Last week, the One Birmingham Service Club kicked off their third annual Love Your Neighbor Week. This fundraiser started in 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. But their main focus isn’t the money—it's the community. It started out as a way to pour back love in the Vestavia community that was hurting due to the pandemic, and the easiest way was to encourage people to do small things with great love.
Each day of the week was themed, giving different focuses for the community. Monday started the week with Know Your Neighbor. The club encouraged reconciliation with your neighbors, whether in learning more about them or doing small acts of kindness. After school, they hosted a card making volunteer opportunity for kids at Children’s Hospital.
Tuesday was Love Your Earth Day. The main focus was protecting our earth and appreciating everything around us. The club sponsored a park cleanup at McCallum with the Boy Scouts to clean up trash around the trails.
Wednesday was Love Our Schools day. Members encouraged teacher appreciation around the school. They created candy goodie bags with cheesy puns as a small gift for all our teachers. Chalk art was drawn outside elementary schools, expanding their influence outside of the highschool.
Thursday was Support Local Day. The club encouraged the community to give back to small businesses and support their endeavors. This could be done either through eating at your favorite restaurant or just treating yourself to a small shopping spree. Though there was no specific business they focused on, they did partner with Taco Mama on September 26th, where part of their proceeds were donated to the club.
The Love Your Neighbor Concert ended the week with a bang. As the sun was setting, there were student-led performances by DJ midnight, Jackson Ruffino, Down 2 Earth, and Charlie Saunders with crazy yo-yo tricks. That night, Wald Park was filled with inflatables, yard games, balloon animals, refreshments, etc. The student body came out together to support these bands and One Birmingham’s cause.
Love Your Neighbor Week has become a staple of the Vestavia community and a major fundraiser for the 1BHAM Club. They will use the money this year for a multitude of service projects that are not exclusively available to club members. Anyone in the community can participate. The money they raised will allow them to partner with local churches and nonprofits to give back to the greater Birmingham area. They hope to “create lasting change by connecting resources to those who need them,” found in their guiding principles. Future projects include food box donations to schools in need and packing lunches for the homeless. You can find more information about upcoming events and service opportunities at their website https://www.onebham.org/home or at their instagram @onebhamclub.
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