Photo from city of Hoover website
Hoover Mayor Nick Derzis
As February arrives, I want to wish all Hoover residents a very happy Valentine’s Day. This season reminds us to appreciate the people we love and care for most — our families, friends and neighbors — and the connections that give our lives meaning. At its core, Valentine’s Day is about kindness, gratitude and the bonds that bring us together.
Those same values are reflected throughout our community. Hoover is a city filled with compassion and civic pride, and few examples illustrate that better than the Sandlin Foundation for Kids in Kindness. The foundation has raised approximately $1.5 million and has distributed or committed more than $725,000 to local charities serving children and families. Its partners include Hoover Helps, the Hoover City Schools Foundation, the Hoover YMCA, Family Connection, the Joyful Noise Foundation, Libby’s Friends and Ady’s Big Army — supporting programs ranging from weekly backpack food distributions to communication devices for nonverbal children and support for terminally ill children through Magic Moments.
I am also proud to announce a new city partnership with the Sandlin Foundation and Aldridge Gardens to establish an annual award recognizing local volunteers and civic contributors, further celebrating the spirit of kindness that defines Hoover.
Our love for community is also reflected in how we invest in shared spaces. We recently opened a new nature trail at the Cahaba Riverchase Greenway along the Cahaba River just off Old Montgomery Highway. This easy, natural-surface trail follows the river to a scenic bluff overlook, crossing small tributaries and winding through forested acres with mature oaks and sycamores. The positive community response has encouraged us to plan future connections, including a potential link to the Arbor Hills neighborhood.
Additionally, we are currently in discussion on the redevelopment of the former cement plant site on Old Montgomery Highway, which represents another exciting chapter for Hoover’s future.
This Valentine’s season, let us celebrate not only the people we love but the community we are proud to call home.
