Homewood proclaims January Human Trafficking Prevention Month and honors Lakeshore Foundation’s centennial

Mayor Jennifer Andrus opened the Homewood City Council meeting by reading a proclamation declaring January 2026 Human Trafficking Prevention Month and reaffirming the city’s commitment to awareness, training and survivor services. “I, Jennifer Andrus, as mayor of the city of Homewood, hereby proclaim January 2026 as Human Trafficking Prevention Month,” Andrus read during the council meeting.

Representatives from Trafficking Hope and the Child Trafficking Solutions Project at Children’s Aid Society of Alabama addressed the council, urging awareness and coordinated community responses. A representative said, “A lot of us would like to believe that this doesn't happen in our communities. But unfortunately, we know that it does,” and thanked the Homewood Police Department for its anti‑trafficking efforts.

The council also presented a proclamation recognizing the Lakeshore Foundation’s 100th year of service. The mayor described Lakeshore’s origins and contributions to adaptive sports and rehabilitation; the proclamation notes the organization began serving the community in 1925 as the Jefferson Tuberculosis Sanatorium and has since developed world‑class adapted sports programs and training facilities.

John P. Burns, accepting the acknowledgment for Lakeshore, described the organization’s local footprint and usage figures: “We have 4,400 members, about a third of whom are veterans who come 13,000 times a month to our campus,” he said, and noted Lakeshore hosts three Paralympic teams. Burns said the foundation’s programs bring national and international visibility to Homewood and thanked the council for the recognition.

The proclamations were ceremonial and did not create regulatory obligations. Councilors and the mayor encouraged continued partnership among local government, law enforcement and nonprofit providers to support trafficking prevention efforts and to celebrate Lakeshore’s community contributions.