MCLinc sponsors ADFAC, Bow Tie Event

Pictured above from left, ADFAC representatives Annie Cacheiro and Louise Mixon accept a corporate contribution from McLinc representatives Barry Stephenson and Michele Sanders. (Submitted photo)

Materials and Chemistry Laboratory Inc., or MCLinc, is a sponsor for ADFAC’s 2017 Corporate Membership Campaign, and the company is also a sponsor for this year’s Bill Wilcox Bow Tie Event, which will be held Saturday, November 11, a press release said.

MCLinc’s President and Chief Executive Officer Barry Stephenson and Laboratory Manager Michele Sanders met recently with ADFAC representatives to celebrate their corporate support for the local agency.

MCLinc is a commercial applied research company providing high-quality consulting and analytical testing for industrial forensics, materials characterization, environmental chemistry, and process optimization, the press release said.

“As MCLinc is an employee-owned company, all corporate charitable gifts are generously supported by the employees,” Stephenson said. “I am so pleased that our company and our employees are able and excited about supporting such a worthy cause as ADFAC. We are very much looking forward to the Bow Tie Award Event this year as we all celebrate local volunteer Tom Row.”

See previous story on the Bow Tie Award Event here.

“ADFAC is blessed beyond measure with support from McLinc—Barry and his fellow McLinc employees step in to help whenever they can both with time and treasure to support our community,” said Annie Cacheiro, ADFAC’s executive director.

ADFAC’s Bill Wilcox Bow Tie Award Event will be held November 11 from 5-10 p.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel in Oak Ridge. This year’s event will honor local volunteer Tom Row as the fifth winner of the Bill Wilcox Bow Tie Award.

In addition, ADFAC will honor posthumously Kathy Stimpson, whose committed efforts to help those less fortunate led to the inspiration and establishment of ADFAC, which is celebrating 30 years of “neighbors helping neighbors.”

Previous winners of the Bow Tie Award are Ray Smith, Tim Myrick, Cande Seay, and Bear Stephenson. The Bow Tie Award Event is designed to honor a local volunteer and serve as a signature fundraising event for ADFAC and the Bow Tie Endowment Fund, which was established to ensure the short and long-term sustainability of ADFAC, the press release said.

The Bow Tie Award Committee, led by Louise Mixon, organizes the nominations and selection of the recipient and coordinates the signature fundraising event for ADFAC, the press release said.

“We feel Tom truly represents the spirit behind the Bow Tie Award, which honors my dear friend, Bill Wilcox,” said Mixon. “Bill was involved in the early conversations of establishing this event and sadly passed away before we could finalize all the details. But his spirit lives on in this award each year honoring others who have similar community values. Tom epitomizes those values. And the opportunity to honor Kathy Stimpson and her huge commitment to the dignity and stability of our neighbors in need is a great celebration of ADFAC’s 30th Anniversary. We are just thrilled to celebrate both Tom and Kathy.”

“Tom’s history of giving back to our community would be a book in itself, but to summarize: He’s a jewel to all of us,” Cacheiro said. “For more than 40 years, he worked tirelessly at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, all while raising a family and building his volunteer spirit of giving back though volunteering at multiple organizations, his church, and even abroad in Russia. He’s an inspiration to so many and I’m blessed to call him a friend.”

“All Aboard the Garden Train” the theme for this year’s event encompasses two of Tom Row’s passions: gardening (he’s a master gardener!) and trains, the press release said. The event theme and activities changes each year to represent the honoree. The evening promises to include a delicious buffet dinner with a variety of sweet and savory dishes and of course, cake to celebrate ADFAC’s 30th birthday. The event will also include a cash bar, hundreds of amazing items available for live and silent auction, a State of Tennessee Approved 50/50 Raffle, and multiple special guests to make the evening fun and memorable, the release said.

Additional sponsors of this year’s event include: CNS, UT Battelle-ORNL, Centrus, ORUD, Doubletree Hotel, Leidos, Habitat for Humanity, The Wilcox Family, Ray and Fanny Smith, and Cande and David Seay.

Individual tickets are available online at ADFAC BOW TIE EVENT 2017 or by calling (865) 425-0256, extension 107.

ADFAC, an independent non-profit agency established in 1987, exists to serve the basic needs of primarily low-income residents in Anderson and surrounding Appalachian counties. ADFAC’s goal is to help families become stable and self-sufficient through a variety of direct assistance services provided by its Social Services, Affordable Housing, and School Supply programs. ADFAC answers more than 6,000 requests for assistance each year. Visit www.adfac.org to learn more.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

This press release and photo were submitted by Annie Cacheiro.

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