By Melanie Patterson

The North Jefferson News



Students at Fultondale Elementary School have become very fond of giving things away.

The school has taken on a project this year to donate items to the Lovelady Center, a transition center for women and children, in Birmingham.

Every month, Fultondale students collect a different item like toothpaste, toothbrushes, body wash, shampoo and conditioner.

At the end of the month, school counselor Sheila Haslam gathers the donations and delivers them to the center.

The idea to help the Lovelady Center originated with Haslam after she made a visit there recently.

“I went over there this summer and visited. I just wanted to do something. I wanted to get involved,” said Haslam. “They do some great stuff over there.”

She said the students get very excited about helping the women and children.

“Our kids in the whole school know about the Lovelady Center,” said Haslam. “It’s giving them a chance to be involved.”

She added that Fultondale’s students think of the center’s residents as “our extended family.”

For Christmas, the older students at Fultondale Elementary hand-made Christmas cards for the women and children who live at Lovelady House. Also, counselor Susan Sullivan’s students in grades K-2 made a poster for the center.

Vernetta Young, director of development for the Lovelady Center, said the school’s donations make “a significant impact.”

“Our women come in here with just what they have on their backs,” said Young. “It’s just overwhelming. Plus it’s sending a message to the children who are sending the items.”

The Lovelady Center houses about 250 women and 50 of their children. The families are trying to get a fresh start after dealing with situations like domestic abuse, drug or alcohol addiction, or release from prison.

They typically stay nine to 12 months, taking intensive classes until they graduate, according to the Web site.

Lovelady Center is a faith-based program that helps women learn job skills and find jobs, learn parenting skills, get their GEDs and find their own homes.

To learn more about the center, visit www.loveladycenter.org.