Building the Self Esteem of a City

Have you ever gone away on a business trip or for a vacation and been asked by a fellow traveler where you hail from? Did you hesitate before answering, “Birmingham”? If so, you’re in the right place. Lovin’ Birmingham aims to shine a light on all the fantastic people and places that call Birmingham home.

There are so many fantastic things about Birmingham- non-profits improving the lives of people right here at home and around the world, people to be proud of, bars worth buying a plane ticket for, awesome events to attend- the list truly goes on and on.

So here’s a few “make you proud” Birmingham facts for your flight outta town…

Birmingham is home to the world’s largest Kiwanis Club… over 500 of the city’s best and brightest civic and business leaders gather every Tuesday at The Harbert Center to learn more about their community and how to make an impact.

The Junior League of Birmingham is the 5th largest Junior League in the World in terms of membership, falling in line behind the much larger cities of Houston, Dallas, Atlanta and New York. The JLB has been raising much needed funds and providing trained volunteers to Birmingham for 86 years. The League’s next big event is Bargain Carousel, a 1,000+ family garage sale that not only raises money for JLB projects but provides members of the community with a great resource for affordable clothes, furniture, lines, appliances and more. Bargain Carousel is April 25 and 26 at the former Belk location at Century Plaza.

Birmingham Botanical Gardens is home to the Southeast’s largest public horticultural library offering more than 6,000 books, magazines, CDs, DVD’s and teacher resources. The BBG will be hosting their annual plant sale April 16-19. If you love plants or know someone who does, you won’t want to miss this one.

And one last thing… Marquelon Sigler, a local realtor who is featured in Ebony magazine’s annual Top 30 Under 30 list, which highlights emerging leaders in communities large and small. Mr. Sigler is the 4th Birmingham resident to be named to the list since 2001. The list is in the April 2009 issue on newsstands now.

I will try to keep you posted on all the things to love about Birmingham, old and new. If you are reading this and you know of something lovable that I’ve left out, please share with me by leavig a comment below or sending me a quick email at chloeccollins@gmail.com