Community Awards Winners Announced By Leadership Vestavia Hills

VESTAVIA HILLS, AL — The annual Community Awards Dinner hosted by Leadership Vestavia Hills is coming up, and three city leaders will be honored for their contributions to the Vestavia Hills community.

The event is scheduled for February 25 at Vestavia Hills County Club.

The honorees are:

Distinguished Citizen Award

Dr. Audie Woolley, chief of pediatric otolaryngology at The Children’s Hospital of Alabama, will receive the award, given to a Vestavia Hills resident who has made significant artistic, scientific, social, political, economic or academic contributions regionally, nationally, or worldwide.

Woolley is a native Texan who grew up in Cisco. He completed undergraduate studies at Angelo State University and attended medical school at the University of Texas Health Science Center. He then completed his residency in otolaryngology head and neck surgery at Washington University--Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, MO. After graduating residency, he completed a fellowship in pediatric otolaryngology at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

Woolley spearheaded the cochlear implant program at Children’s of Alabama in 1995 and since its inception has performed over 700 cochlear implants. He is co-founder of the Alabama School of Hearing, recently renamed WISE (Woolley Institute of Speech and Education). Dr. Woolley has published numerous articles and book chapters in the field of otolaryngology and is a featured speaker nationally and internationally.

He and his wife Ally have four children, who grew up in Vestavia Hills.

Citizen of the Year Award

Gina and John Henley will be honored with the Citizen of the Year Award, which recognizes the contributions of residents who have contributed to the community and quality of life in Vestavia Hills across many years.

John and Gina Henley have been married for 24 years and have been active in numerous city and volunteer activities. They have two college-age daughters.

Gina, who grew up in the Birmingham area, has been involved with the Service Guild and the Vestavia Hills City Schools Foundation, where she chaired their main fundraising event—Dinner and Diamonds—for two years. She was vice-chair of the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce, working as a liaison between the Chamber and the city’s schools and their Parent-Teacher Organizations. She also held leadership positions in the PTOs at the Vestavia Hills schools their children attended.

Active in the Vestavia Hills Beautification Board, she chaired the Dogwood Festival three times.
She and John are members of St. Elias Maronite Catholic Church, where they have given generously of their time in numerous volunteer positions.

Professionally, she has coordinated volunteer activities for The Bell Center for Early Intervention and currently works in development for the St. Vincent’s Foundation.

John served Vestavia Hills as a city councilman for four years. He is the 2020 chair of the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce, a charter member and president of the city’s Sunrise Rotary Club, and has had many leadership roles in Leadership Vestavia Hills, including serving as president.

Tickets to the dinner are $50 and can be purchased at www.leadershipvestaviahills.com or at the office of the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce. For sponsorships, contact Penny Lewallyn at 205- 223-7381. For more information, contact Mary Ann Appling at 205-821-0222 or at mary.ann.appling@gmail.com.