daughter of Sand Town

The highly esteemed Lieutenant Mia Craig, daughter of  Ms. Mary Frances Craig and native of Sand Town, retired this year from the Federal Bureau of Prisons after twenty years.  Congratulations on your retirement, and thank you for your service!  

Captain Dwight Smith was recognized as a Firefighter of the Month for November of 2023.  He serves as Public Education Officer in the Community Risk Reduction Division.  Recently, he was elected President of the Alabama Coalition of Community Risk Educators. Congratulations, Captain Smith! Thank you for kindly supporting Sand Town over the years!

This  certificate from the City of Mobile was presented by Mobile City Council Vice President and District 7 Representative, Gina Gregory. Alonzo Yelling, President of Sand Town Community Action Group, received this certificate on behalf of the community. Congratulations Sand Town!

By ARTHUR L. MACK

The Sand Town Community Action Group will host its inaugural back-to-school and community event Saturday in which school supplies, backpacks and books will be given away.

The event, organized in conjunction with the Mobile County Health Department, Stand Up Mobile, Goodwill Gulf Coast and Mobile City Councilmember Gina Gregory, will be held at the Spring Hill Fire Station at 700 Museum Drive from 9 a.m. until noon. Health screenings for children and adults will also be available along with raffles, vendors and entertainment.

The Sand Town community is nestled within the Spring Hill area, near Municipal Park, and is considered one of the oldest African-American communities in Mobile, according to Alonzo Yelling III, president of the Sand Town Community Action Group. “According to the (U.S.) Census, we go back to at least 1845,” Yelling said. “It was always a very proud community and a very resourceful community. That doesn’t mean we were an affluent community but we were a resourceful community. We took care of each other.”

Yelling said the event will also honor Sand Town’s ancestors as well as give back to the community. “I’m an educator, so I know what it means for a student to not have,” he said. “Fortunately, most of our schools are able to provide materials for the students to use at school but that does not mean they have everything they need at home. We pooled resources, got some donations and we hope to serve at least 300 students.”