The Shield

Join us as APC’s new Executive Director, Nichole Dawsey, interviews APC’s former Executive Director, Carie Wimberly, ahead of her formal retirement from APC. 

Since November 2020, Carie Wimberly has served as the Executive Director of APC. Since then, APC has rapidly expanded its staff, programs, and community impact. Carie walks us through her previous career, how she found her way to APC, and her plans after her retirement from APC. In addition, Carie discusses her legacy at APC, and how proud she is of how APC has become an authentic and trusted community partner. 

For more content, make sure to check us out on Instagram and YouTube!

https://www.instagram.com/addictionpreventioncoalition/

https://www.youtube.com/@AddictionCoalition

Join us as the Founder and Executive Director of Khairi and Little Angels Memorial (KLA Memorial), Tomeka Walker, discusses the events that led to her creating KLA Memorial and how the organization supports mothers and families, who have lost an infant. 

After the experience of losing her infant son, Khairi, in May 2014, Tomeka began Khairi and Little Angels Memorial as an organization to support women and families, who have experienced the loss of an infant between 20 weeks and 12 months old. In addition to supporting mothers and families, who are low income, with the burial of their infant, they also support the mental health of mothers and the family through the grief process. In 2025, KLA Memorial plans to expand their services to include more education on maternal mental health and child birth education. 

Visit klamemorial.org to learn more about KLA Memorial.  

Visit https://www.alabamanonprofits.org/2024-short-films to watch the short film on KLA Memorial, which was featured at the Alabama Association of Non-Profits' film festival. 

For more content, make sure to check us out on Instagram and YouTube!

https://www.instagram.com/addictionpreventioncoalition/

https://www.youtube.com/@AddictionCoalition

Lige’ is the Director of Community Engagement with Girls, Inc. of Central Alabama. Throughout her career, she has worked in various areas of prevention and mental health wellness. With her prior experience, she was led to Girls, Inc. where she fosters community collaboration, while also providing prevention services through mentoring programs, teaching girls life skills, and promoting health and wellness. 

Girls, Inc. of Central Alabama is an affiliate of Girl, Inc., an international organization that inspires  all girls to be Strong, Smart and Bold. If you’re interested in participating in Giving Tree or volunteering with Girls, Inc. of Central Alabama, contact the Volunteer and Development Manager, Mary Nix Hardin at [email protected] 

Link to the Girls, Inc site: https://girlsinccentral-al.org/

For more content, make sure to check us out on Instagram and YouTube!

https://www.instagram.com/addictionpreventioncoalition/

https://www.youtube.com/@AddictionCoalition

Anthony is a local business owner and is well known within Birmingham’s service industry. 

Anthony joins Nichole to discuss how he has been sober from alcohol for 2.5 years while still actively working in the service industry, which historically, has had high rates of substance use. 

Anthony also tells us about an initiative he started to support those working in the service industry, who are in recovery or are seeking recovery. This initiative was launched for those working the service industry to gather and discuss recovery, which is usually a unique journey for people working in hospitality and the service industry. 

For more content, make sure to check us out on Instagram and YouTube!

https://www.instagram.com/addictionpreventioncoalition/

https://www.youtube.com/@AddictionCoalition

Join us for the first episode of The Shield featuring Cheryl Dodson, the Executive Director of the Alabama Suicide Prevention and Resource Coalition (ASPARC)!  

 Cheryl was featured on the popular 2017 podcast, S-Town, which followed her friend, John, who died by suicide. The podcast served as a catalyst, and Cheryl found her way into the field of suicide prevention. Since then, Cheryl has been pivotal to promoting suicide prevention in the State of Alabama by conducting QPR (Question, Persuade and Refer) trainings throughout Alabama. QPR is the mental health version of CPR, and it equips people with the skills to ask someone if they are having thoughts of suicide and how to connect them to help.

 If you are interested in getting yourself or a group trained in QPR, then, please visit ASPARC’s website https://asparc.org/ or https://apctrainings.org/

 If you need support, please contact 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, by call or text. 

For more content, make sure to check us out on Instagram and YouTube!

https://www.instagram.com/addictionpreventioncoalition/

https://www.youtube.com/@AddictionCoalition

Join us as we get to know APC’s new Deputy Director, Nichole Dawsey, and learn more about how she found her way into the field of prevention and how she came to APC! Also, stay tuned for a special announcement from APC’s Executive Director, Carie Wimberly. 

 In July 2024, Nichole Dawsey moved to Birmingham from St. Louis, Missouri. Before coming to APC, she worked in various roles at PreventEd, a prevention provider in St. Louis. Most recently, she served as PreventEd’s Executive Director for six years. Nichole shares with us her love for prevention, and her passion for working with students outside of the formal classroom setting, which she discovered while working as a teacher in Louisiana. Throughout the episode, we learn how Nichole’s professional and personal experiences led her to the prevention field.

For more content, make sure to check us out on Instagram and YouTube!

https://www.instagram.com/addictionpreventioncoalition/

https://www.youtube.com/@AddictionCoalition

Join us as Judge Maria Fortune tells us about presiding over Jefferson County Drug Court and her role in helping Drug Court participants be successful! 

Judge Maria Fortune serves as a Criminal District Court Judge, presiding over Drug Court in Jefferson County. Judge Fortune grew up in Denver, Colorado, and from an early age, she knew that she wanted a career in law. As a child, she observed disparities in the criminal justice system, and wanted to become a judge, who listened to and looked at the defendant and their world beyond their criminal charges.  

Before she began presiding over Drug Court, she practiced law in various capacities in Colorado, Washington, D.C., and Alabama. Today, Judge Fortune works to help people get their lives back on track after they have entered the criminal justice system due to their substance use. Judge Fortune is popular in the Birmingham area and among the recovery community for helping hundreds of people live a happy, healthy, and productive life without substances. 

For more content, make sure to check us out on Instagram and YouTube!

https://www.instagram.com/addictionpreventioncoalition/

https://www.youtube.com/@AddictionCoalition

Join us as Tyler Harris discusses his recovery journey and the work he does at Unbound Grace to support those in or seeking recovery. 
 
In this episode, Tyler Harris tells us about growing up in Birmingham and attending Auburn University. Tyler’s substance use escalated while he was in college, which led to concerning health and legal consequences. Today, Tyler is thriving in his recovery, and he is using his experience and faith to help others seeking help and support for their substance use. Tyler works with Unbound Grace, a Birmingham based organization that supports people seeking recovery and helps them find hope in the wilderness of addiction. 
 
To learn more about Unbound Grace: https://www.unboundgrace.life/groups
 
John Steakley’s book referenced in the episode: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1959099736?ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_FZQC8PMD6ZYHBEB4RJXY&ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_FZQC8PMD6ZYHBEB4RJXY&social_share=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_FZQC8PMD6ZYHBEB4RJXY

For more content, make sure to check us out on Instagram and YouTube!

https://www.instagram.com/addictionpreventioncoalition/

https://www.youtube.com/@AddictionCoalition

In this episode, Lauren Sisler joins APC’s Executive Director, Carie Wimberly, and APC’s podcast producer, Ronnie Gatrey, to review End Addiction Bham 2024. 
 
End Addiction Bham is an annual event that APC hosts each spring to promote awareness of substance misuse, provide hope, and provide connection. Each year this event draws several thousand people. Many participants are in recovery, some have lost a loved one to substance use, and others simply want to support eliminating the stigma of mental health and substance use. In addition to discussing their favorite parts of the End Addiction Bham festivities, our hosts also discuss how EAB has grown and changed over the past 8 years, and all the work that goes on behind the scenes to make EAB happen flawlessly. 
 
Did you miss EAB 2024? It’s not too late to donate: https://endaddictionbham.swell.gives/

For more content, make sure to check us out on Instagram and YouTube!

https://www.instagram.com/addictionpreventioncoalition/

https://www.youtube.com/@AddictionCoalition

Join us as Shane Herring discusses his experience with losing his sister to a substance use disorder, the impact it had on his life, and how he is using his own experiences and recovery journey to positively impact lives. 

Shane Herring is the Manger of Clinical Operations for UAB Medicine’s Center for Psychiatric Medicine and the Program Director for UAB Medicine’s Addiction Scholars Program.  In addition to serving in multiple roles with UAB, he is also a board member for the Addiction Prevention Coalition and a person in long-term recovery. Shane tells us about how the grief of losing his sister impacted him and his family, and how it was a contributing factor to his substance use. After a medical emergency, Shane was inspired to join the medical field by a nurse, who was supportive of people with substance use disorders. Today, Shane works to lead initiatives that support those with substance use disorders. He also works to educate healthcare professionals on the specific needs of those with substance use disorders and how to provide non-stigmatizing, supportive medical care. 

For more content, make sure to check us out on Instagram and YouTube!

https://www.instagram.com/addictionpreventioncoalition/

https://www.youtube.com/@AddictionCoalition