Gail Short - a freelance writer in Birmingham, Alabama

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The Church: Memorial Lutheran Church in Katy, Texas
The Challenge: Identify a way to broaden the church’s outreach ministry
One Big Idea: Use comfort dogs to minister to hurting people in local communities.
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On a recent visit to a nursing home, Stacy Bretting saw a man in his 80s sitting on a bench inside a hallway. He seemed disheartened and distressed. Bretting was visiting that day with her outreach team member Damaris, a 2-year-old, purebred golden retriever, as part of Memorial Lutheran Church’s comfort dog ministry. “Damaris just kept looking at him and looking at him,” says Bretting, “and finally I said I needed to visit with this gentleman.” Read the full article here.

Imagine trying to ace a final exam while your stomach rumbles because you did not eat breakfast that morning—or dinner the night before.

That predicament is a gnawing reality for a growing number of college and university students in Alabama and across America. A recent national poll by the College and University Food Bank Alliance reports 20 percent of students at four-year institutions have “low food security.”
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“It’s hard to concentrate and study on an empty stomach,” says Lisa Higginbotham, manager of the UAB Benevolent Fund, an organization supporting local charities and UAB employees in need. Last March, the fund opened Blazer Kitchen, a food pantry providing nutritious fresh, frozen, and nonperishable food—from fruits and vegetables to meats, baked goods, and canned and microwavable foods—as well as hygiene and household items, to UAB students and employees in need, no matter their income. Read the full article here.

Discovering a medical breakthrough and turning it into a viable commercial product takes brains. Perseverance. Business savvy. And capital. Lots of capital.
But raising enough capital to launch and grow a biotech startup can be a lengthy and somewhat arduous process for any scientist or innovator who spends more time in labs than boardrooms.
Moreover, biotech startups are, by their very nature, built on emerging technologies, which often come with inherent risks, the kind many investors shy away from. Read the full article here.