Oak Ridge Today

‘Dine and Donate,’ an ADFAC fundraiser, returns on Monday

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Subway

Five area Subway locations will be participating in the April Dine and Donate event. It’s easy to “eat fresh” and support ADFAC at both Clinton locations, along with the stores in Lake City, Oliver Springs, and one Oak Ridge store (at Four Oaks Center on the west end of town). (Submitted photo)

Five local restaurants will donate a portion of their sales on Monday to support Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC.

Officially launched this past October, “Dine and Donate” is a year-long event, with different restaurants participating on the second Monday of each month.

“We have truly enjoyed watching Dine and Donate grow over the last seven months,” said ADFAC Board Member Cande Seay, who also chairs the Dine and Donate committee. “It has been wonderful to see so many families and individuals enjoying meals to support ADFAC’s work in the community!”

Restaurants participating on Monday, April 14 are: [Read more…]

Guest column—Happy 75th anniversary, Batman: I owe you

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Legends of the Knight

A movie poster for “Legends of the Knight,” which will be screened at the Historic Grove Theater on April 27 to benefit ADFAC.

On March 30, Batman turned 75. That same day, our church celebrated a 24th birthday and a 10-year anniversary of having moved into the Grove Theater. The irony of it hit me like a ton of bricks because many of the seeds that led me to become a minister were, strangely enough, planted throughout the pages of my childhood comic books.

Batman has had his share of ups and downs over the years. From the most campy television programming imaginable in the 60s, to witnessing Robin bludgeoned to death by the Joker in the 80s, to actually dying and being resurrected a few short years ago…I’ve managed to stay with the Dark Knight through his many twists and turns. At age 45, perhaps I should have outgrown it all, but I haven’t.

The truth is I owe my childhood heroes a pretty huge debt. They instilled in me at a very early age the belief that truth and justice were not just abstract forces in the world, but that they could be shared and experienced with enough effort and courage. At a time when it felt like the world was growing more cynical and afraid, I came to believe that honest people could really make a difference—that good really could win out in the end. The stories of my childhood were saturated with hope.

Moving through ministry for about two decades now, I almost always find that I arrive back where I started. I find that, fundamentally, hope is a life-blood running through the veins of healthy people. I find that fear, doubt, and cynicism are toxins that course through the bodies of the most unhealthy. I also discover that I am not immune to any of it. I experience these poisons too, times when I wonder if I shouldn’t just hang my hat and choose another profession in despair over our human condition. [Read more…]

Board orders demolition of five homes in Highland View

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117 Wade Lane Home

A city board on Thursday declared this home at 117 Wade Lane to be unfit for human habitation and ordered it demolished within 90 days.

Note: This story was updated at 11:40 p.m.

From the outside, the homes look they’re in decent shape and not the worst in the neighborhood.

But inside and underneath, problems range from collapsing floors and settling foundations to leaking roofs and tens of thousands worth of mold damage.

On Thursday, a city board declared the five vacant homes to be unfit for human habitation, and members ordered them demolished within 90 days. The city could use federal money from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to buy and demolish the homes. [Read more…]

Library celebrates National Library Week with contests, helps with donation drives

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The Oak Ridge Library is preparing to celebrate National Library Week from April 13 to April 19.

The festivities begin early with the Design a Bookmark contest for the Summer Reading Program. This contest began on March 17 and runs through April 17. This contest is open to children in grades K-5, and one winner will be chosen from each grade. Winning bookmarks will be selected in May and will be printed and distributed during the 2014 Summer Reading Program.

During National Library Week, the Biscuit Guessing Contest will be held. A jar of dog biscuits will be at the main desk of the Library, and the three participants who guess closest to the number of biscuits in the jar will receive free DVD rentals.

Join with the Oak Ridge Library to help the community by donating supplies to Oak Ridge Animal Shelter and to Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC). [Read more…]

Violin concert on Saturday will help ADFAC

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Aaron Colverson

Aaron Colverson

Aaron Colverson, a classically trained violin soloist, will play a mix of contemporary and classical music during a Saturday night fundraising concert in Oak Ridge.

The music from Africa, combined with the Appalachian music, will be followed by music from China and from music’s Classical era.

The coffee concert starts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at First Presbyterian Church in Oak Ridge. It’s presented by the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association, and it will feature visual imagery along with the music.

The concert is free, but donations of $5 or more are suggested. All proceeds will benefit Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC. [Read more…]

Myrick receives 2013 Interagency Coalition Starfish Award

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Tim Myrick and Starfish Award

Tim Myrick, center, recently received the Anderson County Interagency Coalition Starfish Award. Also pictured above are Rick Morrow, left, and Bear Stephenson. (Submitted photo)

Submitted

When Tim Myrick arrived at the Anderson County Interagency Coalition Starfish celebration, he was not surprised to see several members of the Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties board of directors and Executive Director Annie Cacherio. Myrick was a member of the ADFAC board of directors for 12 years and remains involved with the organization. It seemed normal that he was invited to join the others to receive the Starfish award from the ACIC, or so Myrick thought!

As soon as William “Bear” Stephenson began reading the arm-long list of outstanding contributions made by the honoree to the Anderson County community through service to various organizations and programs, Myrick immediately realized that he was the honoree.

Everyone in the room, including Myrick, was choked up when he went to the podium to receive the award from Stephenson. Teresa Myrick then went to the podium and graciously thanked everyone for the award on her husband’s behalf. [Read more…]

Treat yourself to an early holiday meal with ADFAC’s ‘Dine and Donate’

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With the hustle and bustle of holidays all around, ADFAC says it’s a great time to treat yourself and your loved ones to a special meal.

With their monthly “Dine and Donate” event, there is a way to do that and support the less fortunate in our community.

This month’s event is Monday, and five local restaurants are participating. They have agreed to donate a portion of their sales to support ADFAC (Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties).

The participating restaurants are: [Read more…]

ORCMA holiday wreaths for sale through Wednesday

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The Oak Ridge Civic Music Association is taking advance orders for holiday wreaths made from fresh evergreens.

A traditional symbol of the holiday season, the wreaths are made of Fraser Fir (Southern Balsam). Proceeds from the sale are used in ORCMA’s longstanding commitment to the funding of local music organizations.

The wreaths are made to order in sizes ranging from 14 inches to 32 inches and can be customized in larger sizes as wanted. Red or maroon velvet bows are also available by order. Prices for wreaths range from $17 to $30, and bows cost $7. [Read more…]

ADFAC’s Dine and Donate event begins Monday

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ADFAC Dine and Donate

Five area restaurants will donate a portion of their sales on Monday to support the charitable work of Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC.

The participating restaurants are:

  • Hoskins in Clinton
  • Mediterranean Delight in Oak Ridge
  • Razzleberry’s in Oak Ridge
  • Riverview Grill in Clinton, and
  • Subway locations in Clinton, Lake City, Oliver Springs, and Oak Ridge (Four Oaks Center). [Read more…]

Y-12 collects school supplies for ADFAC

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Y-12 Donates School Supplies to ADFAC

Y-12 National Security Complex employees Stacy DeMonbrun, Judy Allen, Stacy Cotton, Dana Davis, Becky Hook (ADFAC), Janie Hoard, Susan Beckham, Telesa Kaye Weaver, and John Fellers deliver school supplies to ADFAC. (Photo courtesy B&W Y-12/Scott Fraker)

Kids around the country are heading back to school, and with help from employees at the Y-12 National Security Complex, many in East Tennessee will head back with all the supplies they’ll need for a successful school year, a press release said.

The release said Y-12 recently collected thousands of individual items for Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties’ annual school supply drive as part of the United Way Days of Caring drive. That total included more than 230 boxes of crayons and markers, 320 notebooks, 300 glue sticks, and 220 packs of pens and pencils. Employees also donated more than $2,500. [Read more…]

Kiwanis Club meeting next week features ADFAC director

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Annie Cacheiro

Annie Cacheiro, right, executive director of Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC, is pictured above with Liz Herbes, director of ADFAC’s social services program.

A meeting next week of the Kiwanis Club of Oak Ridge will feature Annie Cacheiro, executive director of Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC.

The Tuesday, Aug. 27, meeting be in the Golden Oak Grill Buffet’s smaller meeting room. The program will start at noon.

Cacheiro will talk about ADFAC activities that include social services and affordable housing programs, as well as ADFAC’s efforts to help local, lower-income families by providing assistance that leads to self sufficiency, a press release said. Those programs include helping with basic needs, housing rehabilitation, and new home construction. For more information about ADFAC, visit the website at www.adfac.org. [Read more…]

UT-Battelle, ATLC home-building project receives labor award

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ORNL Volunteers and Horizon Award

Oak Ridge National Laboratory volunteers receive the Horizon Award from the Tennessee Labor Management Foundation. From left are Angela Gaylon, Dale McBee, Steve Jones, Mike Day, team captain Ann Weaver, and Jeff Reasor. (Submitted photo)

Team UT-Battelle’s all-volunteer project to build homes for Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties has earned the 2013 Horizon Award from the Tennessee Labor Management Foundation.

The award, which recognizes labor management partnerships that benefit the Tennessee community, will be presented to UT-Battelle and the Atomic Trades and Labor Council at the foundation’s summer conference in Nashville. UT-Battelle is the managing contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. [Read more…]