Oak Ridge Today

In It To Win It game night to benefit Methodist’s Hospitality Houses

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Hospitality Houses
One of the Hospitality Houses is pictured above. (Submitted photo from March 2015)

Are you a trivia buff? Do you like to hum tunes from current playlists or years past? Methodist Medical Center Foundation is hosting its fourth annual In It To Win It” on Saturday, April 27, at Calhoun’s Oak Ridge. Patrons will compete in general trivia and “Sing-o” music games designed to delight and entertain, and they will enjoy a robust buffet provided by Calhoun’s Oak Ridge, a press release said. All proceeds will benefit patients and families at The Hospitality Houses of Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge.

The Hospitality Houses are supported by MMC Foundation and offer temporary housing that is free of charge for patients and families who travel to Methodist Medical Center for extended medical treatment. This long-time service is possible because of community support, including monetary contributions, donations of food or household goods, and volunteer participation.

[Read more…]

MMC: Renovations under way on third Hospitality House for visiting patients, families

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

To help the renovation efforts, employees from National Strategic Protective Services, or NSPS, have put in many hours of hard labor at Methodist Medical Center’s soon-to-be third Hospitality House. (Submitted photo)

To help the renovation efforts, employees from National Strategic Protective Services, or NSPS, have put in many hours of hard labor at Methodist Medical Center’s soon-to-be third Hospitality House. (Submitted photo)

 

The Methodist Medical Center Foundation and the Hospitality Houses are adding a third Hospitality House near Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge.

The Hospitality Houses are located just minutes from MMC, and they primarily serve patients and families visiting for cancer care, wound care, intensive care, cardiac critical care, or certain short stays related to specific tests and procedures. There are no charges for guests staying at the Hospitality Houses. All costs are covered by charitable contributions raised through annual fundraising events and by food and related necessities donated by caring individuals, area churches, civic clubs, and businesses, a press release said.

Last year, 211 guests spent 1,787 nights in Methodist’s two existing Hospitality Houses. They came from 18 Tennessee counties and 14 different states. One guest with a family member in Intensive Care Unit came all the way from France, the press release said. [Read more…]

Methodist’s In It to Win It fundraiser earns more than $45,000 for Hospitality Houses

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Dr. Adam Shrewsberry- Junk in the Trunk Champ

Hospitality House Manager Kim Maes presents urologist Adam Shrewsberry, MD, with the “Junk in the Trunk” trophy after he won the special physician challenge, which required him to shake ping pong balls out of a tissue box attached to his waist. (Submitted photo)

 

Second annual fundraiser offered evening of fun and games

The Methodist Medical Center Foundation hosted its second annual “In It to Win It” fundraiser benefiting the Hospitality Houses on Saturday, April 2. Community members, hospital staff, and physicians turned out for the event, which gave guests the opportunity to compete in a series of 60-second party games. Cups, ping pong balls, and pencils were flying as game participants battled to be the first to complete the challenges.

The winners of the six preliminary games had the opportunity to compete for the grand prize: a two-night stay at the Riverside Tower hotel in Pigeon Forge and two tickets to Dollywood. The evening’s big winner was Joey Dembek.

Competing with Dembek for the grand prize were Susan Kuhling, Matt Meslsendori, and Jamie Lesko. These finalists put their hand-eye coordination to the test with the “Tilt-a-Cup” challenge, which required contestants to build a wobbling, hand-held tower of plastic cups separated by ping pong balls. Dembek completed the challenge first to earn the title of “In It to Win It” Champion. [Read more…]

Let the games begin: In It to Win It fundraiser gets test run

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

MMC In It to Win It Tic Tac Challenge

In It to Win It Game Master and Assistant Superintendant of Oak Ridge Schools Chris Marczak shakes things up as he attempts to empty the mint containers without using his hands. (Photo by MMC)

 

The Methodist Medical Center Foundation’s fun, new event—“In It to Win It”—is just a week away, but Tic Tacs and rubber bands were already flying when the Games Committee, led by Oak Ridge Schools Assistant Superintendant Chris Marczak, did a test run on Wednesday.

“In It to Win It” features 60-second party games, which take ordinary objects and turn them into challenges between you and your fellow guests. Bring your best sense of balance, coordination, aim, and humor for these creative challenges. [Read more…]

Hospitality Houses keep family close during son’s medical crisis

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Hospitality Houses

One of the Hospitality Houses is pictured above. (Submitted photo)

 

Submitted

Part of being a parent is letting your children go. You want them to grow up, become independent adults, get a job, “leave the nest.” But when the unthinkable happens, when your independent, self-supporting, adult child is critically ill or hurt, you instantly become that protective parent of bygone years, and your only wish is to be with them and to offer comfort, support, care, and love.

So when Pauline and Sammie Gary got a call from their son Myron saying he’d passed out twice and was going to the emergency room at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, they did what any parent would do, they got in their car and drove the five hours from their home in Aiken, South Carolina.

On their way to the hospital, the Garys were able to speak with Myron’s doctor and nurse, and they learned that their 26-year-old son’s heart had stopped and that he would require a pacemaker. They needed to be by their son’s side during this difficult and scary time, and that’s all they could focus on as they made the trip to Oak Ridge.  [Read more…]

Still time to sign up, sponsor Acorn Classic golf tournament for MMC Foundation

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

ORHS Cheerleaders Decorate Hospitality House

Cheerleaders from Oak Ridge High School helped to decorate the Hospitality Houses of Methodist Medical Center for Christmas last year. The houses offer temporary lodging to patients and families who must travel for extended care at Methodist, even during the holidays. (File photo)

Player spots and sponsorship opportunities are still available for the Methodist Medical Center Foundation’s 2014 Acorn Classic. The annual golf tournament will take place on Monday, October 20, at the Oak Ridge Country Club with a 1 p.m. shotgun start. Registration is open for individual players and teams, and a limited number of sponsorship opportunities are also available.

The Acorn Classic is a four-person scramble tournament open to 120 amateur players, a press release said. The entry fee is $150 per player or $600 per team of four, and it includes green fees, cart, lunch, four contest holes, and a dinner awards banquet. Proceeds will benefit the Hospitality Houses of Methodist Medical Center, which provide free lodging to cancer patients who must travel for treatment, as well as other outpatients and families as space allows.

“Join us and help the Hospitality Houses provide a home away from home to patients and their families when it’s needed most,” Acorn Classic Chair Tom Hilton said. [Read more…]

MMC Foundation hosts 2014 Acorn Classic golf tournament

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Sponsorship, player opportunities available

Plans are under way for the Methodist Medical Center Foundation’s 2014 Acorn Classic. The annual golf tournament will take place on Monday, October 20, at the Oak Ridge Country Club with a 1 p.m. shotgun start.

Registration is now open for individual players and teams, and a variety of sponsorship opportunities are available. The Acorn Classic is a four-person scramble tournament open to 120 amateur players. The entry fee is $150 per player or $600 per team of four, and it includes green fees, cart, lunch, four contest holes, and a dinner awards banquet.

Proceeds will benefit the Hospitality Houses of Methodist Medical Center, which provide free lodging to cancer patients who must travel for treatment, as well as other outpatients and families as space allows. [Read more…]

Get your tickets to support MMC Casino Night 2014

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

MMC Casino Night

Grab your best girl and swing into Methodist Medical Center’s Casino Night 2014! The 40s-themed event will celebrate Oak Ridge’s heritage as a military town, and promises to be a night of fun, food and fancy footwork. (Photo courtesy MMC)

Tickets are still available for the Methodist Medical Center Foundation’s Casino Night 2014: Secrets, Science and Swing on Saturday, April 26, at 6:30 p.m. in the New Hope Center at Y-12. This year’s theme hearkens back to the early days of Oak Ridge when the street were in mud, couples were in the mood, and mum was the word.

Guests at Casino Night will enjoy dinner and dancing, as well as silent and live auctions that include tickets to local and national attractions, local art, fine jewelry, weekend getaways, and week-long trips in the Rocky Mountains, Sunset Beach, and the Caribbean. The band Soul Candy and the Traffic Jam will provide late night entertainment. [Read more…]

Get your clearance for Casino Night 2014: Secrets, science, and swing

Posted at
By 1 Comment

MMC Casino Night

By Methodist Medical Center

Shhhhh! Can you keep a secret? The year is 1943; the town, unmarked on any map, is nestled between river and ridge and full of mystery, matchmaking, and mud.

Join the Methodist Medical Center Foundation for an old-fashioned evening honoring the early days of Oak Ridge at Casino Night 2014: Secrets Science and Swing on Saturday, April 26, at 6:30 p.m. in the New Hope Center at Y-12.

Swing to the live music of Soul Candy and the Traffic Jam, feast in the officers’ dining hall, visit the PX auction where you’ll find some “can’t-miss deals,” and enjoy the gaming tables with your friends.

Tickets are $75 per person or $125 per couple. Profits from Casino Night will benefit the Hospitality Houses of Methodist Medical Center, which provide free, temporary lodging to cancer patients and their families who must travel for treatment at Methodist Medical Center, as well as others seeking long-term treatment as space allows. The houses have been serving the patients of Methodist Medical Center since 1997. Now, so that these houses may always be available to those who need them, the Foundation is establishing a $1.5 million endowment to support the Hospitality Houses in perpetuity. [Read more…]

MMC Foundation welcomes new board members, staff

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Methodist Medical Center Foundation Board Members

The Methodist Medical Center Foundation welcomed four new members to its volunteer board of directors. Pictured from left are Bob Wilkinson, Dr. Lawrence
Maccree, Leigha Edwards, and Bruce Borchers. (Photos courtesy Methodist Medical Center)

Submitted

Four leaders from the Oak Ridge community have volunteered to give their time and expertise as members of the Methodist Medical Center Foundation board of directors. Joining the board this month are Bruce Borchers, Leigha Edwards, Dr. Lawrence Maccree, and Bob Wilkinson.

Bruce Borchers came to Oak Ridge in 2013 to serve as superintendent of the Oak Ridge Schools. Borchers is a life-long educator. His teaching and administrative career has taken him to positions in Iowa, Minnesota, and Missouri. Borchers earned his doctorate at the University of Minnesota and also holds master’s degrees from Wayne State College and the University of South Dakota. He also serves on the board of directors for the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Oak Ridge Rotary Club. Borchers and his wife Shannon have two teenaged sons. [Read more…]

Methodist Foundation has annual St. Patrick’s pancake breakfast Saturday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Joe Bondranko at Pancake Breakfast

Anesthesiologist Joe Bondranko knows how to wake up guests—with coffee and pancakes, of course! Join Methodist’s physicians at the St. Patrick’s Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, March 15, and enjoy breakfast and festive live entertainment.

Submitted

There‘s a plate of golden pancakes at the end of the rainbow as the Methodist Medical Center Foundation hosts its annual St. Patrick’s Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, March 15. The event will be held at Aubrey’s, 481 S. Illinois Ave. in Oak Ridge, from 8-10 a.m.

“Our lucky guests will enjoy stacks of fresh pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon,” a press release said.

Local physicians trade their lab coats and stethoscopes for aprons and trays as they join the event as servers. Guests will also be treated to festive live Irish music performed by Shamrock Road, a local band specializing in Irish pub ballads. [Read more…]

Methodist Medical Center welcomes Casino Night fundraiser co-chairs

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Sandy and David Bradshaw

Sandy and David Bradshaw will lead the committee preparing for the 2013 Casino Night fundraiser for the Methodist Medical Center Foundation. (Submitted photo)

Plans are already under way for the Methodist Medical Center Foundation’s Casino Night fundraiser for 2013. This year’s event is themed, “An Evening in Paris” and will transport guests to the City of Lights where they can dine bistro-style in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower; browse in Les Puces (The Fleas), our auction-version of the famous French flea market, as they look for hidden treasures; and of course, there will be plenty of time to indulge in some friendly casino-style games.

The Methodist Medical Center Foundation is excited to welcome two new co-chairs: Foundation board member and president of CapitalMark Bank, David Bradshaw and his wife Sandy. The Bradshaws will lead the Casino Night committee as they begin preparations for this year’s event and reach out to community organizations and businesses for their support and sponsorship.

[Read more…]