September to become GYN/Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

Dear friends and neighbors,

With the help of some wonderful ladies in Homewood and across the State of Alabama, I have proclaimed September as GYN/Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month for the City of Homewood. I have recently been informed of many statistics concerning this particular type cancer and wanted to take the opportunity to bring awareness to everyone in our city. Cheryl Bourn, a Homewood resident and a cancer survivor, has been wonderful to work with, and I appreciate her dedication to this very worthy cause. 

To help ensure awareness, I have ordered City Hall and our Parks and Recreation building to be turned a teal color using gels that will be placed over the lighting in front of the buildings. I would also encourage any businesses to do this, as well. 

By now, everyone is very familiar with October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month when everything turns pink. But the teal color is relatively new with 2014 being only its third year, so I wanted you to be aware of why some buildings were teal. There is a wonderful website, astateofteal.org, that provides some information about this topic. There are many other websites offering information about GYN/ovarian cancer, and I would encourage you to get as much information as possible. 

Alabama is one of two states with the highest rates of death from ovarian and cervical cancer. Pap smears can detect cervical cancer early, but there is no early detection test for ovarian cancer. It is usually found in stage 3C and has a high mortality rate according to astateofteal.org. Groundbreaking research is taking place in Alabama, but women need to know the signs and symptoms of GYN cancers. Please take a few minutes to visit some websites to educate yourself and others. You ladies are worth it, and we need you in Homewood!

I really don’t have a good segue from GYN/ovarian cancer to other city business, but I will try. We are continuing to work on the budget for 2014-15 and expect to have one passed by the first week or so of October. The council will be working hard to review my budget, and I appreciate them so much for their input into this process. 

We also continue to work on improving the area of Short Saulter and Carr Avenue as well as Valley Avenue and West Valley Avenue. Discussions also continue to take place regarding improvements for our neighbors in West Homewood.

Homewood continues to prosper, and we have been very blessed. If you get a chance, look at the August issue of Southwest Airlines’ Spirit Magazine featuring a wonderful article about Homewood and our amenities for travelers. You will be proud of Homewood! 

Sincerely,

Scott McBrayer

Mayor

City of Homewood