10/14/2026
Honoring a Legacy of Leadership, Compassion & Peer Support
Wings Across Alabama Celebrates Leigh Few — Over a Decade of Dedicated Service
Some individuals serve an organization, while others become an irreplaceable part of its history, its heart, and its foundation. For more than a decade, Leigh Few has been one of those extraordinary individuals at Wings Across Alabama. As Leigh’s time with Wings comes to an unfortunate end, we want to take this opportunity to publicly recognize, honor, and express our deepest gratitude for her unwavering dedication to our mission, the individuals we serve, and the countless lives she has touched along the way. While her departure is not how we would have wished this chapter to conclude, it does not diminish the significance of her contributions or the legacy she leaves behind. Some contributions simply cannot be measured by job titles, reports, numbers, or years of service. They are measured by the people who found hope, the voices that were heard, the relationships that were built, and the lives forever changed because someone cared enough to show up. Leigh has been that someone for so many.
Leigh began her journey with Wings Across Alabama as a dedicated support group facilitator, creating welcoming spaces where individuals experiencing mental health challenges could find understanding, encouragement, acceptance, and the reassurance that they were not alone. Her commitment to peer support extended far beyond facilitating meetings. She understood that meaningful recovery often begins when one person recognizes their own experiences in the story of another. When COVID-19 changed our world in 2020, Leigh helped ensure that isolation did not mean abandonment. During a time of unprecedented uncertainty, fear, and disconnection, she worked to ensure individuals continued receiving the support, encouragement, and human connection they needed. Her determination to keep people connected during one of the most challenging periods in recent history represents the very heart of what Wings Across Alabama stands for: hope, recovery, compassion, and the power of peers supporting peers.
As the first Support Group Director in the history of Wings Across Alabama, Leigh helped shape and strengthen a program that has become an essential part of our organization’s mission. Even as her responsibilities expanded into leadership, program development, and the supervision of support group facilitators, Leigh continued facilitating support groups herself. She was never simply someone directing others from behind a desk; she remained connected to the very individuals and communities our programs were designed to serve. Behind the scenes, she provided guidance, encouragement, mentorship, and support to facilitators navigating the complexities of peer support. In public view, she represented Wings with enthusiasm, authenticity, and a genuine commitment to making mental health recovery resources accessible. Whether she was facilitating a group, supporting a fellow facilitator, participating in an outreach event, or completing the countless responsibilities that often go unnoticed, Leigh’s contributions helped build the foundation upon which our Support Group Program stands today.
There are moments in the life of an organization when we must acknowledge that the ending of someone’s employment does not mean the ending of their impact. Leigh’s place in the history of Wings Across Alabama is firmly established. She will forever be recognized as our first Support Group Director, a longtime facilitator, a leader who helped maintain connections during the COVID-19 pandemic, and someone who devoted more than ten years of her life to advancing the principles of peer support and mental health recovery. The work she performed when no one was watching matters just as much as the work everyone could see. The facilitators she supported, the individuals she encouraged, the connections she helped nurture, and the hope she helped restore are all part of a legacy that cannot be erased by a departure or defined by the circumstances surrounding it.
Leigh, on behalf of Wings Across Alabama, we thank you. We honor you. We recognize your sacrifices, your service, your compassion, and your commitment. Most importantly, we celebrate not only what you have done, but who you are. Our organization and the individuals and communities we serve are better because you were part of this journey. You will always have a place in the history and heart of Wings Across Alabama.
💚 NOW, WE INVITE YOU TO HELP US CELEBRATE LEIGH! 💚
A legacy this meaningful deserves to be celebrated through the voices of those who experienced it firsthand. If Leigh has ever facilitated a support group you attended, encouraged you during a difficult season, mentored you as a facilitator, worked alongside you, shared a laugh with you, or simply made you feel seen, heard, valued, and supported, we invite you to share your favorite Leigh story, a special memory, a heartfelt thank-you, or your well wishes in the comments below. Whether your experience with Leigh happened behind the scenes or in the public eye, we want her to know that her kindness, dedication, and contributions have not gone unnoticed. Let us fill this space with gratitude, encouragement, and the same spirit of connection that Leigh has worked so faithfully to cultivate. Please respect the privacy of support group participants when sharing memories. Leigh, thank you for the years, the leadership, the laughter, the lessons, the compassion, and the countless moments that made a difference. Your chapter of employment at Wings may be closing, but your legacy will forever remain part of our story.
With heartfelt gratitude and appreciation,
Charisse Rupert, Executive Director
Wings Across Alabama
Together We SOAR — Supporting Our Aligned Recoveries.
💚 Thank You, Leigh Few! Your Service Matters. Your Legacy Matters. YOU Matter! 💚
