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Having grown near Helena and seen it develop over the years, it was no question for the Lavies family when they decided to move back for good to raise their children.

Renee Lavies moved to the city when she was 8 years old and attended Helena Elementary School, but later attended Riverchase and Pelham due to the fact that there was no middle or high school in the city. Her husband, Briton, grew up in Inverness, but lived in Alabaster during his teenage years. They met as teenagers in Helena in 2002 through mutual friends.

The couple has three children in their family—Adelaide, age 10, Sadie, age 6 and Indy, age 2. They also have one dog in Sally, who is 9 years old.

Renee believes the strong sense of community is what makes them love Helena. The Lavies family has connected with many incredible families through their neighbors, school communities and sports teams. They also love raising their children through the city’s close-knit environment.

The family as a whole loves being outdoors for various things in Helena. Adelaide and Sadie both spend a lot of time cheering passionately for Helena’s youth football teams. The entire family loves going for a walk or going to the park just to hang out. Briton is also an avid runner and enjoys running throughout the city.

Renee adds that seeing Helena grow has been amazing, watching it add three additional schools since her childhood, something that was hard to imagine in the 1990s when it was such a small town.