Oak Ridge Today

Divorce Recovery Group being offered at First United Methodist Church

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Ellen Hitchcock

Ellen Hitchcock

A Divorce Recovery Group is being offered at First United Methodist Church, 1350 Oak Ridge Turnpike, for anyone who has experienced a recent or not-so-recent divorce. The group will begin on Wednesday, February 1, from 6-7:30 p.m., and will meet for six Wednesdays through March 8.

The group will provide people a safe, supportive community in which to express and explore the many reactions that come in the aftermath of divorce. People can share their experiences, struggles, concerns, sorrows, fears, anger, joy, hopes, and dreams to the level of their own comfort, a press release said. Meetings will be in a relaxed informal setting. There is no cost for participation, however, there is a $5 material fee. [Read more…]

HoneyBaked Ham fundraiser lunch Tuesday for Emory Valley Center

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HoneyBaked Ham is pictured above on Oak Ridge Turnpike. (Photo courtesy Emory Valley Center)

HoneyBaked Ham is pictured above on Oak Ridge Turnpike. (Photo courtesy Emory Valley Center)

 

HoneyBaked Ham will have a fundraiser Tuesday to benefit Emory Valley Center. During the fundraiser, HoneyBaked Ham will donate a portion of its proceeds to Emory Valley Center.

“Have lunch at their location or take out from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and purchase additional great menu items to take home with you while you are there!” according to a press release from Emory Valley Center.

Menu options include the company’s signature ham, smoked turkey and chicken salads, signature and specialty sandwiches, buffet trays and buffet salads, among other items. [Read more…]

Keynote speaker announced for Emory Valley Center’s spring fundraiser

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shriver_tim_28April17 event

Timothy Shriver (Submitted photo)

 

Timothy Shriver, chairman of the Special Olympics, will be the keynote speaker for the Fourth Annual Spring Fundraiser for the Emory Valley Center. The fundraiser is scheduled for Friday, April 28.

In the 1950s and early 1960s, Dr. Shriver’s mother, Eunice Shriver, saw how unfairly people with intellectual disabilities were being treated. She also noticed that many children with intellectual disabilities didn’t even have a place to play, so she took action and planned a backyard summer camp for them which focused on their abilities. Over the years, the movement grew and in 1968, the first International Special Olympics Summer Games were held in Chicago, a press release said. [Read more…]

ADFAC celebrating 30th ‘birthday’

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Photo courtesy ADFAC

Photo courtesy ADFAC

 

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC, has reached a major milestone: 30 years of helping low-income families in the community.

It was January 28, 1987, that ADFAC officially became an incorporated nonprofit in the State of Tennessee. To recognize this achievement, ADFAC will celebrate through 2017 with special events and projects.

Last October, ADFAC kicked off its 30th year by providing a special birthday cake, snacks, and drinks to members of First Presbyterian Church in Oak Ridge. When ADFAC was first forming, First Presbyterian offered office space to the young organization. As the years went by and ADFAC grew both in size and services, First Presbyterian provided additional office space. [Read more…]

First United Methodist offers free community meals

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First United Methodist Church of Oak Ridge is pictured above at the intersection of Oak Ridge Turnpike and North Tulane Avenue. (Photo courtesy Jeff Kile)

 

During the month of December, First United Methodist Church of Oak Ridge hosted a free community dinner to any and all people in our community who were in need of a home-cooked meal. No questions, no hoops, no requirements…just a time of delicious food and heartfelt fellowship with whomever decided to wander into our doors, a press release said.

Beginning this month, the church, located at 1350 Oak Ridge Turnpike, is going to begin regularly hosting a free community meal on the last Wednesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room. [Read more…]

Women’s Solidarity Event to be held Saturday in Oak Ridge

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What started as a grass roots calling on a Facebook page a few days after the November election quickly morphed into what estimates now suggest could be more than 200,000 people who will join in the Women’s March on Washington on January 21, the day after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, a press release said.

Those who would like to stand in solidarity with the Women’s March but are unable to make the 500-mile journey will have a place to gather in Anderson County, the press release said. Everyone is welcome to attend a progressive organizations fair on Saturday, January 21, from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, which is located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike, the release said. [Read more…]

Jefferson Middle School ski, snowboard club supports Gatlinburg residents

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Photo courtesy Scott Linn

Photo courtesy Scott Linn

 

By Scott Linn

As have so many across the country and throughout Tennessee, students and teachers from Jefferson Middle School express their sadness over the recent fires that burned through Gatlinburg, destroying a number of buildings and homes.

JMS ski and snowboard club members have been taking after-school trips to Ober Gatlinburg for more than 20 years on Wednesday afternoons each winter.

This year, to show support for the area and those who are working to rebuild, the students are wearing Smokies Strong T-shirts for their ski trips to Ober Gatlinburg. The shirts were a gift from an anonymous donor who provided the club with 50 shirts.

“When our club showed up in our Smokies Strong shirts on our first trip of the season, it had an impact on the workers up there, and I’m just really glad the club could play even a small part in helping lift their spirits,” said seventh-grader Allison Myers.

The Red Cross, the Dollywood Foundation, and Friends of the Smokies will benefit from proceeds of the sales of the shirts. [Read more…]

Nine Lakes Wine Festival on Oak Ridge waterfront in May

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Nine Lakes Wine Festival Logo

The first waterfront Nine Lakes Wine Festival will be at Melton Lake Park in Oak Ridge in May.

This two-day festival will offer a Winemakers Dinner on May 19, and a Grand Tasting on Saturday, May 20. There are expected to be 100 Tennessee wines from 20 wineries, live music, and food. [Read more…]

Charlie the Curious Bear is Children’s Museum’s new mascot

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Hart Family

Loren Hart, center, provided inspiration for the Children’s Museum’s new mascot, with her artwork of a bear in blue overalls. With her are her parents, Jennifer Lee and Len Hart, and her sister Matti. (Submitted photo)

 

The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge has a new mascot.

The newest addition to the Children’s Museum was recently unveiled at its annual Holiday Gala. As supporters gathered to celebrate the holidays, Board President Tom Beehan, Executive Director Beth Shea, and Marketing Chair Gene Patterson introduced the crowd to Charlie the Curious Bear, the museum’s new mascot.

The image of the cuddly brown bear, with expressive eyes, wearing blue bib overalls and cap, was inspired by student Loren Hart, who took part in an art competition in the Oak Ridge Schools to create the museum’s new mascot. [Read more…]

Martin Luther King Jr. Day events

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Reneé Kesler

Reneé Kesler

There are at least three events scheduled on Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Monday, January 16).

Atomic City Sportsmen Club hosts 28th Annual Martin Luther King Fellowship Breakfast Program

The Atomic City Sportsmen invite the community to the 28th annual Martin Luther King Fellowship Breakfast. The Breakfast will be held on Monday, January 16, at the Oak Valley Baptist Church, 191 Hampton Road in Oak Ridge.

The program begins at 8 a.m., and this year’s keynote speaker will be the Reverend Reneé Kesler, president and chief executive officer of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center Inc. in Knoxville.

Beck was established in 1975 as a primary repository of black history and culture in East Tennessee and remains dedicated to researching, collecting, conserving, preserving, and exhibiting works of art, writings, artifacts, memorabilia, and other evidence of contributions relating to the history and culture of African Americans in this region while fostering and promoting educational, artistic, and cultural activities and experiences, a press release said. [Read more…]

UT-Battelle fulfills $250,000 pledge to Emory Valley Center campaign

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Emory Valley Center and UT-Battelle Check Jan 2017

On hand for UT-Battelle’s check presentation at the new facility construction site are, from left to right, Shirley Raines, Emory Valley Center board vice president; Dottie Thompson and Gene Caldwell, EVC capital co-chairs; Jennifer Enderson, EVC president; ORNL’s Jeff Smith and Leigha Humphries; Tennessee senators Ken Yager and Randy McNally; and Janet Wood, EVC vice president of community engagement. (Photo courtesy ORNL)

 

UT-Battelle, the managing contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, made the final installment of a $250,000 pledge by presenting a $50,000 check in late December to the Emory Valley Center, a community facility that serves people with disabilities, a press release said.

UT-Battelle made the pledge in 2011 when the Emory Valley Center, which provides services and support for adults and children with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities, began a building program to replace its aging structure. The center’s new building is now under construction.

ORNL Deputy Director for Operations Jeff Smith and Community Relations Manager Leigha Humphries presented the check to Jennifer Enderson, the center’s president. [Read more…]

McNally, the new lieutenant governor, to discuss growing up in Oak Ridge, public service

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Randy McNally

Randy McNally (Submitted photo)

 

Tennessee Senator Randy McNally, an Oak Ridge Republican who is now lieutenant governor and speaker of the Senate, will discuss public service and growing up in Oak Ridge during a meeting this evening (Thursday, January 12).

McNally’s talk will be at a 7 p.m. meeting of the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association in the Midtown Community Center at 102 Robertsville Road.

McNally, a legislative leader for nearly 40 years, became lieutenant governor and speaker of the Senate on Tuesday on the first organizational day of the 110th General Assembly. He is only the second Republican Tennessee Senate Speaker in modern history and the first from Anderson County in nearly 150 years. [Read more…]