Residents Making a Difference

"Books for Buddies," a book donation drive started by local-area high school Junior Tage Smith, has gained notice and support from the Birmingham community. Tage started the service project this summer as a way to give back to the community. He selected the first grade classroom at Bennett Elementary School in Southwest Detroit. Tage advertised his efforts on social media and started collecting gently-used and new books in the local area, receiving overwhelming support from the Birmingham community! During the first week of school, Tage was able to deliver over 100 books to the classroom, and has collected many more to be delivered this month!

"Books for Buddies" is committed to collecting books for the entire school year. Donated books are collected, sorted by theme/author/subject and delivered to the classroom by Tage each month. "The focus of my organization is to give our less fortunate youths in the Detroit metropolitan area books to read free of charge. We have adopted a first grade classroom at Bennett Elementary, and our goal is to provide each student with a book a month for the entire school year. This means we are raising funds for and collecting 300 books," said Tage.

If you are interested in finding out more or donating books to this cause, please visit the "Books for Buddies" Facebook page. "We can provide a suggested reading list, but please feel free to suggest your own," he said.

This month, we recognize Birmingham resident and Auxiliary Police Unit Officer Alex Calderone, for his swift, live-saving actions during his neighborhood's block party. The fun-filled day deteriorated from normal to crisis in a matter of minutes. During the party, eight-year-old Violet began to choke on a piece of watermelon. According to Calderone, "Initially, Violet was panicked and crying but when she couldn’t cry anymore I recognized that to be a sign that her airway was totally blocked."

Auxiliary Officer Calderone immediately reacted by performing the Heimlich maneuver, ultimately clearing the airway. He then transported Violet, and her father, to the hospital for further care. All of the doctors and nurses praised Officer Calderone for his quick reaction, training and ability to remain calm and take control of the situation. In a choking situation, there is only about a two minute window to react before lack of oxygen can cause severe brain damage or death.

"It was a surreal experience. Violet looked at me and thanked me for saving her life and it took every ounce of strength I could muster to keep it together," said Calderone. "Later that evening my neighbors thanked me, telling me I was a hero. I told them I'm not a hero, just someone who was fortunate enough to be a part of the City's Police Auxiliary program where we are trained to recognize and react to many different kinds of emergencies. The credit should go to first responders and the people who, year after year, invest time, money and other resources to maintain this program."

We are proud to have Alex Calderone as an Auxiliary Officer and resident, and recognize him as a hero within our community!

In honor of World Photography Day in August, we recognize local photographer and Birmingham resident, Chris Cook, for his work for the City of Birmingham and Birmingham Shopping District. Chris' philosophy is simple: "First, there are no un-photogenic people. Second, businesses large and small need their story told through great images. Last, show up on time, solve problems and deliver a great product." Chris goes above and beyond to capture our community and you'll see his beautiful photographs throughout our newsletters, social media and around town. We appreciate all of the work that Chris has done and continues to do to showcase the City's people, landscapes, and businesses. Thank you, Chris! To see more of Chris' work, follow him on Instagram @jchriscook, Facebook @Chris Cook and visit his website at jchriscook.com.

Two days after losing his wallet, a Torry neighborhood resident was ecstatic when he received a knock on the door. The neighborhood mailman notified the resident that an anonymous neighbor found the wallet and placed it in his mailbox. Thank you to honest and kind neighbors who continue to go out of their way to do good deeds in the community.

THANK YOU FOR KEEPING OUR WILDLIFE SAFE!

A Torry neighborhood resident helped a mother duck and her ducklings walk across town from the Rail District all the way to Quarton Lake! The mother and her ducklings walked past the Townsend Hotel, the Baldwin Public Library, crossed several intersections and finally, after 40 minutes, reached safety in Quarton Lake. Thank you to the resident and those along the route who assisted in keeping the wildlife in our community safe!

Do you know someone making a positive impact in the community? Complete the simple Residents Making a Difference Nomination Form today! We want to recognize healthcare workers, a special teacher or even small acts of kindness from friends and neighbors.

THANK YOU TO THE INSPIRATIONAL CHALK ARTIST!

Have you noticed inspirational chalk messages around Birmingham lately? Residents have shared these messages from around town on social media and through Nextdoor. While we don't know who the chalk artist and inspirational author is, we would like to recognize their efforts to spread optimism to pedestrians throughout the City. It just goes to show that no small act of kindness goes unnoticed! Thank you to the Chalk Artist who continues to encourage us to remember the good in each day. Keep an eye out for more messages as you walk, run or bike around town.

Do you know someone making a positive impact in the community? Complete the simple Residents Making a Difference Nomination Form today! We want to recognize healthcare workers, a special teacher or even small acts of kindness from friends and neighbors.

THANK YOU, JULIE DAWSON!

Julie is a beloved Birmingham artist, author and designer who has used her creative talents to support and enhance many nonprofit organizations in the community. Among them are The Community House, Girl Scouts, Care House and Beaumont Hospital. She loves to share her exciting world of art and travels by giving talks to many groups and giving tours of her home, studios and fabulous gardens. During the pandemic, she has been giving her beautiful artwork to hundreds of front-line workers in admiration and appreciation for all their courageous work.

This year she is creating one of her unique Kaleidoscopes to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Common Ground, a mental health crisis agency that was founded in Birmingham. Each of the 139 Kaleidoscopes she has created has added to her enormous pride in the American Can Do Spirit.

Referring to the Common Ground Kaleidoscope, Julie says, "From Crisis to Hope - these four little words represent a huge commitment of helping people in distress. With compassion and respect, the staff and volunteers at Common Ground are dedicated to listening carefully and finding appropriate paths. It was exciting to tell Common Ground's story visually; to portray its intense passion for helping people through extraordinary services. Not surprisingly, Common Ground's logo is a heart."

To see more of Julie's artwork, visit her website at juliedawsonartist.com.

Do you know someone making a positive impact in the community? Complete the simple Residents Making a Difference Nomination Form today! We want to recognize healthcare workers, a special teacher or even small acts of kindness from friends and neighbors.

THANK YOU KIMBER BISHOP-YANKEE!

For many years, Kimber has been serving the local community through volunteer and leadership efforts with various organizations. Throughout the pandemic, she has worked with so many wonderful community members and volunteers to bring resources to those that need it most. Kimber is the founder of Kids Empowered: On the Move 501(c)3 and Kids Empowered LLC, as well as Chair of the Oakland County Task Force on Poverty and Homelessness.

In the last several months her teams have completed over 8,000 grocery deliveries, provided 200 coats and hundreds of pieces of furniture and home furnishing items, sponsored Christmas for 175 families, offered assistance to local warming centers and homeless shelters, and so much more. Kimber and hundreds of volunteers are continuing these efforts well into 2021. We are proud to have Kimber, and the many volunteers who have so selflessly given their time and talents, in our community.

Do you know someone making a positive impact in the community? Complete the simple Residents Making a Difference Nomination Form today! We want to recognize healthcare workers, a special teacher or even small acts of kindness from friends and neighbors.

THANK YOU, ANDREW SIMON!

Birmingham Resident, Andrew Simon, has worked for months straight (seven days per week), 14-16 hours per day, providing PPP loans to businesses.

Additionally, he owns a 40-person delivery business that contracts with FedEx and during the pandemic, he has delivered almost two million packages. He is currently adding security measures to his fleet, as they will soon be delivering vaccines. We are honored to recognize Andrew Simon for his hard work and dedication during the pandemic.

Do you know someone making a positive impact in the community? Complete the simple Residents Making a Difference Nomination Form today! We want to recognize healthcare workers, a special teacher or even small acts of kindness from friends and neighbors.