Community & Church Events

Guidelines for Submitting your Church/Community Announcements
These are free as long as there are no personal messages and the event is not being charged for (love offerings do not count). Please keep the announcement to one paragraph with who is presenting the event, what the event is, date, time, where it will be held and contact information. Email them to scrjmedia@yahoo.com. We can not take anything over the phone due to company policy.

2025 Holiday Deadlines: SCRJ will be closed for Labor Day and there is a late deadline for Tues., Sept. 2 by noon for the Sept. 4th edition. Deadline is Mon., Nov. 3rd for Veterans Day announcements. Deadline is Fri., Nov. 21 for the Thanksgiving edition. We have to submit the paper early due to the printing company being closed for the holidays. SCRJ will be closed Nov. 24-30. Santa Letter deadline is by Fri., Dec. 5th. Deadline for the Christmas/Santa letter special edition for ads is Fri., Dec. 12. Deadline for BOTH the Dec. 25th and Jan. 1st editions is Fri., Dec. 19. We have to submit both papers early due to the printing company being closed for the holidays. SCRJ will be closed Dec. 22-Jan. 1 for the holidays.

July’s Grow More, Give More Harvest of the Month is Eggplant
Find growing instructions and delicious recipes at https://www.aces.edu/go/5181


Black Bluff Missionary Baptist Church Homecoming
We. the members of the Black Bluff Missionary Baptist Church, Whitfield, cordially invite you to our annual Homecoming program on Sun., July 27, at 2:30 p.m. The Rev. Dr. WR Clark, pastor of the Mt. Sinai Baptist Church, Meridian, Miss., will be the guest speaker. Dinner will be served immediately following the program.


Community Garden Volunteers Needed at the Coleman Center For the Arts Garden
Help us grow our garden and expand our garden programs. Our garden is open to the public; we are happy to collaborate with community groups, churches, and schools to provide garden programming. Email us at info@colemanarts.org for more information, or to sign up as a volunteer.


Harvest Ministries
Harvest Ministries, Cromwell, will be open Wed., July 9, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. with free clothes, shoes, household items, and much more.


Tombigbee Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution Needs Help Locating Viet Nam Veterans in Sumter County
Our DAR chapter [Tombigbee Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution] would like to present lapel pins and certificates to anyone in Sumter County who served in Viet Nam during a ceremony to be held in November of this year in order to honor them for their service to the nation. Contact Lucy S. Gallman, Regent, Bigbee Valley DAR, at P. O. Box 937, Livingston, or text 205-499-6888 with contact info.


Livingston Police Back To School Bash
July 26 at 1 p.m. at Jaycee Park join us for face painting, bounce house, food, music, health resources, free school supplies. Donation drop off locations: Livingston Police Dept., 502 Lafayette St., or City Hall, 201 Church St. For more information contact LPD at 205-652-9525.

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
If you or someone you know is struggling to cope emotionally this holiday season, reach out. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides 24/7, free, and confidential support via phone or chat for people in distress, resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals. Visit 988lifeline.org for more.

Community Prayer
Community Prayer for the Sumter County area will be held every 1st Thursday of each month at noon for one hour at the Bored Well, the Courthouse Square, Livingston. We’re asking all residents, businesses, local leaders, pastors, governmental and city officials to join us as we come together as a community to pray. Submitted by Min. Leola Washington, Volunteer Coordinator for NDPTF, Sumter County.

School Events

Shelton State Community College Summer Commencement
Shelton State Community College will host its summer commencement events on July 31, and Aug. 1. Graduation rehearsal will be held on July 30, at 5:30 p.m. in the Bean-Brown Theatre for students participating in Friday’s ceremony. With the exception of graduation rehearsal, all events are open to the public and will take place in the Martin Campus Gymnasium. Additionally, all ceremonies will be live-streamed on the College’s YouTube channel.

Attorney General Marshall Opens Applications for the 2025 Alabama Safe Schools Initiative
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall today announced the application process for the 2025 Alabama Safe Schools Initiative Awards. These awards provide the opportunity to identify and recognize excellence and current trends in school safety throughout the state. The deadline to file an application is Fri., Aug. 15. Attorney General Marshall’s 2025 Safe Schools Initiative process will feature a comprehensive four-phase application and review process designed to evaluate and enhance the safety of school protocols. Independent judges who possess real-world insight into school safety trends will specifically assess applicants for preparation and training, collaboration with local emergency response agencies, involvement of school resource officer or alternate security personnel, structure and innovation of safety technology, community participation, and law-related and prevention education. For more information regarding the application process and complete instructions: https://www.alabamaag.gov/safe-schools/

Livingston Police Back To School Bash
July 26 at 1 p.m. at Jaycee Park join us for face painting, bounce house, food, music, health resources, free school supplies. Donation drop off locations: Livingston Police Dept., 502 Lafayette St., or City Hall, 201 Church St. For more information contact LPD at 205-652-9525.


UA Preview: This Week at The University of Alabama

July 7, 2025


📰 BEST BETS 


CCN, DCH Launch Innovative Care Clinic 


The University of Alabama Capstone College of Nursing and DCH Health System have launched the Supportive Care Clinic at the Lewis and Faye Manderson Cancer Center, addressing a critical need for patients in the West Alabama community. 


Why This Matters: The clinic aims to provide specialized medical care while educating patients, caregivers, students, medical professionals and the community on caring for patients with serious illnesses. The focus is on alleviating physical, emotional, social and spiritual distress to enhance quality of life for patients and their families. 


For more information, contact Bryant Welbourne at bryant.welbourne@ua.edu 
 


2 Students Offered Hollings Scholarships 


UA students Zachary Griffith, of Pittsburgh, and Jesse Park, of Burr Ridge, Illinois, were selected for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship. 


Why This Matters: The Hollings Scholarship includes a two-year academic award of up to $9,500 per year and a 10-week, full-time, paid summer internship opportunity at a NOAA facility. Scholars also receive funding to present their NOAA research projects at two national scientific conferences. Forty-five UA students have been offered scholarships since the program’s inception in 2005. 





CCHS Hosts Summer Programs for Rural Alabamians  


Thirty-five high school students from rural Alabama participated in summer programs at the College of Community Health Sciences to learn about the need rural communities have for more doctors, dentists and other health care professionals. 


Why This Matters: The Rural Health Leaders Pipeline was created to address the shortage of primary care physicians in rural Alabama. The nationally recognized pipeline includes a sequence of programs from high school through medical school that recruits students from rural Alabama who are interested in health care careers and working as health care professionals in rural communities. 


For more information, contact Kandis Snyder at kasnyder2@ua.edu.  
 


Strengthening the Nursing Workforce 


The UA Capstone College of Nursing, the Office of Teaching Innovation and Digital Education and DCH Health System have joined forces in a strategic partnership to enhance workforce development and expand educational opportunities for health care professionals. 


Why This Matters: The partnership will initially focus on promoting the RN to BSN online degree for DCH employees. This emphasis recognizes the vital role of registered nurses in delivering high-quality patient care. The program is designed to allow them to continue their education while still performing their important service.