Jena Anderson

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Jena Anderson moved here from Mobile, AL in 2018 and joined the Board in 2019. She got involved with the Valentines Store in 2019 by chance. She is married to Dan and they have 2 boys, Will and Drew. She is still active with the Valentines Day Store and coordinates the horses and carriage rides for Cookies with Characters. She teaches 4H in area elementary schools and loves being involved in the community. 

Graduate of Andalusia High School and LBWCC. Retired from Admissions Office of LBWCC. Volunteer for Meredith Miracles for years. Member of Southside Baptist Church.  Married to Ted Grimes and Mother of two children and have 3 granddaughters.  

My name is Sonja Hines, and I am from Andalusia, AL. I moved to Andalusia from Orlando, Florida, when I was in the fourth grade (Umm...a few years ago) and I have lived here ever since. I am married to Keith Hines, have three children and five grandchildren. Amy Williamson is my daughter, and my sons are Tom Hines and Jason Hines. I am a proud Gigi to Lincoln, Rush, Remington, Saylor, and Presley Hines. I retired from a 31-year educational career in January 2020 as a District Administrator from Andalusia City Schools. It was an honor to work and serve in public education with Andalusia City Schools as this is my Alma Mater (graduated from AHS in 1981.) 

Favorite Fundraiser: 

My favorite fundraiser is Cookies with Characters. It is a lot of work but when you see the fun that children are having while watching their favorite characters on stage or visiting with them in person, it makes it all worthwhile. There is absolutely nothing more heartwarming than to see a child’s precious smile. 

History of Board Service 

I have been on the Meredith’s Miracle Board since 2015. When asked why is this important to me, I find myself answering with a two-fold answer. First, it is a wonderful organization that supports families with non-medical expenses related to childhood medical emergencies. Secondly, I think about Meredith and how her mom and I were pregnant with girls at the same time. My daughter, Amy, was born five days after Meredith and they would have been classmates. Her memory and what her family went through pull at this momma’s heartstrings and reminds me that you never 

know when something like this will impact 

your family. Therefore, I have chosen to support this organization with time

and service to honor Meredith’s memory while helping others who are

having to deal with medical struggles their child and families are experiencing.

Hi, my name is Hope Weaver I was born and raised in Opp, AL. I married to Andrew Weaver also from Opp. We are the proud parents of two of the most precious boys. John Woodrow also known as JW he is 5 years old and a Kindergarten student at Straughn Elementary and our youngest Tatum he is our sweet angel in heaven. I'm very honored to be a board member of Meredith's Miracle Organization. I've been a member since November 2020. Back in 2019, I was introduced to Meredith's Miracles firsthand. We were in the hospital due to pregnancy complications which resulted to Tatum's premature birth at 22 weeks gestion and once he was born and in the NICU we were told we would have an extended stay. In fact, we ended up in the NICU 2 1/2 hours away from home for a total of 207 days. Meredith's Miracles helped my family in I with non-medical financial support along the way. They paid for the going rate of $12 a day at the Ronald McDonald house where we stayed, and on several occasions, they deposited money to our personal account for things like gas, food, etc. So, needless to say, this organization is very special to my heart and I proud to a part of this nonprofit organization that does such great things right here in the same county where my family I are from. I want to encourage you to come to a fund-raising event or donate if you can so you can also be a part of Meredith's Miracles. 

My name is Patty Ashworth and I feel so lucky to be 

part of Meredith’s Miracles. What a great opportunity 

to help others! I grew up as an “Air Force Brat”. We

traveled several places, and I attended several 

different schools. My father retired and we moved to 

Red Level. I would have to say that Red Level will 

always be my happy place. I met my husband after 

I graduated from USM and fell in love with this crazy man! 

I married Ruck Ashworth, and we have one son, David, he lives in Chicago. Ruck works for the Andalusia Star News. When I am not at work at Andalusia Health, I love to knit, shoot photos and of course MEREDITH’S MIRACLES!

I attended the University of Southern Mississippi on a music scholarship and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts. 

My favorite event is Cookies with Characters. I had a great time this year and loved getting to meet so many people. This is an incredible group of volunteers, and I am proud to be part of them.

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Full time resident of Covington County since 1980

Graduated from Andalusia High School in 1993

Is Married to Jeremie Shaffer of Andalusia and 

has two children Lorren (25yr) and Riley (21ys)

Frank has been involved with MM by way of Cookies 

with Characters for several years .

He is a very active member of our community. Always coming out to support whatever group is doing whatever thing.

Frank and Jeremie are also Family Pastors at Andalusia Bible Church in Andalusia.

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My name is June Simpson. My husband Curtis and

I live in Andalusia. I have lived in Andalusia all my life and 

can’t think of a better place to live. 

I have four children: Janna, Jonathan, Jaime and 

Jeffery. I am blessed to be Gran to 8 wonderful 

grandchildren, one of whom was Janna’s daughter 

Meredith. When Meredith was only three years old, she was diagnosed with Wilms Tumor, and she unfortunately passed away at the age of five. During this time our community surrounded our family with prayer along with financial and emotional support.

As a way to honor Meredith’s memory and to keep her legacy alive, we formed Meredith’s Miracles, Inc., as a way to pay forward the tremendous love and support we received in our time of need because we understand all too well the many stressful financial and emotional struggles families face during these difficult times. We have grown Meredith's Miracles, Inc., from serving not just families in our local community but to 27 counties across Alabama, and we are working toward growing our services to encompass the entire state. One of the greatest accomplishments of my life has been founding Meredith's Miracles and keeping my granddaughter’s legacy alive for generations to come. It’s hard for me to believe one sweet little 

girl and the love surrounding her has touched so many lives in the past 

and will continue to do so in the future. 

Brent Cosby, M.S. is a graduate from Troy State 

University with a Master's Degree in Psychology 

and Counseling. He is currently employed with 

Laurel Oaks Behavioral Health Center in Dothan, 

Alabama in the Marketing and Community

Education department. In this position, he has developed

parenting programs, professional education workshops,

school based prevention programs for at risk youth and

customer relations training for the business community. He

also owns a private counseling practice in Andalusia and

Flomaton, Alabama. Mr. Cosby is a nationally recognized

speaker for his expertise in developing and operating

programs in the areas of child/family mental health,

juvenile justice and child welfare. Mr. Cosby lives in

Andalusia, Al. with his wife Dr. Emma Cosby and has 4 boys,

and 1 grandson,…all of which he credits for his motivation

to save the youth of today.  

Hello, my name is Tawona Ryce and I am so honored to be a part of such an amazing organization. I was born in Lorain, Ohio. My family relocated to Andalusia, Alabama when I was seven years old. I attended East Three Notch Elementary School until I was in fourth grade. Later, my family relocated to Enterprise, Alabama. We resided there until my sophomore year in high school. As a sophomore, I returned to Andalusia again and graduated from Andalusia High School. After high school, I attended Lurleen B. Wallace Community College and Alabama State University. In 2015, I attended the police academy in Selma, AL. I am currently a resident of Alabama and a Code Compliance Officer for the city of Andalusia. I am married to Timothy Ryce and we have one daughter, Trin! We also have three fur babies, Max, Bentley, and Finn. In my spare time, I love to lift weights, run, plant flowers, ride horses, and paint. I have always been involved in the community. I look forward to several years with Meredith's Miracles!

Matt McQuay is a Covington County native, born at Andalusia Regional Hospital in 1993. With the exception of weekdays while at Troy, and one year away teaching in Phenix City, I have lived in Covington County all of my life, and recently built a house in Andalusia.

Educational Experience:

Graduating from Straughn High School in 2011, I enrolled at LBWCC where I was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa (International Honor Society of the 2 year college systems) under the direction of Heather Owen. While in the PTK, I had the opportunity to go to the PTK international convention in San Jose, California and meet with other delegates from around the world. I was also involved with, and President of the LBW chapter of the Civitan Club. After graduating with my Associates Degree, I transferred to Troy University to pursue a degree in Social Sciences Secondary Education, graduating in the Spring of 2016.

Work Experience:

April 2011-October 2012 - Little Caesars of Andalusia

November 2011-July 2013 - Radio Shack of Andalusia

August 2011-Present - WAAO Radio

2016-2017 - South Girard School in Phenix City

2017-Present - 6th Grade Social Studies Teacher at Andalusia Elementary School

Volunteer Experience:

My heart is in community service. Though I have participated with various groups over the years, I have been most active in Andalusia Community Christmas. I've served with them since 2011 with the exception of one year.

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