Oak Ridge Today

Peace Vigil on Sunday at Friendship Bell

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The International Friendship Bell is pictured above. (Submitted photo)

 

A Peace Vigil Against Gun Violence will be held at 7 p.m. Sunday, September 22, at the Oak Ridge International Friendship Bell Peace Pavilion in Alvin K. Bissell Park at 1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike, a press release said. The vigil will feature guest speakers, music, and opportunities to write postcards to state and federal elected officials and sign a petition, the release said.

The Reverend Jake Morrill of Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church will serve as moderator of the vigil. Jinx Watson, who has experienced gun violence in Knoxville, will be among speakers for the event, the press release said. [Read more…]

Learn more about history of desegregation on Sept. 9

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Rose Weaver
Rose Weaver

You can learn more about the history of desegregation and profiles of those who have shaped the area during a September 9 meeting in Oak Ridge.

It’s a kick-off meeting for Women’s Interfaith Dialogue of Oak Ridge. It is scheduled to start with a brief meet-and-greet at 10:45 a.m. Monday, Saturday 9, at St. Stephens Episcopal Church at 212 North Tulane Avenue, and the program will start at 11 a.m.

Rose Weaver—an active member of the Oak Ridge community, a poet, and a historian—is currently working on researching the history of desegregation of the area and the people who have had the greatest impacts in shaping Oak Ridge, a press release said.

Weaver will also speak about the exciting NAACP Tennessee State Convention that is being hosted in Oak Ridge from Thursday, September 26, through Saturday, September 28, the press release said.

[Read more…]

Women’s Interfaith to focus on protecting youth from opioid crisis

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BeaThomas

BeaThomas

Women’s Interfaith Dialogue of Oak Ridge will learn more about the opiod crisis afflicting the nation and its communities during a meeting on Monday, April 1.

The meeting is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. Monday, April 1, at the Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge, which is at 101 West Madison Lane.

Reverend Bea Thomas, an ordained elder in the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Zion Church, will speak on “The Impact of the Opiod Epidemic upon Our Youth and How We Can Protect Them,” a press release said.

Thomas has served as pastor of four churches in the Tennessee Conference of the A.M.E. Zion Church. Since 2016, she has been involved in correctional ministry, first at the Anderson County Jail and currently at Roane County Jail, the press release said. She holds a M.A. in Evangelism and Church Planting from Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia, and is currently completing courses toward a Chaplaincy Certificate in Correctional Ministry through the Institute of Prison Ministry at Christian University GlobalNet. [Read more…]

Faith, church groups celebrating Community Interfaith Harmony Month

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Oak Ridge Community Interfaith Harmony Month Logo Feb 2019

The Oak Ridge Interfaith Partnership, Women’s Interfaith Dialogue of Oak Ridge, and Church Women United are celebrating Oak Ridge Community Interfaith Harmony Month.

The Oak Ridge community is invited to join the celebration. The Community Interfaith Harmony Month is being celebrated from February 5-March 5.

The kickoff event will be held on Tuesday, February 5, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the historic Grove Theater. At 7 p.m., there will be a program featuring local youth, faith, and community leaders speaking about the importance of religious freedom, loving our neighbors, and engaging in community service, a press release said. During the program, a mayoral proclamation will be presented declaring the Oak Ridge Community Interfaith Harmony Month.

There will be booths for faith and nonprofit groups. They will be able to share information, service success stories, ongoing service opportunities, and what services exist to help those in need and what each person can do to help support them, the press release said. [Read more…]

Southern Poverty Law Center forums: Fighting hate, teaching tolerance, seeking justice

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Lecia Brooks

Lecia Brooks

 

There will be two community forums in Oak Ridge this week that will be led by the outreach director of an organization that is dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of society, a press release said.

The forums will feature speaker Lecia Brooks, outreach director for the Southern Poverty Law Center. They are scheduled at 2 p.m. Monday, May 7, at the Grove Theater at 123 Randolph Road and 10 a.m., Tuesday, May 8, in the sanctuary of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The forums are free and open to the public. They are hosted by Women’s Interfaith Dialogue of Oak Ridge.

Brooks leads the Southern Poverty Law Center’s outreach efforts on key initiatives and social justice issues, the press release said. She frequently gives presentations around the country to promote tolerance and diversity, the release said. She also serves as director of the Civil Rights Memorial Center in Montgomery, Alabama, an interpretive center designed to provide its visitors with a deeper understanding of the civil rights movement. [Read more…]

Many community organizations support the Oak Ridge International Friendship Bell

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The three Oak Ridge Rotary Clubs present a check for $10,000 for the Peace Pavilion that will house the International Friendship Bell, at the kickoff for the fundraising campaign last year. From left, they are last year’s Rotary Club presidents, Devrin Kuipers, Oak Ridge Sunset Rotary Club; Jennifer Campbell, Rotary Club of Oak Ridge; and Emily Jernigan, Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club. Accepting the check are Pat Postma and Alan Tatum, co-chairs of the International Friendship Bell Citizens Advisory Committee. (Photo by D. Ray Smith)

The three Oak Ridge Rotary Clubs present a check for $10,000 for the Peace Pavilion that will house the International Friendship Bell, at the kickoff for the fundraising campaign last year. From left, they are last year’s Rotary Club presidents, Devrin Kuipers, Oak Ridge Sunset Rotary Club; Jennifer Campbell, Rotary Club of Oak Ridge; and Emily Jernigan, Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club. Accepting the check are Pat Postma and Alan Tatum, co-chairs of the International Friendship Bell Citizens Advisory Committee. (Photo by D. Ray Smith)

 

When local organizations step up to support local initiatives, communities experience success.

“Communities that organize and work with a goal in mind benefit and prosper far more than those that don’t,” said Pat Postma, co-chair of a group leading a fund drive for a new Peace Pavilion for the Oak Ridge International Friendship Bell.

Postma is pleased that many local organizations have contributed to the Friendship Bell drive, seeing it as a sign of strong community support when organizations that raise funds for their own causes contribute to other community initiatives, as well. They join contractors, businesses, local governments, and individuals that are supporting the effort, a press release said.

Among the first organization to contribute to the drive was the Girl Scouts Oak Ridge Service Unit, which observes the United Nations International Day of Peace annually at the Friendship Bell and has established friendships with Girl Scouts from Oak Ridge’s sister city in Japan, the press release said.

“The Girl Scouts of Oak Ridge made a donation of $1,000 when we had a visit from our sister Girl Scout Troop 37 in Naka, Japan, in 2014,” said Jerry Luckmann, community service coordinator for the Oak Ridge Service Unit, which covers about 30 troops in the Oak Ridge area. [Read more…]

Weaver to discuss the African-American experience in Oak Ridge on Monday

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Rose Weaver

Rose Weaver, an active member of the Oak Ridge community who has a passion for preserving the history of its African-American presence. (Submitted photo)

 

Rose Weaver, an active member of the Oak Ridge community who has a passion for preserving the history of the African-American presence since the city’s inception, will be the featured speaker at a Monday meeting of Women’s Interfaith Dialogue of Oak Ridge, a press release said.

“The public is invited to come and learn how African-Americans also contributed to the development of Oak Ridge during the early years of World War II and how life for African-Americans was different than it is today,” the press release said. “(Weaver’s) presentation will feature many famous Ed Westcott photos along with information about several prominent African-American scientists.”

The meeting is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. Monday, May 1, at the Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge, the Beth El Center, at 101 West Madison Lane in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Community forum on immigration is Thursday

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De Ann Pendry

De Ann Pendry

There will be a community forum on immigration in Oak Ridge on Thursday.

A press release said the forum will provide information on how immigration has been affected by current politics and the issue of living without documentation in Oak Ridge.

The main speaker will be De Ann Pendry, a senior lecturer and adjunct assistant professor in anthropology at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

The forum is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 27, in the sanctuary at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The forum is free, and the public is invited, the press release said. It’s sponsored by Women’s Interfaith Dialogue of Oak Ridge, or WIDOR; Oak Ridge Interfaith Partnership, or ORIP and the League of Women Voters, or LWV. [Read more…]

Information about plans for new Friendship Bell site to be shared Monday

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oak-ridge-international-frienship-bell-interior-scaled

Design of the Peace Pavilion for the Oak Ridge International Friendship Bell by Demian\Wilbur\Architects, Washington, D.C.

 

Submitted

Peace. Can it be attained in 2017?

“My Faith’s Traditions/Teachings on Personal and World Peace” will be the topic of a panel discussion held by the Women’s Interfaith Dialogue of Oak Ridge, or WIDOR, on April 3 at 11 a.m. at the Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge, the Beth El Center, at 101 West Madison Lane in Oak Ridge. Everyone is invited, a press release said.

The first speaker on the panel, Shigeko Uppuluri, will present on the peaceful intentions of those who arranged to bring the Friendship Bell to Oak Ridge from Japan and share information about the plans for its new site, the press release said. [Read more…]

Quinn to discuss homelessness, TORCH in Monday program

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Torch Logo

The director of an organization that helps homeless families in Oak Ridge and Anderson County will discuss homelessness during a Monday morning program in Oak Ridge.

Anthony “Andy” O. Quinn is executive director of TORCH, or Trinity Out-Reach Center of Hope.

Besides homelessness, Quinn will also discuss TORCH during the Monday program, which starts at 11 a.m. January 4 at the Jewish Congregation of Oak Ridge, which is at 101 West Madison Lane. The program is presented by the Women’s Interfaith Dialogue of Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Women’s Interfaith Dialogue features Girls Inc. director on Monday

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Rhoni Basden

Rhoni Basden

The Women’s Interfaith Dialogue of Oak Ridge will feature a presentation by Rhoni Basden, executive director of Oak Ridge Girls Inc., on Monday, September 14, at 11 a.m.  The program will be held at Grace Covenant Church, Trinity Center, which is at 320 Robertsville Road.

Basden’s presentation is entitled “Girls Inc.: What We Do for Girls in Oak Ridge.”  She will address the focus, work and activities of the organization. She has headed the local club since 2013.

Basden located in East Tennessee from Seattle where she worked in nonprofit development and federally funded programming. She has an extensive background in child development, special needs, and nonprofit administration in varying organizations from Head Start programs to Autism Awareness groups throughout the city of Seattle. She began her studies at Stetson University in Florida and graduated from the University of San Francisco. [Read more…]

Group visit, tour of Alex Haley Farm on April 6

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The Women’s Interfaith Dialogue of Oak Ridge has scheduled a group visit to the Alex Haley Farm in Clinton on April 6, and participants will enjoy a presentation and a lunch on site. Those who wish may stay for a 90-minute walking tour (for a $5 fee) of the expansive grounds.

Purchased in 1994 by the Children’s Defense Fund, the 157-acre Haley Farm is a countryside retreat consisting of guest cottages, chapel, meeting lodge, and library. The facility connects young leaders and activists with the heritage of the struggle for freedom, and it is where policy makers and community builders come to connect, recharge their spiritual and physical batteries, and brainstorm strategies.  The Children’s Defense Fund and its many programs have transformed Haley Farm into a training ground for the next generation of leadership, advocacy, and service for children and families.

Haley Farm houses several programs for the CDF, including Freedom Schools. The Freedom Schools are “inspired by the civil rights movement’s Freedom Summer of 1964, when community leaders organized Black Americans to register to vote,” a press release said. The program has trained more than 6,000 high school and college-age leaders who serve first and then lead in order to increase service to institutions and individuals. These young leaders, in turn, teach “children ages 5 to 18 for six to eight weeks, integrating reading, conflict resolution, and social action in activity-based curricula.” [Read more…]