Oak Ridge Today

CONTACT Care Line: Master the art of active listening

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CONTACT Care Line has training sessions on listening starting Friday, April 4.

The Art of Active Listening Training classes are on Friday afternoons from 2-4 p.m. April 4-May 23. There is no class on Good Friday, April 18. Classes will be held in the Parlor at Kern Memorial United Methodist Church at 451 E. Tennessee Ave. in Oak Ridge. The cost is $50 for the general public and $25 for students.

The Art of Active Listening teaches effective listening skills that everyone can use in their daily lives with family, friends, and co-workers. It enables participants to develop empathetic, non-judgmental listening techniques. This training offers important ways to assist with many of the problems people face and how we can respond in a healthy, heartfelt, and helpful way, a press release said. Practice sessions in a supportive, nonjudgmental atmosphere help participants begin to use their new skills and gain confidence as they discover the value of constructive, caring listening, and responding. [Read more…]

CONTACT Care Line celebrates 40th anniversary Friday

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Deborah Patterson

Deborah Patterson

For 40 years, volunteers with CONTACT Care Line have provided a listening ear to East Tennesseans in crisis, and the Oak Ridge-based nonprofit is inviting the public to a Friday evening of bluegrass music to celebrate its milestone anniversary.

The public is also recognizing CONTACT, with both the city of Oak Ridge and Rep. John Ragan from Tennessee’s District 33 proclaiming November as “CONTACT Care Line Month,” a press release said.

“A lot has changed in 40 years,” said Deb Patterson, CONTACT’s executive director, “but six of our volunteers have been with us from Day One, and what hasn’t changed is that lonely people, people with mental illnesses, the elderly—all of us, really—need someone to talk to every once in a while. It’s going to be special to reach the 40-year milestone and to thank all our telephone workers.”

The 40th Ruby Anniversary Balloon Pop Concert featuring the Ridge City Ramblers will be held from 7-10 p.m. Friday at the Pollard Conference Center in Oak Ridge. The Ramblers will provide a fun mix of bluegrass and Americana music, and there’ll be a prize in every balloon, the press release said. [Read more…]

CONTACT Care Line celebrates 40 years with concert, workshops, new director

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CONTACT Care Line of East Tennessee is marking 40 years of service to neighbors in crisis with a fundraising concert, a new series of listening workshops, a new executive director, and a new look.

The Oak Ridge-based nonprofit fields some 10,000 telephone calls annually from people who are lonely, facing a crisis, and at times contemplating suicide. It is staffed almost entirely by volunteers, including a contingent of University of Tennessee psychology students whose time listening to callers provides valuable experience. [Read more…]

Patterson named executive director of CONTACT Care Line

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Deborah Patterson

Deborah Patterson

CONTACT Care Line, a crisis line that has provided a listening ear to East Tennesseans for 40 years, has named Deborah Patterson as its new executive director, a press release said.

Patterson is a University of Tennessee alumna with experience in a variety of social service settings and a master’s degree in business administration. She takes the reins at CONTACT as the Oak Ridge-based organization works to build a Knoxville presence and expand services to 24 hours a day, seven days a week. [Read more…]

CONTACT Care Line pancake breakfast on July 13

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CONTACT Care Line is hosting a pancake breakfast at Lincoln’s Sports Grille from 8-10 a.m. July 13.

Tickets are $5 and may be purchased from any board member or at the door. All proceeds will benefit CONTACT’s crisis call lines, which serve a nine-county region, including Anderson, Blount, Grainger, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon, Roane, Sevier, and Union counties.

CONTACT has been in operation in Oak Ridge since 1973 and is celebrating its 40th year of service to the community, a press release said. [Read more…]

Telephone service, suicide prevention hotline has Saturday fundraiser

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A telephone service and suicide prevention hotline is having an annual Flea Market fundraiser on Saturday, and the organization is accepting donations through Thursday.

The CONTACT Care Line Flea Market is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at First Baptist Church in Oak Ridge.

[Read more…]