Young mom: What I didn’t expect to find in Birmingham

Staci Vice
Staci Luker

ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a better Birmingham.

Today’s guest blogger is  Staci Luker.  If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.

I have a very distinct memory of being in the 8th grade and coming to Birmingham for an event at Samford University.

I was traveling with a group of fellow middle and high school students from small town Alabama where I had about 21 people in my entire grade in school.

As we went from interstate to interstate to get around and I watched the traffic rush by, I adamantly stated that I could never live in a city like Birmingham; I was a small town girl and the city was no place for me. Or so I thought.

Fast forward a decade plus a few more years and I am closing in on the end of my second year as a Birmingham resident. I find myself eating those words that I said as a 14-year-old girl. I am 100% in love with this city that I now proudly call home.

One thing Birmingham is doing right is community.

While I have been here for two years, I still have the heart of a small town girl. But I have found so much community in Birmingham that I have felt right at home since day one.

The opportunities for our daughters seem endless here.

I feel that maybe sometimes long time residents of the Birmingham area grow immune to the opportunities in Birmingham, but for an outsider who came from the middle of nowhere, Alabama, I have a great appreciation for this city and all that it has to offer our family. The fact that our families have these opportunities while also being able to enjoy the community aspect that is so important to us is why I am in love with this city.

Everywhere we have turned, we have found that sense of community.

In our church, we found community. In our daughter’s soccer team and t-ball team, we have found community. As our daughters have started new schools, we have been embraced by families left and right. As we found the neighborhood that we would call home, we were immediately welcomed and surrounded by friendly neighbors who made us feel right at home from the very first day.

Birmingham isn’t perfect by any means and we should absolutely work towards change where it is needed because we can and should always strive to be better. But when it comes to community, from this newcomers perspective, Birmingham is getting it right.

Staci Luker is new to the Birmingham area, but proudly calls it home.  Staci is an active advocate in the community and enjoys volunteering with The Crisis Center in the Avondale area.

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David Sher is Co-Founder of AmSher Compassionate Collections.  He’s past Chairman of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce (BBA), Operation New Birmingham (REV Birmingham), and the City Action Partnership (CAP).

Invite David to speak to your group about a better Birmingham. dsher@amsher.com

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