You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
Built on a Dream<br />
The BigHouse Foundation was built on dreams.<br />
Lots of dreams. Little dreams. Big dreams.<br />
By Kate Larkin<br />
It all began with an idea back in 2008<br />
when Blake and Micah Brown Melnick<br />
attended the University of Alabama.<br />
Micah’s parents, Michael and Angie<br />
Brown of Opelika, had recently become<br />
foster parents, and as they navigated<br />
their new world, Micah listened. Even<br />
from 164 miles away, she could see the<br />
tremendous gaps in resources and services<br />
available to her parents and their<br />
foster children. Her mind – and her heart<br />
– started contemplating. And dreaming.<br />
By the time she and Blake graduated college,<br />
the seed had been planted. Driving<br />
one day, the song “Big House” by Audio<br />
Adrenaline came on the radio, and the lyrics<br />
resonated with Micah. That would be the<br />
name of her dream. BigHouse.<br />
The couple, who had been dating since<br />
high school, returned to Opelika and married.<br />
Micah began to follow the dream. A single<br />
room was donated in what is now CoLab in<br />
downtown Opelika. The space served mainly<br />
as a clothes closet for foster parents to “shop”<br />
(free) for their foster children. And with<br />
that, the young couple laid the foundation<br />
for BigHouse to grow. And grow it did.<br />
It wasn’t long before the organization<br />
moved to a house on Samford Avenue in<br />
Opelika and expanded its offerings. The<br />
towel and swimsuit program, which started<br />
in the original space and provided a swimsuit<br />
and personally monogrammed towel<br />
to foster children in Lee County, grew statewide.<br />
They began offering weekend beach<br />
trips for foster families and parent’s night<br />
84 EAST ALABAMA LIVING
Change language