Humans of Mountain Brook to showcase community

As part of its mission to leave its community “better than [it] found it,” Leadership Mountain Brook has started a new project: Humans of Mountain Brook. Through Instagram and Facebook, class members of Leadership Mountain Brook hope to showcase all of the residents in the city, from city leaders to the dogs walking in Jemison Park.

“Everyone in this community, regardless of whether their role is big or small, deserves recognition for a portion of Mountain Brook’s success,” said Hunt Cochrane, a Leadership student. He said his classmate, Alexis Kennedy, thought of the idea during a brainstorming session.

Cochrane said that while many attend community functions or support the schools, people fail to “truly engage with one another.” 

“In mission statement form, our goal with HOMB is to foster a greater sense of connectivity between diverse areas of the community,” he said.

Cochrane said he and his classmates work together in different groups to create the content, which is then posted by their teacher, Amber Benson. Each post will include a caption introducing the photo subject and giving a glimpse into their role in Mountain Brook.

So far, the account has featured Mayor Stewart Welch, Fire Chief Chris Mullins and businesses working with the co-op program, but the students plan to include a wide variety of community members as well. And there’s no stopping point, either. 

Cochrane said they have developed a “hypothetical calendar” to help them schedule posts, and the class plans on having the following Leadership class take over the accounts.

“We are excited to learn more about our city while also showcasing what we have learned so far,” Cochrane said.

Follow Humans of Mountain Brook on Instagram as @humansofmb or on Facebook as@humansofmountainbrook.