Photo courtesy of Mountain Brook Schools
Erica Marnes, Shareholder at Maynard Nexsen, spoke to students about online safety and behavior during an ALL IN Mountain Brook event in November 2023.
For more than a decade, ALL IN Mountain Brook has been a driving force in the community, working alongside families, schools, government, businesses and faith-based organizations to provide education and resources that strengthen families and support students.
Founded in 2014 with the goal of equipping families with reliable information to help them stay safe, healthy and happy, the nonprofit has built a strong network of partnerships — including the city of Mountain Brook, Mountain Brook Schools, the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce and O’Neal Library — to address key issues affecting youth and families.
“We are so grateful for the partnership with the city and with the school system, and that's how ALL IN has been able to do so much,” Executive Director Becky Holt said. “I have made great relationships with people in this community. And everybody wants this community to be the best it can be, and so they're willing to help, and that's just been the best thing. That's how ALL IN has just truly grown and thrived, is through those relationships and those partnerships that we have.”
The nonprofit strives to help the community learn, grow and thrive by providing programs focused on mental health awareness, substance abuse prevention, digital safety and overall student well-being.
ALL IN Mountain Brook has provided more than 100 hours of free workshops and educational resources to parents and students. Programs include parenting conferences, standalone workshops, talks by local medical and mental health professionals, and online resources.
Mountain Brook’s police and fire departments frequently partner with the organization to highlight key concerns, and the city often supports events, outreach efforts and awareness campaigns.
In March, ALL IN Mountain Brook hosted a talk on raising resilient children and teens, presented by Stacy Ladden at the Mountain Brook Board of Education. A similar event was held on April 23, featuring Maggie Canter discussing the transition from preschool to kindergarten.
“This is our first time to jump into that age range from preschool to kindergarten, and so that's a really big area that we've learned it's really important to start early and just provide that education,” Holt said, “but not only providing that education to parents, but also to provide the opportunity for parents to build a network and a village together as they're going through various different stages of life. Resiliency is a big topic that we're going to address.”
March also included a Chamber Connect event aimed at making Mountain Brook a safer digital environment for children and a community book discussion at O’Neal Library. Attendees discussed The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, a 2024 book by Jonathan Haidt, which argues that the spread of smartphones, social media and overprotective parenting has led to a fundamental shift in childhood and a rise in mental illness.
As ALL IN Mountain Brook enters its second decade, the organization is looking to expand its reach and deepen its impact.
Upcoming initiatives include expanding the Silver Spartans program, which helps adults learn about technology and protect themselves from scams. Future events will cover topics such as teen driving, ADHD and substance use. The ALL IN Podcast series also continues to address important issues affecting youth and the community.
For more information on ALL IN Mountain Brook’s programs and initiatives, visit allinmountainbrook.org.
