OTMJ OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL u OTMJ.COM
SOCIAL
THURSDAY, MAY 30, 2024
To Dream the Impossible Dream Moondance Adventures is About the Destination and the Journey
SPORTS
A Legacy of Nature
Bill Ireland Named Antiques at the Gardens Honoree, Says He’s Continuing Family Philanthropic Legacy By Wendy Wallace Johnson
B
ill Ireland jokingly calls himself a “reluctant gardener,” but as he scrolls through photos of flowers in bloom and freshly cut boxwoods in the English-style gardens at his recently purchased Redmont Park home, it’s clear that an appreciation for gardens was passed down from his mother, Fay, a prodigious gardener with deep roots in Birmingham Botanical Gardens history. “What they don’t tell you about gardening is that it’s never done,” Ireland said. “There is always something that needs attention, whether it be upkeep or adding and subtracting from the landscape. Just because you inherit a garden doesn’t mean that the job is done,” he mused. It’s much like that with his family’s philanthropic work, in that he sees himself as inherit-
By Lee Hurley
M
ay is a busy time for Moondance Adventures founder Hayes Hitchens and his 180 leaders. They are in staff training at Camp Wayfarer, in North Carolina, preparing themselves mentally, physically and phil-
osophically for the nearly 2,000 students they will lead on a cornucopia of travel adventures this summer from Alaska to Zanzibar. This may sound simply like a cool summer job, and it definitely is that, but it’s also something more to these leaders. It’s their chance to help teenagers have life-changing travel experiences, embrace
LEAP OF FAITH Mountain the value of teamBrook native Corley work, overcome Haynes, a Moodance obstacles and comleader, traveling with municate in the students in Spain. ancient ritual of conversation. “Being a Moondance leader taught me how to be independent in variable envi-
See MOONDANCE, page 7
Bill Ireland
Courtesy Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Courtesy Moondance
See IRELAND, page 5