Oak Ridge Today

Kiwanis Club meeting on Tuesday focuses on tetanus elimination project

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Joe Tolson with Eliminate MNT Banner

Joe Tolson with an “Eliminate MNT” banner from the Sweetwater, Tenn., Kiwanis Club at a Feb 15 Kiwanis meeting in Knoxville. (Submitted photo)

The Kiwanis Club of Oak Ridge will meet at the Golden Oak Grill Buffet on Tuesday, and the program will feature Joe Tolson, president of the Sweetwater Kiwanis Club. Tolson will talk about The Eliminate MNT Project, which is a Kiwanis International Partnership with UNICEF to prevent and eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus, or MNT, across the globe.

The Kiwanis project’s goal is to raise $110 million to help UNICEF eliminate MNT and to ensure mothers have access to a safe birthing environment or three doses of the tetanus vaccine. Additional information about The Eliminate Project can be seen at the Web page http://sites.kiwanis.org/Kiwanis/en/theELIMINATEproject/home.aspx. [Read more…]

Wealth management adviser to discuss women, money with Altrusa Club

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Ali Swofford

Ali Swofford

An independent wealth management adviser will discuss women and money during a Wednesday meeting of the Altrusa Club of Oak Ridge.

The presentation by Aleen “Ali” Swofford is titled “Women and Money—Taking Charge of Your Financial Future.”

The meeting will take place at the Oak Ridge Utility District office conference facility at 120 S. Jefferson Circle.

“Women often face unique financial challenges that their male counterparts don’t,” Swofford said in a press release. “They have longer life expectancies, and may have less income and therefore reduced savings as they head into retirement. Women are also more likely to take a career break at some point to be a caretaker, and we tend to invest too conservatively.” [Read more…]

Boys and Girls Club has Valentines Gala on Saturday

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The Boys and Girls Club of Oak Ridge will be bringing its annual Valentines Gala back to Oak Ridge this year. The event will be held at St. Mary’s in Columbus Hall and the Gymnasium from 6:30-11 p.m. Saturday. The theme will be The Roaring Twenties, with an authentic time period band and Knox Vegas DJs to entertain the crowd throughout the evening.

“We’re thrilled to bring the club’s largest fundraiser back to town and offer a theme that is sure to be the highlight of the season for Oak Ridgers,” said Aaron Wells, president of the Oak Ridge Unit board of directors. Along with the music, the event will feature a live auction emceed by Bear Stephenson, silent auction, dinner, and several other fun activities, which will help to bring the Roaring Twenties theme into full effect.

This is the Boys and Girls Club’s largest fundraising event and provides a wonderful opportunity for community leaders to come out and show their support while enjoying an evening of upscale fun and dancing. Auction items will include a John Daly autographed golf bag, a trip to Keeneland for the races, and several other unique items. All proceeds from this event will go directly to the Boys and Girls Club of Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Business owner to speak to Altrusa Club on enduring value of antiques

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Angela Galen

Angela Galen

Angela Galen, owner of the Antique Market of Clinton, will be the guest speaker at the Altrusa Club luncheon meeting on Wednesday  at the DoubleTree Hotel in Oak Ridge, and she will discuss how to keep antiques alive for future generations.

Galen will also play a lively round of “What in the world is it?” using some antiques she will bring along, a press release said. The audience will have the opportunity to speculate as to the intended function of the object.

Instrumental in organizing the Antique Merchants Guild of Clinton, Galen has held the office of president for a total of four years, and for the past three years has been one of the main organizers of the Clinch River Spring Antique Fair, which draws thousands of people to Anderson County each May, the release said. [Read more…]

Organizers announce new date for Dragon Boat Festival in May

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Colorado Dragon Boat Race

The first team to pull out the flag at the end of a dragon boat race in Colorado wins the 150-meter competition. (Jeff Towery, provided by Colorado Dragon Boat Festival)

The three Rotary clubs of Oak Ridge, which are planning to launch the inaugural Oak Ridge Dragon Boat Festival this spring, have announced a change of date for the community fundraiser. The festival will be held Saturday, May 31, 2014, at the Oak Ridge Marina and Pavilion in Melton Lake Park.

In addition, the clubs have announced a new website for the Oak Ridge Dragon Boat Festival: http://oakridge.racedragonboats.com/.

“The purpose of the festival is to provide a venue for dragon boat races, offer food and musical entertainment, and raise funds for a special project and nonprofit service organizations in the community,” said Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson, president of the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge.

The boat-racing event, launched by OARS in the Water, will celebrate Oak Ridge’s waterfront and signature rowing venue. OARS stands for the Oak Ridge Association of Rotarians. The other two clubs are the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary and Oak Ridge Sunset Rotary clubs. [Read more…]

Elks Lodge dance on Friday

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The Oak Ridge Elks Lodge is inviting adults 21 and older to be their guests at a dance on Friday that features the Jay Storm Project. The dance will be held from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. at the Lodge located at 684 Emory Valley Road in Oak Ridge. There is no admission fee.

“Join friends for an evening of fun dancing to the sounds of the popular Knoxville based band, the Jay Storm Project,” a press release said.. “Described as a mix of as a mix of rhythm and blues, rock, funk, and soul, their music is the perfect combination to get any crowd moving on the dance floor.”

Guests must sign in at the door. No one under 21 will be admitted. A cash bar will be available.

For more information, call (865) 483-3510.

A service of lessons, carols at First United Methodist Church

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Tis the Season! Tis the season when Christians prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, and what better way than through a traditional service of lessons and carols? Come to this festive service, comprised of the stories and songs of Christmas, on Sunday, Dec. 1, at 6:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church at 1350 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The Service of Lessons and Carols was first held on Christmas Eve 1918 at King’s College in Cambridge, England. Since then, it has been celebrated throughout the world, sometimes still on Christmas Eve, otherwise sometime during the season of Advent, the four Sundays leading up to Christmas. While the backbone of the service, the lessons, has remained virtually unchanged, there is much beautiful and moving Christmas music to choose from when organizing such a service. [Read more…]

Ecologist, community leader receives Rotary Club Vocational Service Award

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Chuck Coutant

Chuck Coutant

Chuck Coutant, a retired Oak Ridge National Laboratory fish biologist and active community leader for more than 40 years, recently received the Vocational Service Award of the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge at the club’s noon luncheon meeting at the DoubleTree Hotel.

A native of upstate New York and resident of Oak Ridge since 1970, Coutant was recognized for his leadership in the community in environmental and cultural activities, his excellence as an Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientist, and his influence on national and international environmental policies.

Currently, Coutant is a consultant to power companies for environmental evaluation of cooling systems and is president of Friends of ORNL. [Read more…]

Family, friends remember Cub Scout who wanted to be a police officer

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Treí-Roan Vann and Football Trophy

Treí-Roan Vann is pictured above with a second-place football trophy in the Boys Club VFC Conference on Oct. 26. (Photo courtesy Crist Vann)

Like his older brother David, Treí-Roan Vann wanted to be a police officer when he grew up. He also wanted to play soccer this year. He never got the chance to do either.

Treí, a third-grade student at Linden Elementary School, was found unresponsive on his school bus at about 4:10 p.m. Tuesday near his home on Wilberforce Avenue. He was taken by ambulance to Methodist Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

His father Crist Vann said Treí, as he was called, was a very good eight-year-old.

“He didn’t get into too many problems,” Vann said Wednesday night. “He was always concerned about people. He was always willing to lend a helping hand. He was always the life of the room.”

It’s not clear what happened to Treí on Tuesday.

“He went to school,” Crist Vann said. “Everybody at school said he was fine. On the way home, he was unresponsive. They thought he was asleep. They couldn’t bring him back.” [Read more…]

Y-12 emergency services director to discuss plant activities Tuesday

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A Tuesday lunch meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Oak Ridge will feature the director of emergency services at the Y-12 National Security Complex.

The meeting starts at noon, and the presentation by  Jason M. Hatfield will begin at 12:10 p.m. It’s in the smaller meeting room of the Golden Oak Grill Buffet on 401 South Tulane Ave. in Oak Ridge. Hatfield will talk about Y-12 activities, a press release said. [Read more…]

Dr. William Culbert to speak on Affordable Care Act on Thursday

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William Culbert

William Culbert

William Culbert Jr., MD, a family practice physician who is an advocate of the Affordable Care Act, will be the guest speaker at the Thursday meeting of the Anderson County Democratic Women’s Club.

“The ACA, an Idea Whose Time Has Come,” is the topic of Dr. Culbert’s talk. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the Club Room of the Clinton Community Center.

Vernon’s Burnins will serve Vernon Long’s award-winning, slow cooked barbecue, and the dinner costs $10 per person. For reservations, e-mail Ann Mostoller at [email protected] or call Mary Matheny at (865) 483-8937. [Read more…]

Annual Christmas tree lighting in Bissell Park scheduled for Dec. 6

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Oak Ridge Christmas Tree Lighting

The Oak Ridge Woman’s Club and the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will have the annual Christmas tree lighting at A.K. Bissell Park on Friday, Dec. 6.

The Oak Ridge Woman’s Club and the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will sponsor the annual Christmas tree lighting and reception at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6.

Participants should gather at the Secret City Commemorative Walk on the east side of the Oak Ridge Public Library parking lot for a brief ceremony, a press release said. Following the tree lighting, a reception will be held in the Oak Ridge Civic Center gymnasium. Participants will enjoy seasonal music and refreshments provided by the Oak Ridge Woman’s Club Civic Affairs Committee.

For more information, visit the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department website at www.orrecparks.org.