MBHS graduate receives grant to intern with Cahaba River Society

Mary Claire Hunter, a graduate of Mountain Brook High School, will be working with the Cahaba River Society this summer.

The Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation partnered with The University of Alabama’s public relations department to grant Hunter the internship opportunity.   

For more than 25 years, the Cahaba River Society (CRS) has been an integral part in the restoration and protection of the Cahaba River watershed.

This summer, Hunter will be assisting CRS in the promotion of its 6th Annual Cahaba River Fry-Down, which will take place this year on Oct. 11 at Birmingham’s Railroad Park. The funds raised at this family friendly catfish cook-off will go directly to the preservation of and education about the Cahaba River, Alabama’s longest remaining stretch of free-flowing river. One-fifth of Alabama’s people depend on the conservation of the Cahaba River, as it is the main drinking water source for those in the Birmingham area.

“The opportunity to help promote this event to raise money and awareness for CRS is the perfect way to end my time as a student of The University of Alabama’s top ranked public relations department,” Hunter said. “It’s an invaluable experience to be able to put what I’ve learned as a student into practice to help this organization that is not only committed the Cahaba River itself, but to the people of my home state.”

Hunter will soon graduate from UA with degress in both public relations and hospitality. The grant she received is  the highest honor awarded to a student by UA’s College of Communication and Information Sciences.

“The interns from The University of Alabama’s public relations department have been beneficial to Cahaba River Society thanks to The Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation,” said CRS Executive Director Beth Stewart. “The students are able to apply their unique skills to further our mission as a nonprofit organization.”

The Cahaba River Society is located at 2717 7th Ave. South, Suite 205. 

For more information about this organization, call the office at 322-5326 or visit cahabariversociety.org.