Teacher Welcome Reception  

The Hartselle Area Chamber of Commerce and Decatur Morgan Hospital presented the annual Teacher Welcome Reception on Wednesday, August 3rd at Hartselle High School. 500 teachers and staff were treated to Chick-Fil-A biscuits, provided by First Baptist Church of Hartselle, Warehouse coffee, plus giveaways from numerous businesses in the area. A welcome was given by Missy Evans (HACC President/CEO), Noel Lovelace (Decatur Morgan Vice President of Development/President of Foundation), and Wendy Lang (Alabama Education Association), while Larry Franks of First Priority Decatur Alabama gave a prayer of blessing over the year.  

Gold Sponsors for the event included Gilchrist Pharmacy, Inc., Redstone Federal Credit Union, and WCU Credit Union, and the Welcome Sponsor was Peoples Bank of Alabama.  Booth sponsors included Hartselle Utilities, Hidden Rivers Farm, Main St. Mortgage Inc., MeritHouse Realty, One Source Office Products, Excel Interior Door and RAW Images.  Seven giveaways were provided thanks to our Friends of Education sponsors, Corum’s Building and Farm Center, Hannah’s Lawn & Landscape Service, Inc., Hartselle Rotary Club, Hulse Family Chiropractic, Inspired Design and Graphics, JMK Martial Arts & Fitness, and Mack’s Paint and Body. 

Fill the Bus 

Thank you, Hartselle, for “Filling the Bus” this year! Thanks to your generous giving, a record-breaking amount of supplies was collected at four buses throughout the Hartselle area and sent to the Hartselle City Schools Central Office to be distributed to children in need.  

Thank you to our bus hosts and sponsors: Redstone Federal Credit Union (Sponsored by Redstone Federal Credit Union), Hartselle First Assembly of God (Sponsored by First Priority of Greater Decatur), Hartselle Farmers Market (Sponsored by HealthSource Chiropractic of Hartselle and 209 Railroad St. SW Yard Sale), and Life Church (Sponsored by OneSource Office Supplies). 

Serve Day 

On July 16th, hundreds gathered for the 4th annual Serve Day, a national community service outreach day originating from Church of the Highlands in Birmingham. Volunteers from 15 local churches and organizations met in front of the train depot for breakfast and a pep rally and then dispersed to over a dozen different service projects throughout the area. Pep rally attendees heard from YouTube sensation Destin Sandlin, who began the ceremony with an inspirational message. Sandlin’s speech was followed by comments from Hartselle councilwoman Virginia Alexander, county commissioner Randy Vest, Rep. Scott Stadthagen, Rep. Parker Moore, and Sen. Arthur Orr. A flag ceremony was performed by Hartselle Boy Scouts of America Troop 336, and recent Wallace State graduate Hannah Watson performed the National Anthem. The ceremony was closed out with prayer from Walter Blackman, pastor of East Highland Baptist Church. Afterwards, projects were completed at local schools, recovery centers, food pantries, and private homes.  

Sponsors for this event included Corum’s Building & Farm Center (Presenting Sponsor), Rep. Scott Stadthagen (Breakfast Sponsor), Maegan Jones – MarMac Real Estate (Pep Rally Sponsor), Redstone Federal Credit Union (Drink & Snack Sponsor), Diamond Pro/First United Methodist Church Youth/Hartselle First Assembly of God/Magnolia River/Thompson Homes (Tier 1 Sponsors), and Forever Kate/Habitat for Humanity of Morgan County (Tier 3 Sponsors). 

Upcoming Events:  

September 12 – Down Memory Lane 

September 17 – Depot Days 

September 20 – W.E.L.L. (Women Engaging in Leadership & Learning) 

October 3 – State of the Schools Breakfast 

October 7 – Member 101 

October 20 – Hartselle After Hours 

New Members:  

Alabama’s Mountains, Rivers & Valleys RC & D Council 

El Marie’s Antique and Art Marketplace 

Excel Interior Doors 

First Federal Mortgage 

JIT Industries 

Liberty Tax 

Morgan County Referral Partners (BNI) 

New South Outdoor, LLC 

Paul’s Towing and Recovery 

Planet Fitness Hartselle 

Redstone Title Services, LLC