Oak Ridge Today

ORAU employees donate more than 300 pounds of toys and household items to Holiday Bureau

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

ORAU donation to Holiday Bureau (Submitted photo)

ORAU employees recently dropped off 337 pounds of toys, holiday decorations, and household items that were donated during their annual recycling event to the Holiday Bureau.

The ORAU recycling event is held over two days and gives employees an opportunity to recycle their technotrash, batteries, medication, and other household items. An additional aspect of the event is the chance for employees to donate gently used items, diverting these items from the landfill, and giving them to local families in need, a press release said. Employees collected more than 10,000 pounds of recyclables and donations at the event, and 337 of those went to the Holiday Bureau. [Read more…]

Local bands benefiting charities tonight, Saturday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Teno Family Band is one of the many performing groups to provide entertainment at the Turning Wheel Revue on Friday evening, May 25, 2018, at Swifty’s Atomic Bar & Grill, and Saturday evening, May 26, at the Historic Grove Theater. (Submitted photo)

The Teno Family Band is one of the many performing groups to provide entertainment at the Turning Wheel Revue on Friday evening, May 25, 2018, at Swifty’s Atomic Bar & Grill, and Saturday evening, May 26, at the Historic Grove Theater. (Submitted photo)

 

“Local musicians benefiting local charities.”

That’s the tagline for the Turning Wheel Revue, a fundraiser to be held Friday, May 25, and Saturday, May 26, in Oak Ridge.

The Friday event will be held from 7 to 11 p.m. at Swifty’s Atomic Bar & Grill (119 South Illinois Avenue), and the Saturday fundraiser will take place from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Historic Grove Theater (123 Randolph Road).

The bands that will trigger toe-tapping on Friday evening will be The Lewis Brothers (Robbie & James), The Ryan Meeker Band, $teve, The Thrips, The Unnamed, and special guests.

Turning to the Saturday evening event, attendees will hear Jeremiah Johnson & Jackson Coleman, Joey Shackleford, Kasey Moore, Samantha Mason & Marian Vacaluic, Sarah Joyal, (Rick) Payson Lyon, The Teno Family Band, Tim & Jodi Harbin, The Young Band, Nothing Band, and special guests.

The 13 local nonprofit service organizations that will benefit from your presence are: [Read more…]

Key Club, Kiwanis members, friends help with toy project at Holiday Bureau

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

CHS and ORHS Key Club at Holiday Bureau

Clinton and Oak Ridge High School Key Club Members helped move toys at the Holiday Bureau on December 9. (Submitted photos)

 

Key Club and Kiwanis members and friends helped with a Toy Moving Project at the Holiday Bureau on December 9, a press release said.

The Key Club members were from Clinton and Oak Ridge high schools. They joined members and friends of Oak Ridge Kiwanis. Toys were moved from storage areas, and related tasks were completed such as filling grab bags with small gifts, the press release said.

Toys and gifts were selected by family representatives for their children and youth beginning Thursday, December 11. Toy selection followed clothing and food voucher distributions to families who registered with The Holiday Bureau at 728-B Emory Valley Rd in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Spotlight: Local Girl Scouts excel in community service

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Girls Scouts Reforestation

Cadette Troop 20737 planted trees to reforest a managed forest land on a private farm in Andersonville. From left to right are Savannah McNair, Megan McEahern, Hannah Tobler, Kasey Smith, landowner, and Brittany Wensell. (Photos courtesy Jerry Luckmann)

 

By Jerry Luckmann

Girl Scouts in Oak Ridge contributed more than 1,860 hours of community service during the past school year. Twenty-two troops, representing all ages and levels of Girl Scouting, tackled projects benefiting kids, local service organizations, veterans, senior citizens, and the environment.

The founder of Girl Scouts in the United States, Juliette Low, believed that community service offered Girl Scouts a unique opportunity to address community needs and develop leadership in every girl. The Girl Scouts in Oak Ridge have embraced this belief and worked to make it a vital part of every member’s experience.

Girls Scouts Food 4 Kids Project

Courtney Thomas, left, Daisy Girl Scout from Troop 20438, and Christina Thomas, Cadette Girl Scout from Troop 20148, sort and pack bags at the Food 4 Kids project.

Sixty girls and family members from nine troops participated in the Food 4 Kids project, packing monthly the nearly 2,000 bags of food that are given to children in Oak Ridge schools who need food at home on the weekends. More than 80 girls, representing eight troops, participated in the Dolls for Daisy project, to clean and refurbish hundreds of dolls for Christmas distribution at the Holiday Bureau. Girl Scouts donated health and beauty “goody bags” and Christmas decorations to the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge. Environmental projects included recycling “Capri Sun” bags in a local school and planting trees to reforest land in Anderson County. [Read more…]

Habitat for Humanity volunteers install three roofs in March

Posted at
By 2 Comments

Habitat Volunteers on Lake City Roof

Student volunteers for Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County help install a roof in Lake City. (Submitted photos)

Two families and the Holiday Bureau have new roofs this month, thanks to volunteers from two different colleges and local men that routinely volunteer for Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County, a press release said.

The first week of March, a group of students from the Milwaukee School of Engineering came to Oak Ridge as part of Habitat for Humanity’s Collegiate Challenge program. The students were housed at First Baptist Church of Oak Ridge. First Baptist shared their facilities for four weeks in a row with four different groups.

The Holiday Bureau has a bicycle storage shed, measuring 16 feet x 78 feet, that had a very old and leaky roof. Now, the shed has a new roof, and it only took the students four days, the press release said. Tim Marcum, HFHAC’s chief operating officer, coordinated this project in an effort to help another nonprofit. [Read more…]

Elks donate $1,500 to three local charities

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Pictured above are Gary Monday (Elks charity golf tournament committee member), Teresa Brittan (executive director for the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge), and Joe Wilkenson (Elks charity golf tournament committee member). (Submitted photo)

Pictured above are Gary Monday (Elks charity golf tournament committee member), Teresa Brittan (executive director for the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge), and Joe Wilkenson (Elks charity golf tournament committee member). (Submitted photos)

The Oak Ridge Chapter of the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks has donated $1,500 to three local charities, a press release said.

On Thursday, Jan. 24, members of the Elks Lodge annual charity golf tournament committee met with the directors of the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge, and the Emory Valley Center, along with volunteer staff members at the Holiday Bureau, in order to present each of them with a $500 check, the release said.

[Read more…]

Organizations help move Christmas toys for children

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Kiwanis and Enrichment Federal Credit Union

Members of the Oak Ridge Kiwanis, Enrichment Federal Credit Union, and Keys clubs in Oak Ridge and Clinton help move toys and gifts at the Holiday Bureau. (Submitted photo)

Members of the Oak Ridge Kiwanis, Enrichment Federal Credit Union, and Keys clubs in Oak Ridge and Clinton recently helped move toys and gifts at the Holiday Bureau, preparing them for distribution later to needy families.

The Kiwanis Club of Oak Ridge announced last month that it was collecting toys, games, books, stuffed animals, and movies through Dec. 4 to give to the Holiday Bureau.

The Holiday Bureau distributes them to families with children before Christmas, selecting recipients based on household income.

[Read more…]

Oak Ridge Kiwanis collecting toys for Holiday Bureau through Friday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Kiwanis Club Toy Drive

Oak Ridge Kiwanis Toy Drive Project Chair Felicia Langley, right, and Kiwanis President Mark Hembree collect toys at the Enrichment Federal Credit Union. (Submitted photo)

The Kiwanis Club of Oak Ridge is collecting toys, games, books, stuffed animals, and movies through Friday to give to the Holiday Bureau.

The Holiday Bureau distributes them to families  with children before Christmas, selecting recipients based on household income.

The Holiday Bureau will start distributing the toys on Dec. 6. Parents may select one new and some used items for each child. These are usually the only presents the children will receive, a Kiwanis press release said.

Oak Ridge Kiwanis Toy Drive Project Chair Felicia Langley will be collecting toys through Friday, Nov. 30, at the Enrichment Federal Credit Union, 201 S. Illinois Avenue, the release said. Toys will be taken to the Holiday Bureau before a Tuesday, Dec. 4, Kiwanis toy moving project. Checks can be made payable to the Holiday Bureau and could be marked Kiwanis Toy Drive.

[Read more…]