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Photo by Jon Anderson
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Leesha Ellis-Cox shares about the creation of a database on Hoover amenities during the Leadership Hoover Class of 2022 graduation ceremony at the Hoover Library Theatre in Hoover, Alabama on Tuesday, May 10, 2022.
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Members of the Leadership Hoover Class of 2022 pose for a photo at their graduation ceremony at the Hoover Library Theatre in Hoover, Alabama on Tuesday, May 10, 2022.
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Team B of the Leadership Hoover Class of 2022 poses for a photo at their graduation ceremony at the Hoover Library Theatre in Hoover, Alabama on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. From left are Anita Clemon, Christy Williams, Laura Jackman, Dr. Chijioke Ulasi, Booker Joseph and Jason Lybrand.
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Christy Williams shares about a project to encourage people to sign up for notifications about various things from the city of Hoover during the Leadership Hoover Class of 2022 graduation ceremony at the Hoover Library Theatre in Hoover, Alabama on Tuesday, May 10, 2022.
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Members of Team A of the Leadership Hoover Class of 2022 pose for a photo at their graduation ceremony at the Hoover Library Theatre in Hoover, Alabama on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. From left are Marcella Roberts, Pooja Chawla, Jeffrey Hodges, Kimberly Ray, Joe Dunsmore and Mary Veal.
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Porsha Hicks shares about a project to revitalize Russet Woods Park during the Leadership Hoover Class of 2022 graduation ceremony at the Hoover Library Theatre in Hoover, Alabama on Tuesday, May 10, 2022.
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Tynette Lynch, chairwoman of the Leadership Hoover board of trustees, welcomes people to the Leadership Hoover Class of 2022 graduation ceremony at the Hoover Library Theatre in Hoover, Alabama on Tuesday, May 10, 2022.
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Team D of the Leadership Hoover Class of 2022 poses for a photo during their graduation ceremony at the Hoover Library Theatre in Hoover, Alabama on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. From left are Stephen Burns, Mitzi Eaker, Erin Colbaugh, Leesha Ellis-Cox, April DeLuca, Takeria Stephens and Eric King.
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Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato speaks during the Leadership Hoover Class of 2022 graduation ceremony at the Hoover Library Theatre in Hoover, Alabama on Tuesday, May 10, 2022.
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Members of Team Echo from the Leadership Hoover Class of 2022 pose for a photo during their graduation ceremony at the Hoover Library Theatre in Hoover, Alabama on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. From left are Shaquana Lamar, Terri Coleman, Cody Burns, Robin Gerstenberg, Russell Shamburger, Nina Williams and Colin Conner.
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Porsha Hicks shares about a project to revitalize Russet Woods Park during the Leadership Hoover Class of 2022 graduation ceremony at the Hoover Library Theatre in Hoover, Alabama on Tuesday, May 10, 2022.
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Leadership Hoover Executive Director Lori Leonard hands out graduation trophies during the Leadership Hoover Class of 2022 graduation ceremony at the Hoover Library Theatre in Hoover, Alabama on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. Members of Team C included, from left, Kimberly Jackson, Porsha Hicks, Katrina Cade, David Custred, Randal Cottrell, Heather Harvill and Kendall Roberson.
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Leesha Ellis-Cox and Stephen Burns share about the creation of a database on Hoover amenities during the Leadership Hoover Class of 2022 graduation ceremony at the Hoover Library Theatre in Hoover, Alabama on Tuesday, May 10, 2022.
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Marcella Roberts shares about a project to support the Riverchase Career Connection Center during the Leadership Hoover Class of 2022 graduation ceremony at the Hoover Library Theatre in Hoover, Alabama on Tuesday, May 10, 2022.
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Stephen Burns and Leesha Ellis-Cox share about the creation of a database on Hoover amenities during the Leadership Hoover Class of 2022 graduation ceremony at the Hoover Library Theatre in Hoover, Alabama on Tuesday, May 10, 2022.
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Russell Shamburger shares about a project to educate senior citizens about fraud crimes during the Leadership Hoover Class of 2022 graduation ceremony at the Hoover Library Theatre in Hoover, Alabama on Tuesday, May 10, 2022.
The Leadership Hoover organization on Tuesday celebrated the graduation of the 34 members of its Class of 2022.
Class members took a couple of hours in the Hoover Library Theatre to share projects they’re undertaking, ranging from fighting fraud and revitalizing a city park to supporting the Riverchase Career Connection Center, keeping residents informed of happenings, and building a database of amenities in the city.
Five groups each took 15 to 20 minutes to share the details of what they want to do to improve the quality of life in Hoover.
One of the groups has organized a fraud summit at the Hoover Senior Center on May 17 to raise awareness among seniors about current trends in fraud, how they can avoid it and where to report it when they see it.
Americans lose more than $1 billion every year to phishing scams with fake texts, phone calls and emails from people imitating banks and trying to get people to reveal their bank account numbers, pin numbers and Social Security Administration numbers, according to the American Banking Association.
The Federal Trade Commission reports that Americans lost $3.3 billion to phishing and fraud in 2020, an increase of $1.5 billion from 2019.
People age 30 and younger actually are more likely to be victims of identity theft from phishing, but senior citizens also are frequent targets, according to the banking association.
One of the groups in this year’s Leadership Hoover class decided to try to help senior citizens because that segment of the population seemed to be missing from a lot of previous Leadership Hoover projects, said Russell Shamburger, a senior vice president with Cadence Bank who is in the Leadership Hoover Class of 2022.
Photo by Jon Anderson
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Russell Shamburger shares about a project to educate senior citizens about fraud crimes during the Leadership Hoover Class of 2022 graduation ceremony at the Hoover Library Theatre in Hoover, Alabama on Tuesday, May 10, 2022.
The No. 1 type of fraud crime reported by people age 60 and older is romance scams, Shamburger said.
Nationally, people age 60 and older reported losing $139 million from romance scams in 2020, and that was up 66% from 2019, Shamburger said. The second most costly scam was fake prizes, sweepstakes and lotteries, costing seniors $69 million in 2020, up 35% from 2019, he said.
In Alabama, the number of internet crimes reported by people age 60 and older actually declined from 1,040 in 2020 to 985 in 2021, but the monetary amount of losses grew from $7.9 million to $14.2 million, Shamburger said.
Alabamians reported 259 incidents of “confidence fraud and romance scams” and losing $66 million in 2021, according to FBI reports. That’s up from 226 incidents costing $5 million in 2020.
And these are just the incidents that are being reported, Shamburger said. Many people are embarrassed to admit they got scammed and don’t report it, he said.
Banks and law enforcement officials are trying to stay ahead of it, but scammers keep changing their methods, he said.
“Fraud is not new, but the evolution of it is,” Shamburger said. “It’s becoming harder and harder to stop.
Many senior citizens are leery of technology but have started using it for convenience, and there is a big need to educate them about necessary safeguards, he said.
“We’ve got to help create awareness,” Shamburger said. “We want to help them to be able to identify fraud.”
Leadership Hoover is partnering with the United Way Area Agency on Aging to put on the fraud summit at the Hoover Senior Center, and more than 120 people have signed up to attend, Shamburger said. The goal is to make this summit an annual event, he said.
The same Leadership Hoover group wants to partner with the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama to reach Latino and immigrant families with similar information, he said.
PARK REVITALIZATION
Another Leadership Hoover group this year is partnering with Jefferson County Commissioner Jimmie Stephens to revitalize the Russet Woods Park, which is a 1.3-acre city-owned park designed to serve Russet Woods and other nearby subdivisions.
Stephens has designated $100,000 of his discretionary money from county coffers to revitalize the park, which was established about 40 years ago, Leadership Hoover member Kendall Roberson said. It was a nice community park in the past, but it has fallen into disrepair, he said.
A Leadership Hoover team held community meetings with nearby residents and came up with plans for new playground equipment, a small amphitheater, gazebo, pavilion, pickleball court, fresh grass, benches, dog waste stations and a designated parking area. However, site visits revealed that a broken stormwater pipe has led to a sinkhole and water accumulating in the park, Roberson said.
Photo by Jon Anderson
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Porsha Hicks shares about a project to revitalize Russet Woods Park during the Leadership Hoover Class of 2022 graduation ceremony at the Hoover Library Theatre in Hoover, Alabama on Tuesday, May 10, 2022.
Now, much of that $100,000 likely will need to be spent on remediation of the stormwater problem, so questions remain of how many items on the wish list can be accomplished and when, team members said.
Because it’s a city park, further discussions also must be had with and among city officials, Parks and Recreation Director Erin Colbaugh said.
One of the reasons this park was chosen as a project is that Hoover needs to help revitalize some of its older communities so they can keep up with the newer parts of town, Leadership Hoover member Porsha Hicks said.
OTHER PROJECTS
Another Leadership Hoover team established a Business Council for the Hoover school system’s Riverchase Career Connection Center, also know as RC3. It’s a group of people and companies who have agreed to serve as advisors for the school, which offers high school students training in the culinary and hospitality fields, cyber innovation, fire science, health science and skilled trades such as construction and welding.
Members of the council will offer guidance and expertise, serve as speakers to help raise awareness of the academies at the center, provide sponsorships for events and fundraisers and assist with job placement and internships.
Participating companies and organizations include Kopri Promotions, Ross Bridge Medical Center, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort and Spa, Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce, Signature Homes, Pridestaff and Regions.
The same Leadership Hoover team led an effort to promote the signing day that RC3 has each year for students who sign commitments to go to work for various companies. The idea is to give these students as much attention as athletes get for signing to play sports in college, Leadership Hoover member Marcella Roberts said.
A fourth Leadership Hoover team launched a marketing campaign to get people to sign up to receive various notifications from the city, such as news flashes, emergency alerts, event information, meeting notices, job openings, bid postings and newsletters from the Senior Center or Parks and Recreation Department.
Team member Christy Williams said the idea is to help people stay informed about civic affairs and events and avoid that FOMO (fear of missing out) feeling.
The signup page for different notifications is on the city of Hoover’s website at hooveral.org/list.aspx.
A fifth Leadership Hoover team created a database of various amenities in the city that city officials, businesses, residents and visitors alike can access to easily find points of interest. The database includes information on historical sites, attractions, parks, hotels, restaurants, bars, shopping options, schools, neighborhoods, festivals and cultural events.
The database is searchable by different regions of the city, such as Ross Bridge, eastern Hoover, Riverchase/Southlake, Bluff Park, Stadium Trace, Galleria area and the Green Valley/Lorna Road area.
It could be useful for tourists or for economic development, and the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce has agreed to update the database regularly, team member Leesha Ellis-Cox said.
LEADERSHIP CHANGE
Tynette Lynch, chairwoman of the board for Leadership Hoover, also announced that Lori Leonard, the group’s part-time executive director, is leaving to take a full-time job as marketing director for the Huntsville/Madison County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Jennifer Whisenant, a member of the Leadership Hoover board of directors, has stepped off the board and will temporarily serve as executive director for Leadership Hoover, also in a contract role, Lynch said.
Editor's note: This article was updated at 1:43 p.m. to correct the name of the organization where Lori Leonard will be working in Huntsville.
