By JESSA PEASE / Staff Writer

PELHAM— As a part of the Miss Alabama program, each of the participants are required to raise a minimum of $250 for Children’s Hospitals. For Hayley Barber, the current Miss Shelby County, that amount didn’t seem like enough when she considered all the hospitals do for families in the area.

With a goal of $25,000 in mind, Barber said she decided to host a luncheon in Pelham, centered on a local celebrity from the area: Dabo Swinney.

“I started trying to plan the event in September, and the biggest thing is having an event centered around somebody big,” Barber said in a March 23 interview. “I have seen Dabo all year, and since I graduated from Pelham (as well), I always thought it would be so awesome to meet him.”

The Making Miracles Luncheon is scheduled for May 16 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Pelham Civic Complex, and will feature Swinney as the keynote speaker.

In addition to catering by Nino’s, Barber said they’ll have a silent auction to help fundraise for Children’s Miracle Network.

“He’s going to tell his story, talk about Clemson football and how his experiences in life have led him to this point,” Barber said. “He is also going to do something special at the end of the event.”

The event all started with a committee when Barber said she decided to have the Children’s Miracle Network event in Pelham. As a 2012 Pelham High School graduate, Barber said choosing the location was easy.

The committee looked into securing some local celebrities and helped Barber come up with some possibilities. Finally, Barber said it came down to Swinney, who officially accepted about a month and a half ago.

“When I finally heard I got him, it was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders,” Barber said. “It really was a huge blessing.”

An eight-person table is $500. To reserve a table, contact Johnye Woodrow with The Insurance Network at 663-4196. To join Barber’s committee to help plan the event, email hayley.barber@ymail.com.

There are also three sponsorship opportunities: Gold for $3,000, which includes the best table in the venue and a meet-and-greet with Swinney; silver for $2,000; and bronze for $1,000.

“(I’m looking forward to) being able to make such a big donation to Children’s Hospital,” Barber said. “The hospital does wonders for our community, and it takes patients even if they cannot pay for it.”