Birmingham Energizers supply welcome baskets to families at Red Mountain Grace
Red Mountain Grace offers the gift of hospitality to families staying with a loved one during extended medical treatment in Birmingham. Recently, the Birmingham Chapter of the Energizers assembled 16 gift baskets, including Don Franklin (left), Don Nichols, Doug Page, Buddy Ellison, Suzan Woods, Wayne Lewis, Sara Callahan and Libba Ellison. (Birmingham Energizers)
When someone has an extended hospital stay, the last thing on their family’s minds should be where to lay their head at night.
Enter Red Mountain Grace in Birmingham. During a loved one’s extended hospital stay – oftentimes among life’s most difficult moments – this nonprofit gives families a comfortable place to stay, near top medical facilities in the Magic City.
Members of the Birmingham Division Chapter of the Energizers stepped in last week to make life easier for incoming families to Red Mountain Grace, supplying 10 “welcome baskets” and six laundry baskets with detergent, fabric softener sheets, hand sanitizer and air freshener spray. The welcome baskets were chock-full with snacks, candy, shampoo, lotions, hand soaps, bath gels and socks, including crossword puzzles to keep families occupied in hospital waiting rooms. Energizers topped off welcome baskets with a Publix gift card to help families buy supplies during their away-from-home stay.
Ellison (left) and Lindsey Smith, patient care coordinator at Red Mountain Grace, deliver a gift basket. (Birmingham Energizers)
The gesture was a labor of love, said Libba Ellison, president of the Birmingham Energizers. She recently emailed members of the nonprofit group, made up of Alabama Power and Southern Company retirees in the Birmingham area, and their spouses, with a request for items needed for the baskets.
“During our last meeting, our members brought so many nice things that we were able to fill several baskets,” she said. Members spent about two hours organizing the gifts and assembling the baskets.
“I’ve got a great board. We had eight members, many of them Energizers board members, who got together to work at Alabama Power’s Metro Central Office auditorium,” said Ellison, who, before her 2017 retirement, was an auditor – Business Practices specialist at Alabama Power Corporate Headquarters. “We filled the baskets and delivered them to Red Mountain Grace.”
Providing a home away from home
Red Mountain Grace provides housing to families traveling to Birmingham for long-term medical care, through fully furnished apartments. The nonprofit operates 22 apartments across the Southside area, primarily in downtown Birmingham.
“Our mission is to provide gracious hospitality,” said Austin Hardison, executive director of the nonprofit for three years. “We provide care for our neighbors while they are coming here to receive care. That can be challenging because it looks different for each guest, depending on the treatment that they are receiving and what their needs are.”
Families from throughout the U.S. have found respite at Red Mountain Grace, founded in 2013. On Wednesday, May 3, the nonprofit checked in their 1,000th family. Last year, the organization served 149 families. So far in 2023, Red Mountain Grace has served 74 guests.
Hardison said that units are fully furnished and equipped with pots and pans, dishes, bath towels and linens. They always provide each new family with a “starter kit” that includes a free bag of fresh coffee from Daysol.
Hardison said Red Mountain Grace greatly appreciates the “generous gift” from Birmingham Energizers.
“They provided niceties that help while families are in the waiting room,” Hardison added. “The real kicker was the Publix gift cards, which families can use for unexpected expenses.”
Ellison gives an Energizers donation to Red Mountain Grace Operations Coordinator Natalie Cross. (Birmingham Energizers)
Guests pay $10 a night to stay at Red Mountain Grace apartments. Hardison said about 75% of guests have family members who are receiving medical care at UAB, primarily for cancer treatment; kidney, heart, liver or lung transplants; or ICU stays. Families must live at least 50 miles outside Birmingham and be actively receiving medical care. Guests must stay a minimum of seven nights, but 48 days is the average length of stay.
Red Mountain Grace is not a United Way agency, and relies on donations, grants and financial funding from individuals to operate, Hardison added.
Ellison said the mission of Red Mountain Grace is “near and dear” to Birmingham Energizers’ hearts. She pointed out that an extended hospital stay can put much stress on a family – emotionally and financially – by causing a big dent in family finances at a difficult time.
A few months ago, Hardison spoke to the Birmingham Energizers during a lunch meeting, outlining how the nonprofit helps families in Alabama and beyond.
“Austin Hardison told us about the work of Red Mountain Grace, and this touched a lot of hearts,” Ellison said. “They are just there to help people who need help. During our meetings, we work to offer great speakers that offer valuable information.”
For about three years, Birmingham Energizers has made an annual donation to Red Mountain Grace. At the end of the year, Birmingham Energizers donates to about six charitable groups, from funds given entirely by chapter members. Birmingham Energizers, which has about 100 members, has enjoyed a 15% membership increase during the past quarter. It is one of nine Energizers chapters statewide that have a combined 1,500 volunteer members devoted to serving their communities while enjoying each other’s company.
“We wanted to do something special for Red Mountain Grace – they are so kind to families who come to stay,” Ellison said. “After we took care of this project, we all went to lunch and had good fellowship.”
