Columbia Academy Mourns Loss of Beloved Teacher

Issue #209

13 Sep

In this What’s Up Columbia issue…

🗓 List of Upcoming Events

🌨 Columbia Weather - Clouds / Rain with a high of 82

📰 Columbia Academy Mourns Loss of Beloved Teacher 

🚐 Saturday: Mobile Food Pantry Comes to Columbia State

🏐 Hustle Factory Volleyball Club Hosts September Tryouts in Spring Hill and Columbia

🎉 Second Saturday at The Factory at Columbia

🎵 This Week’s Live Music

📣 We Want To Spotlight Your Business! Apply Here

🗓 Know of Some Local Events Not Listed? Send us the Details!

Upcoming Local Events

🗓 Have an event to add? Send us the Details!

Friday, September 13th

Saturday, September 14th

Sunday, September 15th

Monday, September 16th

Tuesday, September 17th

Wednesday, September 18th

Thursday, September 19th

Columbia Academy Mourns Loss of Beloved Teacher

Credit: Columbia Academy

Columbia Academy is grieving the loss of a beloved teacher, who passed away this week after a battle with cancer.

The school announced that Malaika Ballard died on Wednesday, just one day after entering hospice care.

“Malaika and her husband, Scott, along with their three beautiful daughters, are cherished members of the Columbia Academy family. As dedicated teachers, they have devoted many years to our mission and our students.”

From Columbia Academy’s recent Facebook Post:

“Today we deeply grieve the earthly loss of our beloved Malaika Ballard. [At top left] is a picture from the first day of school this year. Her husband Scott wrote, ‘It has been Malaika's goal to go back to teaching this year. Teaching, especially teaching girl's Bible, is so important to her.’ And in the same way, Malaika's teachings were just as important to many of our students. She was a bright light on our campus, always ready to encourage anyone who needed it. 

In Swahili, her name means, "angel" and there is no name more fitting for our Kenya-raised friend, as she has taken up residence alongside of our Heavenly Father. 

Our entire community will feel the loss of her until we are reunited again. Please join us in prayers of comfort and peace for her family and close friends and coworkers.”

On Thursday, the entire school wore light blue to honor Ballard. Her visitation is set for Saturday, Sept. 14 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. with the funeral service to follow right after.

Saturday: Mobile Food Pantry Comes to Columbia State

One Generation Away is set to return to Columbia State Community College to distribute free groceries to those in need. The nonprofit’s drive-thru Mobile Pantry will be located at 1665 Hampshire Pike on Saturday, September 14, offering fresh produce, dry goods, bakery items, dairy, and more to the community.

The event requires no paperwork or qualifying questions—simply show up to receive food. Distribution will start at 8:30 a.m. and will continue until 10 a.m. or until supplies run out. Volunteers are welcome to arrive at 7:30 a.m. to assist with sorting and handing out the food; no registration is needed.

For more details about One Generation Away and its food assistance initiatives, visit OneGenAway.com.

🏐 Hustle Factory Volleyball Club Hosts September Tryouts in Spring Hill and Columbia

Are you looking for a place where young athletes can grow not only in their volleyball skills but also as individuals? Discover Hustle Factory Volleyball Club (HFVC).

Located at Hustle Factory Sports Complex in Spring Hill and their new branch in Columbia, HFVC offers an inclusive environment for girls ages 7-18 to thrive both on and off the court.

“Hustle Factory helped our daughter grow in her confidence as an athlete. She was taught skill and was challenged in ways that made her want to improve.”
-Katie Day (parent) 

Founded in 2022 by Tim Cooper, HFVC aims to inspire and challenge players, fostering growth in all aspects of life. Tim’s extensive background, including playing and coaching volleyball for nearly a decade, informs the club’s holistic approach. His experiences range from coaching beginners to college athletes and even leading teams in international competitions in Thailand and West Africa.

“Our club is distinctive from other volleyball and youth sports clubs in that we are focused on the individual’s holistic development. While developing their athletic skills is a priority for our club it does not override the importance of character development and helping them to mature into kind, responsible and confident adults. We believe that a coach is able to connect with young athletes in a way parents, teachers and peers cannot. Our coaches are trained and encouraged to look for teachable moments and to develop healthy coach/player relationships throughout the season.” 

“My friends at Hustle Factory are some of my greatest memories. I love when we get to play 6 on 6 during practice. The last practice of the month is a lot of fun when we get to dress up.”
-Hanna (athlete) 

HF Club is excited to be offering Club tryouts in TWO locations this upcoming season: Spring Hill at HF Sports Complex and Columbia at Macedonia Rec Center. From year one to year two we more than doubled in size with our club teams, going from 2 teams to 5 teams and this year we expect similar growth!

Between our leagues, club teams, private lessons and the boys program that shares our court space, our facility now works with 100+ athletes ages 8-18 years of age and has grown from a staff of 5 to having a staff of 15 and counting. 

Keeping volleyball affordable and accessible is one of our priorities and we are proud to say we have not raised our club costs in 3 seasons. Over 50% of our families chose to participate in fundraisers last season which helped cover a significant portion of their athletes club dues. 

Important Dates: 

September 15 and 22: Pre-season Warmups. Come join us for our pre-season play date to meet our coaches, check out the facility and get in some touches before tryouts! Register Here. 

September 22: An online informational meeting about the upcoming club season for parents starts at 6:30 PM. Link to the meeting will be posted on all our socials and sent to those on our email list.

Spring Hill - HF Sports Complex HS & MS Tryout Dates: Sept. 28, Oct. 5 & 6 - click here for details

COLUMBIA Tryout Dates: Sept. 28, Oct. 5 - click here for details

*Make up tryout dates TBD later in October

Locations:

Hustle Factory Sports Complex - 5191 Joe Peay Rd, Spring Hill, TN 
HFVC Columbia - 501 Armstrong St., Columbia, TN

For more information, visit Hustle Factory Volleyball Club. Join HFVC and be part of a community that’s about more than just sports—it’s about shaping future leaders.

Second Saturday at The Factory at Columbia

If you’ve never been out to Second Saturdays at The Factory at Columbia, you need to check it out! There are lots of additional vendors spread throughout the building, live music, cute dogs up for adoption and more. Grab some lunch and make an afternoon of it at The Factory!

11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
101 N. James Campbell Blvd

🎵 This Week’s Live Music

Friday, September 13th

James Heeter ft. Jessie Schupbach, Buck & Board, 6-9 PM
Johnny Jameson & The Empty Pints, McCreary's Irish Pub, 7-9 PM
Josh Keas, Grinder's Switch, 7-9 PM
Karli & James, Puckett’s, 7:30-9 PM
Escape, Fozzy's Bar & Grill, 8-11 PM

Saturday, September 14th

Nick Bentley, Keg Springs Winery, 2-5 PM
Box of Rox, Amber Falls Winery, 3-7 PM
TBD, Natchez Hills Vineyard, 4-7 PM
The Def Leprechaun Band, McCreary's Irish Pub, 7-9 PM
Sunset, Rhythm & Vines, The Mulehouse, 7-11 PM
The Mighty Train Wrecks, Puckett’s, 7:30-9 PM
CJ & The Whiskey Sundown Band, Fozzy's Bar & Grill, 8-11 PM

Sunday, September 15th

TBD, Natchez Hills Vineyard, 1-4 PM
The Sins, Amber Falls Winery, 1-5 PM
Cliff Waddell & Willie Vanhorn, The Rebel, 4 PM
Kenny Durham, Puckett’s, 6-7:30 PM

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