When I joined the Kettering Foundation in 1981, the board and I agreed that in addition to being president, I would continue the research and writing I had been doing while in universities. So, I have had two jobs. Now I would like to have just one.

Jean O’Connor-Snyder intern Katy Hurd delves into the role of Capstone Rural Health Center as a staple for Walker County in both healthcare and community connections.

Jean O’Connor-Snyder intern Oquendo Bernard captures how small-town volunteer programs serve their community and extend a helping hand even during the most challenging times.

Since the creation of the Greater Sylacauga Resiliency Network in 2020, the Sylacauga community has come together to make a difference and strengthen civic engagement. One of the major goals of the Network is collaborating with other organizations and assessing common needs.

Jean O’Connor-Snyder intern Patrick Dutton reflects on how two Walker County natives found new opportunities to better serve their hometown.

The David Mathews Center for Civic Life is happy to announce Rachel Naftel Mosness has been chosen to lead the organization as its new Executive Director.

On June 21, the David Mathews Center for Civic Life hosted the third annual workshop of the Innovators in Civic Education Fellows. Teacher Fellows assist the DMC in educational programming by providing valuable insight on how to create the most relevant and useful resources for educators, both in the classroom and the community.

The summer of 2021 kicked off with a series of professional development workshops across the state. During the week of June 7-11, DMC Education Director Gabrielle Lamplugh attended four workshops to present on educational resources.

The David Mathews Center for Civic Life is pleased to announce the hiring of Loren Gary as Development Director. In this role, Loren will work with DMC Executive Director Cristin Brawner to drive the organization’s sustainable growth to meet its mission. Loren will be responsible for developing and maintaining active and productive relationships with internal and external constituencies.

The Board of Directors of the David Mathews Center for Civic Life (DMC) is launching a strategic planning process for the organization that will define its direction for the next five years.

Throughout nearly two decades of serving civic life in Alabama, the David Mathews Center has worked closely with our state’s local libraries. Our programming has focused on engaging young people to be active citizens, and equipping communities to host deliberative forums as they seek to work better together; our partnerships with public libraries have helped us promote these objectives one community at a time.

Despite the unique challenges posed throughout 2020, Alabamians found ways to continue serving their communities and addressing new needs. The DMC was fortunate to work remotely with our partners statewide to continue programming safely, and we hope you enjoy this month-by-month journey through a year like no other.

In honor of Women’s History Month, here’s a short overview of just a few women who have made Alabama better and stronger.

The staff and Board of Directors of the David Mathews Center for Civic Life announce the summer 2021 departure of Cristin F. Brawner as Executive Director.

On January 22, the DMC hosted the first ever virtual JOIP Intern Retreat! Over 30 students and faculty mentors from eight universities and community colleges across the state met via Zoom to get to know each other, play games, and share their upcoming JOIP programming and projects for the Spring semester.

The David Mathews Center (DMC) is now accepting applications for its Innovators in Civic Education Fellowship!

There are countless African-Americans who have made Alabama better. For Black History Month, we’re going to highlight just a few.

The David Mathews Center for Civic Life is pleased to announce our Jean O’Connor-Snyder Internship Call for Proposals for the 2021-22 academic year!

Since December 2020, the David Mathews Center (DMC) has visited 20 counties all over Alabama as part of the Alabama Provider Capacity Project (APCP). This is a joint project between the Alabama Medicaid Agency, the Alabama Department of Mental Health, and the VitAL Initiative at The University of Alabama School of Social Work. APCP proposes to increase Alabama’s capacity to provide substance use treatment and expand provider participation options.

A presidential inauguration is one of America’s most sacred traditions. Since the swearing in of George Washington to today’s ceremony, American inaugurations have been filled with historic, odd, patriotic, and unusual moments. Here’s a glimpse of notable stories from past inaugurations: