Birmingham

News from Birmingham

BIRMINGHAM BABIES FIRST

We need your help to build up supplies and furnishings for our new Babies First program in Birmingham. Keep reading to find out how you can help!

Click here to read about what our Babies First program does, to download a brochure and to read about ways you can be involved in the lives of our young mothers and babies.

Click here to view news articles about our work in Birmingham.

Click here to invite someone to come speak to your group about this program. Please include date, location, time of day and a phone number to reach you.

Click here to be added to our list to receive mailings about the Birmingham program. Please include your mailing address.

This home is located in Irondale, Alabama, near Liberty Park. We can accept young mothers into the program who are between the ages of 19 and 24.

To reach the home, contact Elise Smith, Group Home Supervisor, at bfbirmingham@umch.net or call 205-956-0966.

Ongoing Needs

Click here to download a PDF of sponsorship opportunities and ongoing needs.

Babies First of Birmingham is registered at the stores listed below. Visit them online or go to the stores themselves to find an up-to-date list of our needs for the home, the moms and the babies.

Wal-Mart - click here to view our Wish List
Target - click here to view our Baby Registry
Babies 'R' Us - click here to view our Baby Registry

Problems with the links? We are registered as follows:

Last Name: Babies First
First Name: UMCH
State: Alabama
Due Date: Nov. 1, 2007

History

Our ministry in Birmingham started as the Birmingham Shelter in the late 1970s. Located in a home near the University of Alabama at Birmingham, we took in children rescued from dire situations and gave them hot meals and a bed until a more permanent home could be found. In the early 1980s, we moved to a historic home on 29th Street in the Highland area of Southside.

In 1997, the Birmingham Shelter became the Birmingham Children's Home, a group home for abused and neglected boys. That same year, we began construction on a new facility in Irondale which would become the new location of the home in 2000. In 2002, a lack of funding and referrals for the boys' home prompted a retooling of our ministry in this area.

The result was a new initiative, the Birmingham Center for Children and Families. We began to work in the community to help build up the family. Among other things, our efforts included support groups, counseling services and in-home family preservation services. One of our most successful programs was Step-Up Tutoring, a volunteer-based learning program for inner-city children. It continues today through the Church of the Reconciler UMC.

In 2006, we realized a critical need for safe housing for young mothers in the Birmingham area. Our tremendous success with Babies First programs in Mobile and Selma and the deep need for these services obliged us to change direction. We began plans to return to residential care, and in 2007, Babies First of Birmingham opened at the Irondale facility.

Pictures of the Facilities

Click on an image below to see a larger version.

Our Babies First Facilities in Birmingham	from the front	another view

PUBLIC RELATIONS & DEVELOPMENT OFFICE

Our Public Relations and Development Office is also in the Irondale area. At this location, we process donor receipts, honor & memorial cards, White Christmas orders and labels for the Campbell's Labels for Education program. All of our publications, our website and our news stories are produced from here, and our fundraising efforts are supported by staff in this office.

Contact the PR & Development Office at info@umch.net or call toll-free 877-729-8624. Our address is 1507 Alex Dr., Birmingham, AL 35210.