By Erica Wright
The Birmingham Times
Thanks to Workshops Empowerment Inc. (WE Inc.), Corenza Smith, who had an on-again-off-again work history for several years, has secured steady employment and even won awards for her work.
“In 2015, I left WE Inc. and got a steady job with [Birmingham-based] Community Cleaning and Maintenance. In 2016, my job named me employee of the year,” she said. “[That same year, Alabama] Gov. Kay Ivey gave me an award for the district of Birmingham as employee of the year. … That was very special to me.”
WE Inc., a nonprofit organization based in Birmingham’s Avondale community, offers a broad range of vocational rehabilitation services geared toward helping people with disabilities become employed. It also offers programs to serve those reentering society from prison or rehabilitation facilities and those who have been out of work over a long period of time.
By Sydney Melson
The Birmingham Times
A number of Birmingham organizations are fighting to prevent and end homelessness in the metro area and provide services for a vulnerable population especially in the midst of a pandemic.
Here are three:
JIMMIE HALE MISSION
JHM has implemented big changes to its recovery program in the past year, said Executive Director Michael Coleman.
“When I came in a year ago, our program was basically a book that taught people how to recover from addiction. It was kind of a self-paced thing, and we didn’t even have anyone on site that was certified in addiction recovery,” he said.
By Sydney Melson and Erica Wright
The Birmingham Times
COVID-19 vaccination sites are opening around Jefferson County, and growing numbers of citizens are receiving shots but some wonder whether the homeless population is being overlooked.
“It is incredibly important that the homeless population is not forgotten,” said Anne Wright Rygiel, executive director of the Firehouse Ministries, a homeless shelter that has provided services to the Birmingham community since 1983. “This is still congregate living and housing. … We’re all grouped together, and we do the best we can.”
Having a COVID-19 vaccination plan is extremely important for area emergency shelters, said Gordon Sullivan, Director of Operations for One Roof, the umbrella organization for agencies fighting to prevent and end homelessness in the Birmingham metro area. “Even with social distancing and mask wearing, there is still a risk of viral spread among our most vulnerable citizens experiencing homelessness
By Barnett Wright
The Birmingham Times
When Dr. Jesse J. Lewis Sr. was a student with the school newspaper at Miles College in Fairfield, Alabama, just outside of Birmingham, he went for the one interview that no Black journalist would ever consider: Alabama Gov. George Wallace, the virulent segregationist.
“[Wallace] had never given a Black person an interview,” Lewis said. “I called [his office] one afternoon, and he answered the phone. I told him who I was and what I wanted. He said, ‘I don’t have my schedule, but call me tomorrow before 12.’ I called him the next day and talked to his secretary. He told her I was going to call. I was shocked, and he gave me an interview.”
By Barnett Wright
The Birmingham Times
Legendary businessman Dr. Jesse J. Lewis Sr. smoothly makes the 20-minute drive from Birmingham’s historic Smithfield neighborhood, where he lives, to the Roebuck Municipal Golf Course on a chilly late January morning, two weeks after his 96th birthday.
Once at the course which he leases from the city of Birmingham, one of his numerous business endeavors he cranks up one of the golf carts, loads his bag of clubs and drivers, and heads to a nearby hole where he puts his ball-striking skills on display. It doesn’t take long for him or the cold winter sun to warm up. Soon the man known as “Doc” is sinking putt after putt with the ease of a professional tournament champion.