aTeam to host ‘Handbags and Heroes’ lunch

The Birmingham Botanical Gardens will be host this year to aTeam Ministries’ Handbags and Heroes Luncheon Sept. 22. 

The event, presented by Renasant Bank, will begin at 11:30 a.m. Handbags and Heroes is designed to honor mothers of pediatric cancer survivors as well as fighters. Attendees will have the opportunity to speak with the mothers and other real-life heroes who help care for children fighting pediatric cancer. 

ATeam Ministries, founded by Vestavia Hills residents Andy and Jan Thrower after their son, Anderson, battled acute lymphoblastic leukemia at just 16 months old, aims to provide “spiritual, financial, and emotional support, through a variety of programs, to children and their families within the pediatric cancer community.”

Through the years, aTeam has helped families in different ways including offering extended stay housing near hospitals, paying people’s mortgages and financing experimental therapy. Like its other events, including the Heart 2 HeART artist’s gala every February, Handbags and Heroes also will help raise money for aTeam and in turn, its families and children.  

A live and silent auction will feature items from Betsy Prince, SOCA and Gus Mayer. 

Kim Hudson, Founder of the Hudson Family Foundation, will be the event’s featured speaker. Hudson, who is also the wife of World Series pitcher Tim Hudson, will share her experiences of supporting mothers who have experienced the journey of pediatric cancer. According to its mission statement, the Hudson Family Foundation is “committed to making a positive and long-lasting impact in the lives of children who have a genuine need for assistance with regard to a specific physical, emotional or financial circumstance.”

Tickets are $35, and table/event sponsorship opportunities are available. The event will conclude at 1 p.m.

For tickets, visit ateamministries.org.