Officials announce death of Miss Brenda, founder of The Lovelady Center [Video]

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – Dr. Brenda Lovelady Spahn, founder of The Lovelady Center in Birmingham, has died. She was 75.

Known in the community as “Miss Brenda,” Spahn launched The Lovelady Center in 2004 in her own home with the aim to teach a life free from drugs and crime.

The program started with seven inmates from Alabama’s Julia Tutwiler Prison, and rapidly expanded. To date, the center says Spahn’s work has impacted nearly 20,000 women and their children.

It’s the largest faith-based recovery facility for women and children in the nation and it’s right here in Birmingham.

WBRC spent time at the facility Wednesday during a church service as hundreds of women gathered to worship, even during this time of mourning. Several people in the room shared hugs and tears.

Currently, 500 women and a little more than 100 children are at the facility.

One woman who now serves as the Judicial Services Director entered the facility back in …