MWA Family Survival Fund

 Xaveria "Bonnie" Powell-Anderson will be remembered for how she lived, and not the tragic way in which she died.

Powell-Anderson was a 40-year-old wife, biological mother to four children and foster mother to two others. She was a daughter, a former Ms. Wheelchair Alabama, and a quadriplegic. She was involved in community ministry, and active in her church.


Powell-Anderson was paralyzed from the neck down in 2002 when she and a friend were on their way home from a gospel rap concert in Mobile. Powell-Anderson was a passenger in the vehicle that hit a patch of ice and lost control. Her friend was killed, and Powell-Anderson was critically injured with a broken back and neck.

She already had three small children at the time, and she and her husband had just moved into their home. Her oldest child – Maliek – was in the vehicle with her but wasn't injured, a blessing that Powell-Anderson has previously said keeps her from questioning her own injuries.

"She was in the hospital for months, but once she got home, she started learning to do what she could,'' her mother said. "She learned how to basically feed herself and do other stuff, but once she started getting better, and with the help of caregivers, soon she was going out and volunteering. She was never at home. Every time somebody saw her, she was on a MAX bus."


Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service firefighters responded to Powell-Anderson's home about 4:30 p.m. after a neighbor called 911. They found flames coming through the front of the house with two rooms fully involved. Birmingham police were already there, and officers confirmed someone was trapped inside. Assistant Fire Chief Buddy Wilks said the officers had already tried to rescue her, but couldn't get in through the flames. "Then our crews went in to get to the female and we couldn't get in either because the conditions were just so bad,'' Wilks said.

http://www.wbrc.com/clip/12307740/deadly-fire-in-birmingham


"This has took our family by complete shock. We are currently using all resources to rebuild the foundation of our family.  The life of our mother can never be replaced. Your generosity will help replace materialistic things such as: clothes, furniture, food, school supplies, but most importantly our home."

Thank you in Advance, 
Kerry, Maliek, Imari, Iman, Zakiyah
and the Powell/Anderson Family