Fall, with its cooler temps, school terms, and lowkey holidays is my favorite time of year. One reason besides the weather and decor is that many opportunities kick off during this season: opportunities for learning, opportunities to get a head start on holiday planning, and opportunities to participate in multiple volunteer activities in our community.
The air was cooler, the mornings a little darker, and the nights much more comfortable this past week, and I live for this seasonal shift. It finally happened for 2025. We survived the worst of the summer. Will it still creep up into the 90s a few more times before Halloween? Absolutely. But are we looking at weeks of 100+ heat indices? Certainly not. And that, my dear readers, is something to celebrate.
I began noticing the pumpkins and faux fall leaves on store shelves a few weeks ago, however–long before I saw and snapped a picture of the first changing tree of the season. Fall. The time for back-to-school, Halloween, Thanksgiving, pies, leaves, cardigans, and being able to breathe freely again.
The back-to-school season was in full swing the last few weeks, and our communities really show out for it. Our local Elks Lodge hosted area kids the week before school started, offering music, food trucks, face-painting, and the chance to meet local first responders and community resource leaders. There were drawings for cool prizes like City of Gadsden Trolley tickets, free haircuts, and even school-supply-stuffed backpacks for all the kids who came. Our girls had a wonderful time and got to witness their Papa Jimmy Bozeman and our church friend Pat Sherman volunteering their time and efforts to make the community a little better as Elks Lodge members.
A couple of weeks later, my husband, the all-around talented emcee, had the opportunity to participate in a community project the Lion’s Club held at the Gadsden Public Library. One of our girls went with him and had the opportunity to watch her daddy participate in a fun event that brought community members together and took advantage of a wonderful community resource in the GPL. They had a fun night of music trivia and father-daughter time.
This season also presented me with the opportunity to continue participating in our community with the fall start of the STAIR program at Adams Elementary. This program pairs community volunteers with first and second graders who need a little extra encouragement and help practicing their reading skills. I first signed up to volunteer last spring semester, and it was so rewarding, fun, and easy to fit into my schedule that I signed up again for fall. This program can only enroll as many students as it has volunteers, though, so if this sounds like something you could spare an hour for once a week, contact Jeremy Knowles at jknowles@gadsdencityschools.org. All volunteers undergo a background check and have the chance to attend an orientation.
This week, two of my girls took advantage of an opportunity to audition for a community theatrical production: Theatre of Gadsden’s The Enchanted Bookshop directed by Rachel Heflin and Brandy Townsend. Although I know the end result of the next few weeks of rehearsals is the polished show presented to our community (November 14-16 in the new GSCC Black Box Theatre! You can get tickets online at theatreofgadsden.org), I really enjoy watching my girls experience being part of the community a cast becomes as it puts together a show. If you have never had a chance to participate in community theatre, consider doing so–there are many opportunities to collaborate, whether you prefer the spotlight or backstage.
All of these interconnected places and people and opportunities are more than just something to include on a college application or resume. Being involved in the activities offered in our community allows for a level of connection we miss out on when we only stick to the people and places of our everyday routines. Part of my new semester fun each fall includes seeing these connections and how they intertwined in unexpected ways. I often end up realizing I have a student who is the child of someone I know from our community or watch the recognition dawn on my own children’ s faces when they realize a connection between someone they met in a show or at school. I get to see the overlay of connections between various spaces created by active participants in our community being used and enjoyed by others. This multilayered mapping of connections and opportunities, relationships and resources is something that is easy to miss if we aren’t participating in the many options around us. Options that enrich our own lives, and those we come into contact with each day. But these opportunities often require a little imagination, research, and willingness to step outside our comfort zone. When we are willing to do and give and participate, we are “throwing a bridge across the chasm of [our] solitude” (Antoine de Sainte-Exupery).
Tabitha Bozeman is an instructor at GSCC. Email at tabithabozeman@gmail.com.
