by simply clicking this link: http://www.nationalveteransday.org/

One thing we try to do as a family, each year, is take our daughter’s to the Veteran’s Day Parade in Downtown Birmingham. I give each of my daughter’s a flag and they proudly wave them at the brave men and women of our military. Several times during the parade, you can hear the “thank yous” being shouted across the heavy stream of military vehicles and marching soldiers.

Also, another way to give during this challenge is to properly display your American flag. To learn more about Patriotic Customs, please refer to this link: http://www.nationalveteransday.org/customs.htm

And take time to THANK A VETERAN!

Do Small Things with Great Love

Potential Birmingham 30 Days of Giving