Paws for a good cause

Animal-assisted therapy teams from St. Clair County

Story by Roxann Edsall
Photos by Mackenzie Free
Submitted photos

Four paws, one wet nose, a wagging tail, and two expressive eyes can turn a day around. Just ask Anki, an 80-pound crème golden retriever. She’ll even throw in a full body hug to complete the comfort package.

Two-year-old Anki is a natural at her work. She and her human, Daniella Cook, serve as ambassadors for Hand in Paw (HIP), an organization that offers animal therapy in the Greater Birmingham area.

When Anki was just a puppy, Cook’s veterinarian commented that she was exceptionally calm for her breed. Later, as they attended puppy obedience classes, the instructor commented on how she seemed like an “old soul” in a puppy body.

“Then a cycling buddy of mine asked me if I’d ever heard of Hand in Paw,” said Cook. “Anki was just six months old at the time and the minimum age for a dog is 18 months to be a part of that organization.”

Kelli Agnew with Tessa (left) and Daniella Cook with Anki love their work as therapy teams

So, Cook used the next year to research the steps to becoming a therapy team for Hand in Paw. Successfully completing obedience classes was just the first step. “We went on to take a Good Citizen dog class,” said Cook.  “There are 10 benchmarks you must meet and if you miss one, you’re out. She got them all, despite it being an adoption day at the pet store where she performed for her final Good Citizen evaluation.”

Cook, who works in Pell City at WKW, a German company that supplies auto parts, occasionally brought Anki to work with her. She noticed the effect her dog had on others around her. “We had a plant manager who had had a really rough day,” Cook recalls. “He asked if he could hug her, and in five minutes you could see a difference in him. He asked if I could bring her in once a week.”

At 18 months old, Anki was ready to be evaluated to partner with Cook as an official therapy team. Stephanie Stoltzner is the volunteer and program manager for HIP. “We take them through a four-week workshop, then evaluate them to make sure they can deal with outside influences and the many things that can happen in the environment they would be working in,” explains Stoltzner. Anki and Cook passed with flying colors and received their new uniforms – a bright yellow bandana for Anki and a matching yellow shirt for Cook.

Cook’s face lights up as she shares details of some of the animal therapy experiences the pair have been party to. Recently the duo was sent to the Exceptional Foundation in Birmingham, an organization that provides social and recreational services for adults and children with intellectual disabilities. Cook and Anki were positioned in the center of the room, and each person had an opportunity to interact with the beautiful pup and her owner.

 “On this day, there were all adult clients,” recounts Cook. “When they saw Anki, their faces lit up, and they talked about their own dogs. One client told me how she trained her dog and asked if she could train Anki. Anki leaned into her in a hug and just made her day. I still get goose bumps thinking about it! I was just so proud to have this dog and to be able to make a difference.”

Cook and Anki are the second HIP team from St. Clair County. Kelli Agnew and her seven-year-old corgi, Tessa, have been a busy Hand in Paw team for over two years. This is Agnew’s 13th year as a volunteer for HIP. Tessa is her second therapy dog. 

Her first pet therapy partner was a Pell City animal shelter rescue cat named Asher. One of her most memorable therapy moments involved Asher and a visit to a memory care facility. “We were visiting with a lady who would not speak; she hadn’t spoken since she’d been there,” Agnew remembers. “This lady was so happy to see Asher and started making happy noises to this cat. The nurses were shocked that she was communicating with him.”

After Asher passed, Agnew spent five years as a Hand in Paw team with her corgi, Oliver, working with the child and adolescent psychiatry unit at UAB. They also participated in the organization’s delivery of the Sit, Stay, Read! program, an animal-assisted reading program for early education. This program has shown great success in encouraging reluctant readers to read to an animal companion.

Tessa, the Welsh Pembrook Corgi, greets Collier

Five years after Oliver passed, Agnew adopted Tessa, another corgi, this time a Pembroke Welsh and former show dog.  Having had experience with the animal dispositions that make for good therapy pets, she saw something special in Tessa. “You could tell from the beginning that she was going to be a great therapy dog,” said Agnew. “You take her anywhere, and she instantly goes to people. She just loves everybody.”

It’s that temperament that helps deliver effective animal-assisted therapy. In a 2008 study by the National Institutes of Health, human interaction with pets was shown to reduce stress, improve mood, lower blood pressure and to reduce anxiety.

In 1996, Beth Franklin, a Birmingham native and animal advocate, started Hand in Paw to improve the health and wellbeing of people through interaction with pets. She was serving as executive director of the Greater Birmingham Humane Society and worked with juveniles who were serving court-mandated community service.

Intended simply to provide help to animals in need, the program had an unexpected benefit. Franklin was struck by the positive behavioral changes to the volunteers because of their interactions with the animals.

In the 28 years since its founding, Hand in Paw has become a national leader in the growing field of animal-assisted therapy. They now have 92 owner/pet teams, who go out to a variety of intervention sites, including universities, hospitals, nursing homes, veterans’ homes, schools, physical therapy facilities, hospice and respite care and libraries. They also offer first-responder decompression visits.

“We’ve been to the Birmingham Police Department during shift change,” said Cook. “I’ve seen officers get down on the floor with Anki. They come by to say hello as they’re leaving to go home and as they are arriving for shift.”  Agnew and Tessa spend some of their volunteer time working with clients at the Bruno Cancer Center, Girls, Inc., and at Lakeshore Foundation.

Stephanie Stoltzner has been working with Hand in Paw since long before she worked there. She has a team of two dogs, Olive, a mix who looks like a golden retriever and Fern, another mix, who Stoltzner describes as looking like “she stuck her tongue in a light socket.” Their greatest reward as a therapy team, she says, is the people. “It doesn’t matter how bad a day I’m having,” she says. “I see the pure joy and happiness people get from seeing the dogs. Now I work here and get to work with my dogs all the time. it’s a dream.”

Anki and Tessa know that when they get bathed and fitted with their yellow bandanas, it’s time to go to work. Both Cook and Agnew say they seem to know they’re “on” and take matters seriously.

Spreading joy and encouragement is serious business. Paws down.

Editor’s note: Hand in Paw is a 501(c)3 nonprofit and survives on donations and grants. There is never a charge for their services. If you are interested in working with them or helping with their mission, contact Hand in Paw at handinpaw.org.

Kolectic Treasures

Antique mall with a unique twist opens
second location in downtown Pell City

Story and photos
by Graham Hadley

When Jason and Danny Kellner first considered opening an antique mall in historic downtown Pell City, they knew they had a good chance of making it work because they already had almost a decade of success with a similar venture in Anniston – Kolectic Treasures Antique Market.

They just needed to find the perfect location.

They found it in the old roller-skating rink and adjoining Maytag building next to Brittle Heaven on Cogswell Avenue. And the second location for Kolectic Treasures is going to be even bigger than the Anniston store.

“We have around 19,000 square feet in Anniston, and this one will be 20,000 square feet,” Jason said. “We live on Logan Martin and saw Pell City as a good fit for what we wanted to do.”

Jason and Danny’s vision for the antique malls is almost unique in the business. They not only want to have a wide variety of “treasures” to sell – from rustic country pieces to mid-century modern – they want to make finding those something of an adventure.

Anyone who has visited the Anniston location will be familiar with the concept.

Jason Kellner helped the DeGaris family sell off the huge collection of antiques stored in the buildings

“I worked really hard in Anniston to build it,” Jason said. “I wanted to come up with something different from other antique malls. I have a mental image of a maze, you are exploring it, there are lots of twists and turns. I want our customers to feel like they are going back in time, get lost for a minute away from the stresses of the outside world.”

The Kellners have filled the two buildings with a series of booths and passages that wind and twist their way through the structures, which share an adjoining wall that has been opened across the front to allow access to both from one entrance. Customers find something new around every corner.

“We have something for everyone. That’s kind of my motto,” Jason said.

That idea has served them well in the Anniston location, which they created out of an old strip mall off Alabama 21 next to the bypass.

“I got in there and expanded as more customers found us.”

When Jason and Danny first saw the old buildings, owned by the DeGaris family, they knew they had found the perfect fit for their plans. In only six weeks, they were able to recondition the structures, which had been used for storage of all kinds of local artifacts for years, build out most of the booth spaces, and have a soft opening with around 100 vendors already in by Nov. 4. There will be room for 275 vendors, many of whom are already lined up, by their grand opening, Dec. 13.

“That is the day of the parade. We will also have our Christmas Open House the same day and will be staying open later so people can stop by after the parade,” Jason said.

“We want to bring something really special to Downtown Pell City. We hope to bring more customers and more foot traffic to the area. We want to see the same level of business here that we see in Anniston.”

They are working on remodeling the exterior of the buildings, while keeping the important historical features. “We want it really rustic looking – keep the old style and make it new at the same time. We want to get our signs up, but also want to get the old Maytag sign working again. We want to replace all the old glass, make it look almost like an old-English style, and repave the parking lots. It’s going to look really pretty when it’s all done.”

A variety of vendors are already in the location with more than 100 more on the way

And this is just the beginning of what he envisions for their Pell City location.

“We have room on the property to expand the market by around 3,000 to 4,000 square feet in a year or so as our customer base grows, if people shop local.” And like their Anniston location, they want to have a little library and food bank boxes next to the parking area. They have held successful music festivals at the original store for years, something Jason is considering doing in Pell City, along with showing movies on the adjoining property.

The Kellners are already familiar with their next-door neighbor – Brittle Heaven and More. Owner Sarah Deese used to sell her peanut brittle and other goods out of Kolectic Treasures in Anniston.

“She started with me in our Anniston store and eventually wanted to open her own location here. We were both excited when we found out we would be next to each other,” Jason said.

She is not the only one who has made the owners of Kolectic Treasures feel welcome in Pell City.

“People are excited about us being here, and we are thankful to everyone who has helped us. The Chamber has been really phenomenal with all the support, so has the City and the DeGaris family,” Jason said. “Danny and I have worked really hard to make this happen. We are just very happy to be here.”

Editor’s Note: You can follow Kolectic Treasures on Facebook and their website at kolectictreasures.com.

St. Clair economic update

County growth continues upward trend

Story by Linda Long
Staff and archived photos

St. Clair County is at it again. Fiscal 2024 is shaping up as another banner year – like the one before it and the one before that.  Despite inflation, run amok, threats of a recessionary economy and an uncertain election year the county continues to chalk up impressive economic numbers, showing an upswing in new investments especially in manufacturing, and a surge in retail expansion.

Don Smith, executive director of the St. Clair County Economic Development Council (EDC) called 2024 a “positive” year for the whole county. “We had 10 large projects that we either broke ground or announced plans for expansion. These 10 projects represent a total of 343 new jobs and over $117 million in new investment,” said Smith.

According to Smith, high on this year’s economic agenda is implementing the county’s new 5-year strategic plan with renewed focus on helping St. Clair communities transition from small towns to the suburbs.  The county’s Grant Resource Center is playing a vital role in helping with that transition.

As Smith explained the county has a new strategic plan in place every five years, but he was quick to note, “the plan is not what we (EDC) think, but rather a consensus from hundreds of people – business leaders, elected officials, community leaders – people who come together at three different events to get a full picture of what the vision is for St. Clair County.

Moody cuts ribbon The Wharf restaurant

“From those hundreds of people, giving us their expert opinions,” Smith continued, “we’re able to formulate what it is we need to focus on for the next five years “

The current plan was released the first of the year, and certainly part of its focus is to help St. Clair’s small towns make that critical transition from rural to suburban.

“This is showcased with the creating of our new Grant Resource Center that will provide the County Commission and all the municipalities with the knowledge of funding opportunities as well as the tools in which to apply and be awarded grants needed for many of the needs of a growing community,” Smith explained

Some of those needs include “water, sewer, transportation – in a word, infrastructure. We need those things so we can bring in more employers,” he said. “So, we can bring in more retailers. That’s why the strategic plan is calling for an entity to assist our communities obtain different grants that are out there – federal, state and regional.”

As Smith explained, every single dollar a community can raise in grants is a dollar that doesn’t have to be taken from what Smith called “hyperlocal” expenses.

Downtown Ashville growing with new shops, restaurants

“Most cities in Alabama don’t have anything like this,” he continued.  “It’s a valuable resource. So far, the new Grant Center has helped secure $6.5 million in outside funds that would normally have to be paid for with local funds. This money is coming in from different grants that have been written, and we’ve already been approved for. The more money we can obtain from these grant sources, the more the local dollars can be put toward local needs.”

One such project was the purchase of 250 acres on the I-59 corridor. Smith said that property will soon be developed to attract large, quality employers to add to the ones already in that area. “These new companies will employ our citizens, raise the average buying power of the community and generate more taxes for our cities”

St. Clair County was the fifth fastest growing county by percentage in 2023. “This growth,” said Smith, “requires long-term planning and a larger investment in infrastructure.  We are working with our elected officials and providing resources to help them manage the increased demands that come with this growth.

Ashville named Community of Excellence

The City of Ashville has been awarded the prestigious “Alabama Communities of Excellence” designation, joining only 45 other communities across the State of Alabama.

The recognition was presented at the 2024 Graduation Ceremony hosted by the Alabama League of Municipalities, celebrating Ashville’s commitment to sustainable growth, economic development, and enhancing the quality of life for its residents. 

The “Alabama Communities of Excellence” designation highlights Ashville’s strategic efforts in community planning, fostering local business development and prioritizing initiatives that make Ashville a vibrant, welcoming, and resilient place to live. This honor underscores Ashville’s dedication to maintaining high standards in community excellence and its proactive approach to ensuring a prosperous future for the city’s residents. 

“Receiving this designation is a tremendous honor for our city and a testament to the dedication of our residents, city staff, and local leaders who have all worked tirelessly to make Ashville a great place to live, work, and visit,” said Ashville Mayor Derrick Mostella. “We are proud to be recognized by the League of Municipalities and will continue to prioritize the needs of our community as we look to the future.” 

St. Clair County Economic Development Council Director Don Smith shared his excitement, saying, “This designation is a well-deserved recognition of the hard work and vision demonstrated by the City of Ashville’s leadership. By earning the Alabama Communities of Excellence title, Ashville has positioned itself as a model for sustainable growth and community development across Alabama.” 

The Alabama League of Municipalities’ program, which awards the Communities of Excellence designation, identifies municipalities that are proactive in creating and implementing projects that positively impact their communities and align with the League’s vision of excellence in local government. 

In addition to the city’s Communities of Excellence designation, Candice Hill, the St. Clair County EDC’s Grants and Leadership director, received the esteemed ACE Star Ambassador Award. This award honors her dedication and leadership in guiding Ashville through the process, ensuring the city stayed on track to reach this notable achievement. 

EDC officials say they look forward to seeing the positive impact this designation will have on Ashville and commended the city for its dedication to fostering a thriving and supportive community environment. This achievement is a reflection of Ashville’s commitment to ensuring that future generations benefit from the city’s progress, infrastructure improvements and economic opportunities.

Out of difficulty comes …

One day the lens of retrospection will come into focus, and we will see clearly the beauty and redemption that was woven into our darkest days.

Those times we most struggled – when our faith was tested, our hearts were broken or we felt lost and defeated by the harsh realities of life … we couldn’t see all the light that illuminated us then because we were so consumed by the shadows.

We have heard it before, but we don’t always understand until we face it ourselves, but our most transformative experiences are rarely lovely or radiant. They are dark and painful and exhausting. 

But on most occasions, we are found and forged in these moments of pain and suffering. Our resolve and resilience are fortified in the valley of darkness and despair. It’s here we unknowingly develop our potential, our character and integrity. 

Our faith is often found on the crucible of conflict. 
And that really is beautiful … Even if we can only ever appreciate its beauty and redeeming effect on our lives in retrospect. 
People don’t always tell you that the Road to Redemption is often found in the Valley of the Shadow of Death … 
But it is. 

– Mackenzie Free –

Wife, mother, photographer & current resident of the unassumingly magical town of Steele, Alabama

Honoring those who served

Events planned all across St. Clair County

Story by Cherith Fluker
Submitted photos

As Veterans Day approaches, St. Clair County is preparing to honor those who have served in the United States Armed Forces.

Across St. Clair County, flags flying, special tributes, events and exhibits will express gratitude to the veterans who have sacrificed so much to protect the country’s freedoms.

This year, the Museum of Pell City will host its annual Salute to Service event. “Salute to Service promises to be a heartfelt and meaningful experience for all who attend,” said Museum President Carol Pappas.

The event, set for Nov. 8, had its beginnings in 2023 with an expanded military exhibit at the museum, approximately three times the size of the regular exhibit. This special tribute highlighted the history and contributions of veterans, and the museum premiered a short film it produced, War and Remembrance, which featured local veterans of World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War.

“It was our very first outreach project, and over 100 attended the first day followed by others throughout the month of November.

This year, Salute to Service will include a reception and special presentations to honor the veterans in attendance, says Pappas. Each veteran will receive a special challenge coin as a token of appreciation for their service.

Expanded exhibits include more in-depth looks at some of Pell City’s “hometown heroes” and photographs, artifacts and other items of interest.

The museum is open Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is always free.

St. Clair County Extension Veterans Outreach will host its Veterans Program is slated on Saturday, Nov. 9, at Springville Methodist Church from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

St. Clair County Extension Outreach Veterans program at Springville Methodist Church

This program will feature tributes in honor of all who served. Highlights include a proclamation from Dave Thomas, mayor of Springville; a Veterans’ Appreciation speech by Greg Bailey, U.S. Air Force Veteran; musical performances by the Something Else Trio and Springville High School Tiger Chorale; and the 13 Folds Ceremony.

It also will include the Run for the Wall Presentation by Chuck Wright, U.S. Marine Corps veteran, and the Missing Man Table Presentation by Wayne Johnson, U.S. Air Force veteran.

Greg Bailey, administrator of Outreach Programs for the St. Clair County office of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, is partnering with the Josiah Brunson Chapter, National Society Daughter of the American Revolution, for the Springville event.

“This program is the least we can do for our servicemen who have done so much for us,” Bailey says. “Our office is focused on ensuring veterans are aware of the resources available to them. “

In addition to the Veterans Day program, Bailey and his team are also partnering with local schools and community organizations to honor and celebrate veterans across the county.

Throughout the month of November, cities and towns across St. Clair County will also honor veterans in various ways. Flags will be flying high in public spaces, special banners will be displayed along main streets, and communities will participate in events that pay tribute to those who have served. These collective efforts create a powerful visual reminder of the respect and gratitude the county holds for its veterans.

All of these events are open to the public and free to attend, but registration is required. Those interested in attending the Salute to Service reception event may register on the Museum of Pell City’s website, museumofpellcity.org.

The event at Springville Methodist Church is free as well, but attendees are asked to RVSP by calling the St. Clair County Alabama Cooperative Extension System at (205) 338-9416.

“Veterans form the very foundation of all of our communities across our country,” Pappas said. “Their history is what our history is built upon, and we truly thank them for their service.”