POWERGRAMS

Morrow's niece, Adia Winfrey. Old-timers know the site as Knoxville-McClellan cemetery. The McClellans are Morrow's and Winfrey's ancestors. Restoration through community involvement The overgrown plots "kindled a fire" under Martin. She began making phone calls and appeals to the Talladega County Commission, and presented a cleanup project proposal to Eastern Division Energizers board members, who offered support in planning and manual labor. On June 20, 2015, Eastern Division Energizers Randy Gann, Martin and her husband, Raymond, joined Morrow, Winfrey and others in the first cleanup. Volunteers brought lawn equipment or tools, including mowers, weed cutters, rakes and shovels, as well as an old truck to carry off debris. It was hard labor, Carrie Martin admitted. She mowed the grass while others hacked down tree limbs and vines. By lunchtime, heaps of brush and other debris lined Avenue H. The Martins, Gann and others reveled in the sight of the newly visible burial plots. "Some of the families have maintained their loved ones' graves, but the majority of sites are neglected," said Gann, who retired from Alabama Power as Contract Services manager for Power Delivery in 2012. The improvements re- energized the team. A week later, the Martins were among 16 volunteers for a second cemetery cleanup. Energizers worked on July 11, and were joined in the work Nov. 19 by members of the Eastern Division Chapter of the Alabama Power Service Organization (APSO). Several Energizers worked a third time, including Gann and Eastern Division President Lona Faye Bowes. One evening, Talladega County Commissioner Kelvin Cunningham spent two hours cutting grass. "I couldn't be there during the day, and I just wanted to do my part," Cunningham said. Morrow, who lives across the road from the cemetery, was always the first to arrive and the last to leave, Martin said. "Curtis was so proud of the fact that he was able to cut a path through the brush to reach it and get it clean, after they had not been able to find their grandmother's grave for years," she said. "It was a blessing to be able to work with the Martins, other residents and Alabama Power in the cleanup," said Winfrey, a mental health counselor and founder of H.Y.P.E.: Healing Young People thru Empowerment, a hip-hop therapy program. She recently moved to Talladega. Winfrey's children, Donovan, 11, Daymion, 9, and 7-year-old twins, Ameerah and Aidan, helped remove limbs and debris at each cleanup. They spent each weekend in July working to clear the grounds. "It makes them feel connected to the community," said Winfrey, who earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Wright State University. "We saw graves where people were buried in the 1830s. I was home-schooling my children and it was the perfect interactive environment." Talladega Mayor Larry Barton thanked everyone who worked. He believes that Knoxville Cemetery could be older than the city of Talladega, which was incorporated in 1834. Because the cemetery is on private property, Barton said, the city is prohibited by state law from working on the land. "We've put a big dent in it," Martin said. "Eastern APSO members are going to bring their chainsaws to the next cleanup in mid-February." The Eastern Energizers board has discussed keeping flowers on the graves once the area is restored. Martin wants to ensure that maintenance is ongoing. "Once the community gets involved and takes pride, it will spread," Martin said. "This project came to me because of one simple little grave. We need to honor those who have gone on, to keep their resting place clean. I can't tell why it affected me so much. I couldn't shake it. My spirit would not rest until I did something." ENERGIZERS 16 Small trees removed from headstones. NOTICE: The 2016 Employee Scholarship program will be available online Jan. 4 to March 1. The program is available to dependent children of Alabama Power employees and retirees. The website is https://www.scholarsapply.org/alabamapowerfoundation.

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