Mr. Bradley, an RMG guest, with Wally

If you know Red Mountain Grace, you’ve met Wally and Gail. Long-time volunteers, they began by visiting guests in the hospital and cleaning apartments. They joined because they wanted, “to show hospitality and love to people.” They recognized that when guests stay sick for a long time, “people forget about them. If you’re the constant in their life, it really helps them.” According to Wally, if you make him brownies, he’ll definitely be a constant in your life.

Wally and Gail love that Red Mountain Grace’s community is made up of people from different religious denominations and socioeconomic statuses. They wanted to stay busy during retirement, so they split their time volunteering between Red Mountain Grace in Birmingham, AL, and a refugee community organization in Clarkston, GA. Some of the guests have particularly impacted them over the years, but ultimately, “it’s living out the gospel to strangers in our city,” says Wally. 

Red Mountain Grace could not function without volunteers. “It’s not that big of a deal,” says Gail, “if you can clean your house, you can clean an apartment.” “I wouldn’t sell it on the cleaning,” Wally replied. Although cleaning may not be his favorite aspect, they love spending time together volunteering and meeting guests. Become a volunteer today by filling out this form!