By Sue S. Johnson

A  friend of Big Brothers Big Sisters is celebrating their 25th Anniversary! The Alabama Power Foundation has been a source of support and friendship to more than 700 community organizations annually. Since its inception, the foundation has awarded more than 20,000 grants and scholarships to Alabama nonprofits, education institutions and community organizations with an approximate $150 million invested across the state.
The Alabama Power Foundation has been a longtime friend and supporter of Big Brothers Big Sisters through its many annual grants to assist children in our program. Recently BBBS expanded into Shelby County to meet the needs of the children there and Alabama Power Foundation responded with a grant to help us get started. They also provided us a large capital campaign gift that helped us purchase and renovate our current building. In addition, Alabama Power has provided volunteers to participate in our Bowl For Kids’ Sake Bowl-A-Thon annually, has provided volunteers to serve as Big Brothers Big Sisters mentors and has also provided a corporate level Board member, Ceila Shorts, to serve on our Board of Directors.
Alabama Power Foundation is a true friend to the over 10,000 children served in the past 40 years at Big Brothers Big Sisters. Most of the children who receive Big Brother or Big Sister mentors are living in single parent families and are at high-risk for dropping out of school, drug and alcohol abuse, getting involved with gangs and making overall bad choices in their lives. With help from positive mentors and role models these children are making better decisions, staying away from drugs, not getting involved in gangs and not dropping out of school, which impacts our community as a whole on so many levels.
I commend Alabama Power Foundation for their generosity, sense of community caring, and overall good will shown to the citizens of Alabama. Congratulations on your Anniversary and God-speed for the next 25!
Sincerely,
Sue S. Johnson
Birmingham