What’s the most gratifying thing you have ever done? For Star Bloom, founder of Al’s Pals, it was connecting underserved elementary students in the Tuscaloosa community to UA student mentors.
In her words, starting the innovative program in 2010 “was a win-win. It was the first time that someone told these young students the sky is the limit. And it gave our UA students a different perspective about what’s important in life.”
Al’s Pals was the highlight of a career that started in the apparel industry. For 23 years, Star and her husband Stan, Stan ran a successful apparel manufacturing company Coed Collar Co. Throughout that time she carried a passion for education, staying involved in the PTA and volunteering for school functions.
After closing their doors, Star joined the Tuscaloosa Academy staff to launch the school’s computer lab, one of the first of its kind. She found that she loved working with high school students, and often set high expectations for them. “That was one of the most important lessons I learned, that students will meet the high expectations you set.”
In 1985, Harry Knopke, who would later become The University’s Vice President of Student Affairs, asked Star to join his staff and to launch a new outreach program that broadcast science and Japanese courses in rural schools across the state. Once again, she was helping create an innovative program, charting a new path and building relationships.
Over the years, Star continued to serve the community, notably working on a Tuscaloosa task force to open what is now Tuscaloosa’s One Place (TOP). This group of local leaders concluded that if the community was serious about improving high school graduation rates and reducing the number of households living below the poverty level, it had to muster additional resources for young children and their families.
To supplement TOP’s efforts after a large grant was secured, Star, having built strong relationships across the UA campus, successfully advocated for students to receive college credit for volunteering in underserved schools.
The program began with Honor’s College students, but later shifted to a Division of Student Life initiative where it officially became Al’s Pals. The program, developed by Star and two student workers, launched with 50UA student mentors, and now enlists over 1,000 who serve in a variety of leadership and mentoring roles for elementary students across Tuscaloosa.
Star retired in 2016, but Al’s Pals continued on, and is now lead by Allison Espey, who Star says “is so passionate.”
When most schools went virtual, the Al’s Pals persevered by pivoting the traditionally in-person mentoring to offering assistance with homework via Zoom calls. Elementary leaders have praised mentors for helping with social and emotional wellbeing, on top of academic assistance.
While the way students interact has changed, the mission remains the same–develop empathetic student leaders through community service.
Star remains invested in the UA community by serving on the Student Life capital campaign committee. She and her husband also established the Bloom Scholarship award, which recognizes a student each year who has improved relations among different groups.