North/East Shopper-News 123114

NORTH / EAST VOL. 2 NO. 52

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Connecting Welcome in the New Year on Market Square Mayor Madeline Rogero and city employees invite everyone to greet the New Year Wednesday, Dec. 31, on Market Square.

■ Ice skating on the Holidays on Ice Rogero skating rink from 1 p.m. until midnight ■ Festival foods available at the ice rink ■ Music on the Square beginning at 10:30 p.m., with a big screen showing events from 2014 ■ Countdown beginning at 11:59 p.m., with a ball drop and fireworks ■ Join in the singing of “Auld Lang Syne” following the fireworks.

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church to neighborhoods

The Rev. Jimmy Sherrod surveys centercity neighborhoods from the fourth-floor fire escape of Central United Methodist Church. Sherrod, an East Knox native with experience as a minister in urban Washington, D.C., has been pastor at Central since summer 2014.

By Bill Dockery

Worshippers holding candles ring the sanctuary for Christmas Eve communion, a tradition at Central United Methodist Church.

Jimmy Sherrod looks over near North Knoxville and strategizes about how the church he pastors can reconnect to the urban neighborhoods that surround it.

Sherrod was appointed minister of Central United Methodist Church in

summer 2014 and has filled the early months of his tenure figuring out how the massive church campus can connect with and serve center-city Knoxville.

“The church no longer lives in “Christendom,” Sherrod said. “We are no longer living in a build-it-and-they-willTo page 3

Kwanzaa celebration

features creative expression

Promoting hope Grant Standefer, executive director of Compassion Coalition, put out a call for donations as the year ends.

He quotes Proverbs 13:12: “Hope deferred makes the Standefer heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”

And says 71,000 people in Knox County live below the poverty line with many of them worn down by “the oppression of seemingly hopeless life situations and circumstances.

They are indeed heart-sick.”

Compassion Coalition, a collaboration of area churches, agencies and individuals, offers hope through “getting ahead” classes.

Those who become a financial partner in the mninistry may do so online at www. compassioncoalition.org or by mail at 107 Westfield Drive, Knoxville TN 37919.

Info: Facebook: CompassionCoalition; Twitter: @CompassionKnox

December 31, 2014

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By Ruth White Students at Vine Middle Magnet hosted the annual Kwanzaa celebration to kick off the holiday season.

During the program, students were able to express themselves with music and dance and artistically share their concerns for current events across the country.

Salim Muhammad sang Mi-

chael Jackson’s version of “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” and if you closed your eyes, you might think that Jackson himself was performing on stage. Other performances included West African drummers and dancers, sixthand eighth-grade choruses and many others showcasing their singing and dancing talents.

To page 3

Vine Middle choral instructor Shawn Turner congratulates student Parkere Hayden on his solo during the Kwanzaa celebration.

Plaintiffs press tree-cutting lawsuit despite TVA concession

By Betty Bean The property owners who filed a lawsuit in 2012 challenging the Tennessee Valley Authority’s treeremoval policies will press on with their case despite TVA’s announcement that it has ended the practice of destroying vegetation that grows taller than 15 feet on its easement zone.

The utility contends that suspending the 15-foot rule renders the case moot and asks that the lawsuit be dismissed.

Last year, U.S. District Court Judge Tom Varlan ruled in favor of TVA, which maintained that easement rights acquired 70-80 years ago give the utility permission to remove vegetation (by cutting or spraying herbicide) within 150 feet of its power lines, including the right to execute the “15-foot rule,” which it put into place in 2012.

In October, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that

ruling and sent the case back to Varlan with instructions that TVA must produce documentat ion that it conducted an environmental-impact study before implementDon Vowell ing the 15-foot rule, as required by the National Environmental Protection Act. TVA responded that the 15-foot rule wasn’t really a material change and therefore it hadn’t violated the NEPA. In Dec. 16 court filings, plaintiff’s attorney Don Vowell said that TVA’s about-face is illusory, since it proposed to end the 15-foot rule only in the “buffer zone” (on the outer edges of the easement) while reserving the right to continue to cut in the “wire zone” (beneath the lines), where TVA power wires are typically suspended some 60 feet high.

“The area that TVA plans to effectively clear-cut is approximately 280,000 acres, or more than

437 square miles,” with this area being ‘approximately half the size of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.’

“The stated area is the area of the entire right-of-way, not just the buffer zones. The buffer zones, considered alone, would be a much smaller number of acres and square miles, approximately 25 percent of the stated amount,” the brief, filed Dec. 16, said.

“The Court of Appeals quotes the letter of the TVA official in which he states that ‘our policy requires TVA to cut down all trees 15 feet or higher’ with no indication that the policy is limited to the buffer zones.”

On Dec. 23, TVA filed two new documents. One declared the property owners’ lawsuit moot because the 15-foot rule is no longer in effect. The other was a statement from Jacinda B. Woodward, TVA’s senior vice president of transmission and power supply, who said she has “completely suspended” the use of the 15-foot rule in transmission rights-of-way and will do an NEPA review of any new

buffer zone maintenance practices before implementing them.

She said this applies to both buffer and wire zones.

Vowell made an appearance on WBIR news to discuss TVA’s apparent reversal.

He said he was speaking out “to debunk the idea that this is a voluntary suspension of the 15-foot rule

by TVA when it is really being done to comply with the ruling from the Court of Appeals.”

In his Dec. 16 brief, Vowell said a case is moot “when there is nothing left for the Court to decide. The case at bar is not moot because the issues stated in the complaint have not been decided.”

The plaintiffs contend that the 15-foot rule has had a substantial environmental impact, which means that TVA should have submitted an environmental-impact statement, which it did not do.

Admitting to an NEPA violation could have serious consequences, including being ordered to pay legal fees and costs under the Equal Access to Justice Act.

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2 • DECEMBER 31, 2014 • Shopper news

health & lifestyles

Fibroid tumors and fertility can coexist When Jamilyn Butcher of Maryville, 23, was a teenager, she worried whether she would be able to have a child in the future. “That was one of my concerns,” said Butcher. “I wanted to be able to get pregnant someday.”

Butcher had been diagnosed with a noncancerous (benign) tumor called a fibroid, growing inside her uterus. While these types of tumors don’t usually interfere with fertility if they’re small, Butcher’s had grown much larger, triggering excessive menstrual bleeding.

“The tumor didn’t hurt me, but it was the size of a soda can,” she said. “It wasn’t until after it was removed that I realized it was taking up so much space! I had a pooch all the time.”

Butcher went to see Dr. Robb McKeown, an OB/GYN physician with Fort Sanders Women’s Specialists. He recommended removing the fibroid tumor in a procedure called a myomectomy, which takes out the tumor but preserves the uterus.

McKeown operated on Butcher in November 2011. She stayed one night at Fort Sanders.

“It was the first surgery I’ve ever had, and I was a little nervous,” said Butcher. “But the nurses were so comforting.

Throughout the night I would get up. I was in pain and couldn’t move very well, but they were there when I needed them.

It was wonderful.”

And now nearly three years later, Butcher returned to McKeown’s practice for a more joyful reason. Butcher and her husband, Logan, welcomed a new son October 16, 2014.

“He’s growing like a weed,” Butcher said of her two-month old baby boy, Bronson.

“I had to have a scheduled C-section because of where the tumor was,” said

Butcher. “But as far as developmentally, he is perfectly normal.

Jamilyn Butcher and her husband welcomed their new son at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center.

“Of course, I wouldn’t go anywhere else,” she said. “Dr. McKeown and his staff are just wonderful. I wouldn’t drive the extra 30 minutes if it wasn’t worth it.”

For more information on fibroid tumors and removal options, visit www. fortsanderswomensspecialists.com or call 673-FORT.

Gynecologic health important at every age Vaginal bleeding and discharge are a normal part of your menstrual cycle prior to menopause. However, if you notice anything different or unusual, be sure to consult your health care provider before attempting to treat the problem yourself.

Symptoms may result from mild infections that are easy to treat. But, if not treated properly, infections can lead to more serious conditions, including infertility or kidney damage.

Gynecological symptoms may resemble other medical conditions or urological problems. Consult your health care provider if you have any of the following symptoms:

Logan and Jamilyn Butcher

Treating fibroid tumors Uterine fibroid tumors are very common. They are typically noncancerous but can be troublesome nevertheless, causing pain and excessive or irregular menstrual bleeding.

“About 60 percent of women have fibroids, but only about 10 percent have some type of treatment for them,” explained Dr. Robb McKeown, an obstetrician and gynecologist at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center. “They’re very common, usually small Dr. Robb McKeown and most can be managed or just watched.”

What causes fibroid tumors? “Breathing air,” McKeown joked. “Actually, just having a uterus is the main risk factor. There’s no prevention, no dietary things you can do,” he said.

Treatment for fibroid tumors depends on the needs of each patient. Most smaller tumors may not need treatment at all, while others may shrink with hormonal medications.

Surgery can remove those that don’t

respond with medication and are causing significant symptoms. A hysterectomy also eliminates uterine fibroids.

“If a woman is ‘finished’ having children we usually just take the whole uterus out, because it’s very likely these patients will have more fibroids down the road,” said McKeown.

But if a woman still wants to have a child, then a procedure called a myomectomy removes the tumor but preserves fertility.

At Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, a myomectomy is most often performed using the daVinci Robotic Surgical Suite, or “robotic” surgery.

“It’s not easier for the surgeon, but it’s easier for the patient as far as pain, a quicker recovery, less pain medication required and fewer adhesion problems,” said McKeown.

The robotic system has a 3D high-definition vision system and special wristed instruments that bend and rotate with far greater flexibility than any human wrist.

Robotic surgeries typically involve several small incisions instead of one larger one, meaning less scaring and blood loss, reduced pain and complications, and shorter hospital stays.

Compared to traditional laparoscopic surgery, the daVinci system can remove more complicated and harder-to-reach fibroid tumors with fewer complications after surgery.

“We can certainly tackle more difficult cases that you couldn’t do without it,” said McKeown.

Symptoms of fibroids: ■ Intense cramping during menstruation ■ Pelvic pressure or pain ■ Heavy or irregular menstrual bleeding ■ Menstrual bleeding of longer than 7 days ■ Frequent urination ■ Constipation ■ Backache ■ Difficulty emptying your bladder If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms, be sure to talk to your OB/GYN as soon as possible.

Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center wishes you and your family a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year. fsregional.com • (865) 673-FORT

■ Bleeding between periods ■ Frequent and urgent need to urinate, or a burning sensation during urination ■ Abnormal vaginal bleeding, particularly during or after intercourse ■ Pain or pressure in your pelvis that differs from menstrual cramps, or persistent abdominal bloating ■ Itching, burning, swelling, redness, or soreness in the vaginal area ■ Sores or lumps in the genital area ■ Vaginal discharge with an unpleasant or unusual odor, or of an unusual color ■ Increased vaginal discharge ■ Pain or discomfort during intercourse Recognizing symptoms early and seeing a doctor right away increase the likelihood of successful treatment.

For more information or a physician referral, please call 865-673-FORT.

community

NORTH/EAST Shopper news • DECEMBER 31, 2014 • 3

Spreading love and cheer

Kwanzaa celebration

By Ruth White Christmas is a time when people give to others and spread love and cheer to friends, family and those who may not have a family of their own.

Members of CrossPoint Church have partnered with Northgate Terrace in North Knoxville for many years.

Elder Jerry King preaches a church service at the facility several Sundays a month, and for the past two years members have provided gift bags for residents in need.

This year, thanks to the generosity of members and several in the community, the church was able to provide for residents and share a little bit of Christmas cheer.

CrossPoint Church is at 2000 Loves Creek Road, at Spring Place Presbyterian Church.

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To page #

FAITH NOTES ■ Church Women United Knoxville-Knox County will meet 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 2, the Family Justice Center, 400 Harriet Tubman St. Info: 521-6336.

Jatia Moore performs with members of the chorus.

■ First Lutheran Church, 1207 N. Broadway, will host New Year’s Eve service, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 31. Communion will be served. The public is invited.

Members of CrossPoint Church Hadley Curry, Sami Bates and Baleigh Bates unload gift bags to be delivered to residents at Northgate Terrace. Photo by R. White

COMMUNITY NOTES

Photos by Ruth White

meet at 6:15 p.m. Monday, Jan. 5, at Burlington Library.

City Council member and former Mayor Dan Brown will speak on black history.

■ Alice Bell Spring Hill Neighborhood Association. Info: Ronnie Collins, 637-9630.

■ Beaumont Community Organization. Info: Natasha Murphy, 936-0139.

■ Belle Morris Community Action Group meets 7 p.m. each second Monday, City View Baptist Church, 2311 Fine Ave. Info: www.bellemorris.com or Rick Wilen, 524-5008.

■ Center City Democrats will

■ Chilhowee Park Neighborhood Association meets 6:30 p.m. each last Tuesday, Administration Building, Knoxville Zoo. Info: Paul Ruff, 696-6584.

■ Edgewood Park Neighborhood Association meets 7 p.m. each third Tuesday, Larry Cox Senior Center, 3109 Ocoee Trail. Info: http://edge-

Connecting church come world.

“Our question is how do we get out into the world while still rooted in this place? We really do feel that we have to be connected to the place where we reside.”

That effort to connect with the community has led Sherrod and his congregation to look for new ways to breathe life into their ministries and new uses for their building.

One early fruit of that search is Central’s hosting of Nourish Knoxville’s 2015 Winter Market. Starting Jan. 10, farmers market vendors will gather every other Saturday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the church to sell locally produced farm and food products. The final Saturday market will be March 21.

Sherrod describes Central as a vibrant international community and fairly intergenerational, but he wants to focus on serving children and youth in the area.

In a collection of nearby neighborhoods already served by the Emerald Youth Foundation, the Boys & Girls Clubs, and other youth-oriented programs, Sherrod is seeking ways to connect dynamically with the schools in the area and has already made inroads at Fulton High School. The church hosted Fulton teachers for an inservice program and recently partnered with the school to provide Thanksgiving baskets that needy students could take home without having to receive them in the high-school environment.

The church also hosts several recovery ministries, as well as the regional Emmaus and Chrysalis religious communities. The congregation has a decadesold Sunday school class for people with disabilities and is active with Sunshine Industries and group homes.

Sherrod dreams about other uses that would serve

Salim Muhammad steals the show during Vine Middle Magnet’s Kwanzaa celebration, singing Michael Jackson’s version of “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.”

From page 1

the community, including developing meeting and conference space in the four-story building. The building is already an election polling place, and its members stock and staff a community food bank.

“The building is the most expensive thing we have to keep up, but it is our biggest asset,” Sherrod said.

“Our church building gives us physical visibility. What we are seeking is missional visibility.

“In order to use it in creative and productive ways, it has to meet the needs of the congregation and the people who use it.”

Built in 1927, the Gothic Revival structure occupies virtually a whole city block at 201 E. Third Ave. in the Fourth & Gill neighborhood.

Designed by Baumann & Baumann architects, it has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 2005. On an average Sunday morning, attendance is about 130.

Sherrod, a proud native of Four Way Inn in East Knox County, has an undergraduate degree in communications from the University of Tennessee but felt called to the ministry during his junior year at UT. A chance encounter at a local minimarket led him to a radio job with the late religious broadcaster J. Bazzel Mull. For about a decade he worked

woodpark.us./ ■ Excelsior Lodge No. 342 meets 7:30 p.m. each Thursday, 10103 Thorn Grove Pike.

Info: Bill Emmert, 933.6032 or w.emmert@att.net.

■ First District Democrats meet each first Monday, Burlington Branch Library, 4614 Asheville Highway. Info: Tony Brown, 973-4086, or Evelyn Gill, 524-7177.

■ Historic Fourth & Gill Neighborhood Organization meets 6:30 p.m. each second

on the legendary gospel promoter’s Praise 96 station.

When his wife, Lesli, entered graduate school in greater Washington, he went along to sell radio advertising and become a youth minister for a D.C. church. On the couple’s return to Knoxville in 2005, he pastored three rural United Methodist churches in East Knox County. The couple again returned to Washington for five years, and he went back to minister at the same D.C. church, meanwhile completing a divinity degree at Wesley Theological Seminary.

Sherrod conducted two Christmas Eve services this year – the first a family-oriented service with a nativity play and the second a midnight communion with music from a small orchestra.

Each service ended with a candlelit circle of attendees singing “Silent Night.” The second service probably included 200 or more worshippers.

“We have a sanctuary that holds 1,600 people, but filling the sanctuary is not my primary goal,” Sherrod said. “What we are about here is figuring out how we bring God’s kingdom to be on earth as it is in heaven.”

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Monday, Central UMC, 201 E. Third Ave. Info: Liz Upchurch, 898-1809, lizupchurch1@ gmail.com.

■ Oakwood Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association meets 6:30 p.m. each third Thursday, Community Club House, 916 Shamrock Ave. Info: Bill Hutton, 773-5228 or s_wlhutton@ yahoo.com.

■ Old North Knoxville meets 6:30 p.m. each second Monday, St. James Episcopal

Church Parish Hall, 1101 N. Broadway. Info: Andie Ray, 548-5221.

385-3589 or funnyman1@ comic.com.

■ Parkridge Community Organization meets 6:30 p.m. each first Monday except holidays, Cansler YMCA, 616 Jessamine St. Info: Jerry Caldwell, 329-9943.

■ Second District Democrats meets 6 p.m. each second Thursday, New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, 2504 Cecil Ave. Info: Rick Staples,

■ Thorn Grove Rebekah Lodge No. 13 meets 7:30 p.m. each second and fourth Monday, 10103 Thorn Grove Pike. Info: Mary Jo Poole, 599-7698 or mjp1101@aol.com.

■ Town Hall East. Info: Eston Williams, 406-5412 or eston_ williams@yahoo.com; https:// www.facebook.com/townhalleast/info.

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4 • DECEMBER 31, 2014 • NORTH/EAST Shopper news

Tennessee once rejected a Gator Bowl bid Considering how hard these football Volunteers worked to get the current bowl opportunity, you might not believe that Tennessee once turned down a holiday invitation.

It happened in 1955, after Bowden Wyatt’s first season as coach.

The Gator Bowl called with a tempting offer to match the 6-3-1 Volunteers against the 8-1-1 Auburn Tigers. The two schools had been in the Southeastern Conference all along but hadn’t played since 1939.

Great idea to get reacquainted, don’t you think?

Wyatt said thanks but no thanks. Players were sur-

missed was the 1956 schedule. The first game was against Auburn.

Think about it. The Vols and Tigers really didn’t know each other. Auburn had no old film, no file, no scouting notes.

Said Wyatt: “I did not want Auburn preparing to play against our singlewing in the bowl game, finding out what would and wouldn’t work on defense, and having eight more months to refine the plan.”

Smart? Wyatt didn’t want no stinking Tigers spoiling what was to come.

Tennessee played Auburn on Sept. 29, 1956, at Legion Field in Birmingham. Ten-

nessee won, 35-7. Tennessee surged on to a 10-0 record.

It won the SEC championship. Majors became an allAmerican. Wyatt was national coach of the year.

The ’56 Vols were truly outstanding, No. 2 in the country. They went to the Sugar Bowl. Sometime when you aren’t expecting it, I’ll tell you how that turned out.

Well, maybe just a tidbit now: Majors fumbled a punt too near his goal. Bad things happened. But his mother, Elizabeth, had a wonderful explanation: “Even the best cooks burn the biscuits now and then.”

Wyatt and Tennessee had nothing against the Gator

Bowl. They accepted a 1957 invitation and had a great game against Texas A&M, marked by a massive collision between rival tailbacks.

Bobby Gordon had the ball and John David Crow was playing safety. They ran into each a few yards short of a Tennessee touchdown.

You could hear the crash of helmets in the press box.

Crow got up, shaking his arm. He later said it was numb. Gordon, seemingly groggy, was helped to his feet by a good friend, end Landon Darty.

It helps this story that Tennessee won the game.

A pedaling political omen for 2015

when diligent researchers at MSNBC discover he is George W. Bush’s brother. Tarred with the Bush brush, he returns to his first love, “advising” banks

like Lehman Brothers, whose recklessness and greed ushered in the Great Recession on his brother’s watch.

Happy New Year!

I like watching humanity of all ages, shapes, and sizes parade by my front door on slow evenings. By “slow” I mean those in which I saw the “Seinfeld” and “The Andy Griffith Show” episodes airing that evening just a couple of weeks earlier.

On just such a slow evening last week, I watched a 40-ish man wheel by on a bright red bicycle.

I might have passed this off as nothing unusual had he not been pedaling very leisurely through a driving rain holding a dachshund under one arm.

The man wore gray sweatpants, a green sweatshirt and a bright orange toboggan, not the sledding variety familiar to Yankees (which would have been hard to balance), but the knit cap kind worn in the winter by Southern gentlefolk.

along the line of, “What in the world are you thinking?”

When he grasped his protégé’s logic, he said, “BrilMarvin liant,” or maybe it was, “I’ll West be darned.”

Wyatt actually knew what he was doing.

He had a pretty good prised. Fans were shocked. team that had lost its first A second blast fol- two games, thumped Alalowed the coach’s decision. bama, tied highly regarded Vanderbilt was second Georgia Tech and lost only choice. “No” from Tennes- to Kentucky in the stretch see sent the Commodores to run. John Majors was the Jacksonville. junior tailback. He had proUnbelievable! duced 1,133 yards. He was When the UT athletic di- SEC player of the year. rector, General Robert R. The coach firmly believed Neyland, first heard Wyatt’s he was going to have a betposition, he spilled some of ter team the next season. his coffee and said something What Wyatt saw that others

Larry Van Guilder

It’s hard to say for certain what the dachshund thought of this arrangement, although every few seconds the dog loosed an uncertain yelp, perhaps because the bicycler had not thought to protect his passenger’s head with a caninesized toboggan.

Watching them pedal and yelp into the gloom of the approaching night, I concluded the dog was a kidnap victim, for what self-respecting dachshund would have volunteered for such a ride?

Steeped in hillbilly lore, I soon realized I had witnessed an omen for the

Shopper s t n e V enews

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THROUGH FRIDAY, APRIL 10 Tickets available for Rhythm N’ Blooms music festival, on stages set exclusively along downtown Knoxville’s historic Jackson Avenue. Features firsttimers, chart-climbers and highly lauded acts from varied musical backgrounds. Info/tickets: www. rhythmnbloomsfest.com.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 31 New Year’s Eve Celebration, 9 p.m., the Rose Center Council for the Arts, 442 W. Second North St., Morristown. Featuring the Al Curtis Orchestra.

Tickets: $35. Info/tickets: 423-581-4330 or info@ rosecenter.org.

FRIDAY, JAN. 2 Health and Well-Being Academy: 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s, 1-2 p.m., Humana Guidance Center, 640 Plaza, 4438 Western Ave. Info: 329-8892, TTY: 711.

SATURDAY, JAN. 3 Friends Mini Used Book Sale, 1-4 p.m., Burlington Branch Library, 4614 Asheville Highway. Info: 525-5431.

Thunder Road Gospel Jubilee, 7 p.m., 1388 Main St., Maynardville. All gospel singers welcome.

Info: Joe, 201-5748.

MONDAY, JAN. 5 Bingo, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Humana Guidance Center, 640 Plaza, 4438 Western Ave. Bring a gift win a gift. Info: 329-8892, TTY: 711.

Kids Crochet Class 1: Beaded Chain Stitch Bracelet, 9:30 a.m.-noon, Hobby Lobby classroom, 6580 Clinton Highway. Cost: $20. Info/to register: Monica Schmidt, 406-3971, monicaschmidt.tn@ gmail.com or myquiltplace.com/profi le/monicaschmidt.

coming year.

Many hours later I successfully divined its meaning. Here are a couple of bold predictions for what awaits us in 2015.

Obama remains president for the entire year.

Many may find this one hard to swallow given the president’s perceived missteps while in office. Establishing a national health insurance program, presiding over a booming stock market, bringing soldiers home from Afghanistan and ending the senseless Cold War standoff with Cuba cannot make up for shortcomings like vacationing in Hawaii or Martha’s Vineyard and allowing his wife to criticize our fatness.

Presidents never get a real day off no matter where they are in the world, but for what it’s worth Obama trails George W. Bush in so-called vacation days at

this juncture.

There remain too many for whom Obama’s greatest sin is presiding while black.

Fortunately, that’s not an impeachable offense.

Jeb Bush just says no.

There’s something called the Live Free or Die Alliance already touting the former Florida governor as the 2016 Republican presidential candidate. If that name sounds like it was lifted from the New Hampshire state motto, that’s because it was.

These, according to the Alliance, are a few of Jeb’s bona fides: opposes funding for stem cell research, supports “stand your ground,” supports stricter sentencing and is a “skeptic” on global warming.

Despite the efforts of these Jeb-backers and others who would drag us headlong back to the 19th century, his hopes will fade

TUESDAY, JAN. 6 Cards and Board Games, 11 a.m.-noon, Humana Guidance Center, 640 Plaza, 4438 Western Ave. Bring a gift win a gift. Info: 329-8892, TTY: 711.

Coupon Exchange Club: Coupon 101, 9-10 a.m., Humana Guidance Center, 640 Plaza, 4438 Western Ave. Bring a gift win a gift. Info: 329-8892, TTY: 711.

Do it Yourself Painting Techniques, 1-2 p.m., Humana Guidance Center, 640 Plaza, 4438 Western Ave. Bring a gift win a gift. Info: 329-8892, TTY: 711.

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Info: 329-8892, TTY: 711.

Wii Wheel of Fortune and Sports, 9-10 a.m., Humana Guidance Center, 640 Plaza, 4438 Western Ave. Bring a gift win a gift. Info: 329-8892, TTY: 711.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 7 AAA Driver Improvement Course, 5:30-9:30 p.m., Knoxville AAA Office, 100 W. Fifth Ave. Cost: $30 members; $35 nonmembers. Must preregister. Info/to register: Kate, 862-9254, or Don, 862-9250.

Computer Workshop: Introducing the Computer, 2 p.m., Burlington Branch Library, 4614 Asheville Highway. Info/to register: 525-5431.

Dancing lessons: Line Dancing, noon-1 p.m.; Ballroom Dancing: Intermediate, 1-2 p.m.; Ballroom Dancing: Advanced, 2-3 p.m., Humana Guidance Center, 640 Plaza, 4438 Western Ave. Bring a gift win a gift. Info: 329-8892, TTY: 711.

Java and “Good for the Brain games,” 9-10:30 a.m., Humana Guidance Center, 640 Plaza, 4438 Western Ave. Bring a gift win a gift. Info: 329-8892, TTY: 711.

Journaling 101, 3-4 p.m., Humana Guidance Center, 640 Plaza, 4438 Western Ave. Bring a gift win a gift.

Info: 329-8892, TTY: 711.

THURSDAY, JAN. 8 Halls Middle “Pink Out” basketball game.

Donations to The Butterfly Fund will be accepted during the school day and at the basketball game that afternoon. Info: Jill Wright, jill.wright@knoxschools.org or 922-7494.

Knoxville Choral Society auditions for all voice parts, 6-8 p.m. To schedule an audition time: 312-2440 or membership@knoxvillechoralsociety.org. Once a time is set, location and other details will be provided. Info/ audition form: www.knoxvillechoralsociety.org.

SATURDAY, JAN. 10 Presentation of Harold’s Tours available in 2015

Marvin West invites reader reaction. His address is westwest6@netzero.com/.

George Winters will be missed Fountain City guy Don K. Ferguson emailed: “I am sure that those who have seen the sign in front of Alert Transmission on N. Broadway were surprised and saddened, as I was, when they read it: ‘Father and Founder, George Winters, 1937 to 2014, Will Be Missed.’

“Thousands of us have enjoyed reading the various inspirational, religious messages that have appeared on that street-side signboard through the years. After reading it on the morning of Dec. 26, I checked the obituaries and learned that beyond the transmission business, Mr. Winters, of Halls, was also a Baptist

minister. He died Dec. 22.

“We hope the messages will continue.”

George and Mary Sue Winters were well known in Halls and Fountain City, having operated Alert TransWinters mission for decades. Mr. Winters, 77, was a Republican candidate for the state Legislature in the late 1960s. He was the founding pastor of New Testament Baptist Church.

There were five children, 14 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

from, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Halls Senior Center, Crippen Road. Presentation by Harold Cox. Bring a covered dish.

All welcome.

Saturday Stories and Songs: Faye Wooden, 11 a.m., Fountain City Branch Library, 5300 Stanton Road.

Info: 689-2681.

Saturday Stories and Songs: Laurie Fisher, 11 a.m., Powell Branch Library, 330 West Emory Road.

Info: 947-6210.

Taoist Tai Chi Society open house, 11 a.m.-noon, Knoxville Tai Chi Center, 1205 N. Central Ave. Features demonstrations and a free lesson. Info: 546-9222 or www.taoist.org.

Thunder Road Gospel Jubilee, 7 p.m., 1388 Main St., Maynardville. All gospel singers welcome. Info: Joe, 201-5748.

SATURDAYS, JAN. 10, 24, 31, FEB. 7, 14 Advanced Beginner Wheel class, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Appalachian Arts Craft Center, 2716 Andersonville Highway 61 in Norris. Instructor: Katie Cottrell.

Registration deadline: Jan. 3. Info: 494-9854 or www. appalachianarts.net.

SUNDAY, JAN. 11 Benefit concert by Ellie Holcomb, 6 p.m., First Baptist Church of Knoxville, 510 W Main St. To benefit Compassion Coalition and the Volunteer Ministry Center.

MONDAYS, JAN. 12, 19, 26 Handbuilding with Clay class, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Appalachian Arts Craft Center, 2716 Andersonville Highway 61 in Norris. Instructor: Janet McCracken.

Registration deadline: Monday, Jan. 5. Info: 494-9854 or www.appalachianarts.net.

WEDNESDAY, JAN.14 Computer Workshops: Internet and Email Basics, 2 p.m., Burlington Branch Library, 4614 Asheville Highway. Requires “Introducing the Computer” or equivalent skills. Info/to register: 525-5431.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY, JAN. 16-FEB. 1 “Huckleberry Finn” presented by Knoxville Children’s Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Ave. Performances: 7 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 1 and 5 p.m. Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays. Info: 2083677, knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com or info@ childrenstheatreknoxville.com.

Shopper news • DECEMBER 31, 2014 • 5

‘Vote for Martha to elect Victor’ The unlikely campaign prevails The story of Martha Ashe going to the state Senate in 1974 continues from last week’s column when I had been removed from the ballot by the state Supreme Court. Public reaction was generally in my corner.

But what should be the response? Who would carry the GOP banner in November?

Victor Ashe

My mother, who was then 62, had been an active civic leader in Knoxville from the garden club to mental health endeavors at now Lakeshore Park. She was WBIR TV’s first public affairs director.

She said that she and my father had more to do with my date of birth than anyone else, and the whole issue seemed purely political to her. That is when it occurred to me that she ought to seek the GOP nomination and run as a proxy for me.

The key to its success would be transparency. She agreed to run, although she did not aspire to the office.

So she announced her candidacy with me at her side pledging to run for me, and when I reached 30 she would resign the seat allowing the county court (now commission) to appoint me.

No one else sought the GOP nomination, which would be made at a special called convention to be held at the old Young High School in South Knoxville.

GOP county politics in

those days were heavily influenced by the Webster brothers, Warren and Ron. Warren was the GOP chair, and Ron was the district attorney general. Both had been opp one nt s of mine, but Martha Ashe it never occurred to me that they were prepared to throw the senate seat to the Democrats in preference to my mother winning the GOP nomination.

But when the GOP convention was called to order, Webster immediately recognized Fred McPeake (a close ally) to question whether a quorum was present. If not, then the convention was not valid.

My key floor leaders were Ben Atchley (then a state representative), Knox election commissioner John King and former state Rep. Dick Krieg. The convention secretary started calling the roll to determine if a quorum was present. My mother sat quietly in the back of the hall. As it dawned on all what was afoot – that the GOP was about to hand a senate seat over to the Democrats due to having no candidate – anger and dismay quickly surfaced.

After several heated conversations between Ron Webster, Atchley and King, about 15 minutes into the roll call McPeake withdrew the quorum call, allowing the convention to nominate Martha Ashe, who was unopposed.

However, there was still the hurdle of the Knox County Election Commission, which had to meet three days later to vote to place her name on the ballot. The two Democrats, Bill Banks and Merle Johnson (now deceased), were opposed, and Howard Perry, the GOP chair, was a longtime ally of the Websters and was wavering on how he would vote. The other two Republicans were Lois Seymour and John King, who were firmly for placing Martha Ashe on the ballot.

After another very heated meeting in a crowded room, Perry said after 20 seconds of silence, “I reluctantly vote ‘yes’ to place her (Ashe) on the ballot.”

Not until then could the actual campaign between Ashe, Democratic nominee Betty Cathey and independent Jack Comer begin.

Comer never campaigned; Cathey was unable to swing public opinion her way.

My mother ran on the slogan of Vote for Martha to Elect Victor. She proudly said she was a stand-in, and I am convinced this candor won the day. She took 54 percent of the vote. She was sworn into office in January 1975 and introduced a bill to lower the senate age to 25 from 30 (it never passed).

Then she resigned after serving a little over two months.

Knox County Court met 10 days later and unanimously chose me to be the state senator until the November 1976 election. The court was not required to choose me, but the entire election turned into a man-

date for this process due to the openness with which it was promoted. It was a process never before tried and unlikely to be repeated.

■ Knoxvillian Reedy Swanson, son of city Law Director Charles Swanson and federal Judge Pam Reeves, will be in Myanmar (formerly Burma) for the next two weeks as part of the Human Rights Study Project of the University of Virginia Law School, where he is a second-year student on the Law Review.

Swanson, 25, will join several other Virginia law students looking at Myanmar’s transition from a dictatorship to an evolving democracy. It is an exciting time to be halfway around the world from Knoxville in a country making slow and halting progress to democracy.

■ Knoxvillian Hadley Gamble, daughter of Jim and Betty Gamble, was in Knoxville over the holidays from London where she is the Middle Eastern correspondent for CNBC News.

Her aunt is Jane Chedester, who runs Sen. Lamar Alexander’s Knoxville office and is a newly elected member of the GOP state executive committee. She will cover the 2015 Davos economic forum in Switzerland, which is attended by world leaders such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel. She recently met with the Aga Khan. She is due to spend a week next month in Saudi Arabia interviewing its leaders and members of the royal family.

Fighting disease with data The Ebola virus may have fallen off the national radar, but Knox County Health Department epidemiologists are always on the lookout for the next disease outbreak. Tracking disease or foodborne illness is detective work that is driven by numbers, according to Public Health epidemiologist Roberta Sturm.

Wendy Smith

“We do data,” she says.

The county’s EPI department consists of four epidemiologists and an epidemiology nurse. The team is in constant communication with local doctors’ offices, hospitals and labs, which are required to report instances of 81 different communicable diseases. The

EPI nurse follows up with each case to determine the likely source and ensure proper patient care.

Numbers can also predict illness that hasn’t yet arrived. Sturm says an outbreak of shigella, an intestinal disease that typically affects children under the age of 5, is likely this year because it typically shows up every five years.

The EPI department even collects data from schools, daycares and doctors’ offices about prevalent symptoms, like sore throats and sinus congestion.

Sturm is especially proud of two surveys that reflect the general health of Knox County − the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey (BRFS) and the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). The YRBS provides separate date for middle- and high-school students. Both surveys are available on the Knox County Health Department website.

Epidemiologists Al Iannacone, Mark Prather, Alicia Mastronardi and Roberta Sturm and epidemiology nurse Connie Cronley track disease and illness for the Knox County Health Department. Photo submitted The BRFS, which collects responses to questions about health-related behavior as well as physical and emotional health, helps target conditions that are prevalent in Knox County. It also reflects how the county compares to the rest of the state and the nation.

Because the survey is conducted every three years, it also shows health improvements. For exam-

ple, the 2011 survey shows that cigarette smoking is down and seat-belt use is up.

The 2014 BRFS will be completed next year. In general, the surveys show that Knox County residents have better health than most in Tennessee but worse health than most of the nation, Sturm says.

The YRBS is conducted every two years. In the 2013

government Bad year for McIntyre, Democrats This time last year, 2014 looked to be shaping up as a referendum on schools Superintendent James McIntyre. It was, and he survived, beat up and bleeding and still advocating for his education reform agenda.

Most, but not all, of this column’s 2014 subject matter dealt with the politics of education, with McIntyre as the focus, so this look back reflects that.

McIntyre is apparently ending the year with a slender majority on the school board (his former 8-1 majority has been whittled down to 5-4), and he’s suffering something like a death of a thousand paper cuts with a steady drip of bad news coming out of Knox County Schools.

The teachers’ rebellion keeps simmering but is no longer at a full boil, so there’s that. It took three years, but teachers are finally getting a contract, despite allegations that McIntyre threw up roadblocks all along the way.

And it’s probably not his fault that he’s had executive-level staff accused of (and in at least one case, confess to) varying grades of felonious behavior, or that some school bus drivers apparently aren’t properly credentialed or that the occasional school resource officer keeps getting caught with his pants down.

The bottom line continues to be the bottom line – even though the bad news is taking a toll, the superintendent still enjoys the support of big-money donors willing to shovel financial support into pro-McIntyre school board candidates’

campaigns.

The guy has shown that he can take a punch, at least for now.

On other topics, Republicans finally had enough of Stacey Campfield, who took his friend Steve Hall down with him when both got primaried.

And speaking of which, what would a look at 2014 be without taking a poke at Tennessee’s Dems, who pretty much got hammered up and down the ballot, sometimes by candidates who had been written off as jokes going into the campaigns?

None of those races reflected as badly on the party as what happened to John McKamey, a credible candidate who’d served as Sullivan County executive and a Sullivan County commissioner and had a long and distinguished career as an educator and a coach.

McKamey offered himself to his party as a counter to incumbent Gov. Bill Haslam and traveled the state on his own dime. But he got no help from party leaders and was rejected in the primary for a buffoon named Charlie Brown who advocated putting Haslam in the electric chair for a non-lethal jolt, just to get his attention. Some national pundits pegged him as the worst candidate in America.

Finally, we said goodbye to some good people this year: labor leader Harold Woods, noted attorney Robert Watson, radio preacher Pappy Beaver, utility executive and citizen activist Marvin Hammond, Tennessee Conservative Union founder/radio personality Lloyd Daugherty, former Republican Party chair Sue Methvin (the first woman to hold that position) and South Knoxville citizenat-large William “Dobber” Doyle.

survey, over 6 percent of high-school students reported that they attempted suicide during the previous year. On a positive note, fewer students (31 percent) reported texting while driving in 2013 than in 2011 (40 percent).

Most health departments aren’t able to conduct such surveys, Sturm says.

While she takes her job seriously, Sturm doesn’t lose sleep over the possibility of a dangerous outbreak.

She’s puzzled by those who worry about pandemics but neglect common-sense practice.

“Some people don’t want

to get the flu vaccine, but they’re terrified of Ebola,” she says. “It’s also important to wash your hands.”

Good relationships with area hospitals and the regional health department help the county to be prepared for health emergencies. They will also help the health department as it pursues accreditation over the coming year. It’s a long process, says Michael Holtz, director of community assessment and health promotion, but accreditation will show that the Knox County Health Department is serving its public-health function.

Betty Bean

Want to adopt? come to our kitten adoption Fair Coming soon!

2nd Kitten Adoption Fair location!

New Petsmart at 2437 University Commons Way (located between the new Walmart and Publix off Cumberland)

Grand Opening Dec 20!!

Visit our adoption center at West Town Petsmart. Open every day!

Adoption Fairs are held each Saturday from noon until 6.

214 Morrell Road.

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www.feralfelinefriends.org

Contact C Co ont ntac tactt Debb D Debbie ebb bbiie ie a att 30 300 300-6873 0-68 6873 3 for adoption and fostering information.

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Space donated by Shopper-News.

Public Sale of Contents

6 • DECEMBER 31, 2014 • Shopper news

Dillman’s Furniture 6805 Maynardville Hwy., Knoxville, TN

READ EVERY WORD

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!

"

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Here’s the story... After 3 decades, an East TN furniture retailer has closed their doors. Dillman’s Furniture has purchased remaining inventory at a fraction of its original cost. We are passing the savings on to you!

Bring Your Trucks & Trailers

Our Delivery Crews will be unable to handle a sale of this magnitude‌ Please make arrangements to pick up your purchases – if this is not possible, we will arrange delivery at an extra charge! Everything sold on first come, first serve basis! Bring your trucks & trailers!

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kids

NORTH/EAST Shopper news • DECEMBER 31, 2014 • 7

PRC coordinator Florence N’Diaye greets Fellowship North Knoxville Church member Susan Engle. Photos by Cindy Taylor

Garrett McQueen plays “Jingle Bells” on the bassoon as Sarah Moore Greene newspaper club member Jamarion Chambers sings along. Photos by Ruth White

Creating community at Whittle Springs Middle

Eighth-graders at WSMS Shatarua Payne and Shawn Rogers help set up for the dinner.

By Cindy Taylor Educating children involves much more than getting them to school every day. It takes parents, teachers, support staff and many others to supply an education that “engages and serves children and families strument to feel the wind.

By Sandra Clark He answered every ques- with dignity, compassion We put out the word. The newspaper club at Sarah tion and let the kids tell him and respect, while building Moore Greene’s community what each wanted for Christ- upon individual and comschool needed a person of mas. He posed for pictures, munity strengths.”

That is the mission of color to entertain at our final and then he did it all again meeting before the break for for the second wave of news- the Parent Resource Center at Whittle Springs Middle paper club members.

Christmas and New Year’s.

We’ve had great visitors School. Parent coordinator And what to our wondering eyes should appear but to our club in 2014 and ex- and interventionist Flor… Garrett McQueen, elf ex- pect more in the coming ence N’Diaye leads the centraordinaire, toting his bas- year. Soon we’ll talk about ter.

“The PRC was created afsoon and wearing red and Zac and Shannon Carey (Society for Creative Anach- ter we saw the support that green. ronism) and Ted Hatfield our students need in order to Wow. be successful academically, Ruth White filled a tub (Regal Entertainment). socially and emotionally,” Stay tuned. with Hershey’s Kisses – a nod toward club member Danea Summerford, who told Mayor Madeline Rogero that Knoxville needs an attraction like Hershey park, a landmark in the state where she formerly lived.

Larry May, book wholesaler from the North Knoxville Rotary Club, donated some youth-modified classics so every kid left with a book and a bag full of candy.

And here’s how smart White is: She wrote each kid’s name on a bag before distributing them. So when the inevitable missing bags turned up, we could easily match them with their owner.

McQueen moved to Knoxville a year ago to take a job with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. He was so excited about meeting the kids that he talked about it on Facebook and even published a picture.

“As soon as I walk in, one of the kids goes, ‘That elf looks like my cousin Jamal!’ #dead.”

He got 60 likes and his friends called him “Jamal” for a while.

Elf Garrett had an easy way with the kids. He let them touch keys while he played the bassoon so they could hear the sound change.

He let all who would place a hand over the top of the in-

Merry Elf Garrett delights SMG newspaper club

Fellowship volunteer Abby Thomas assists at the drink table. she said. “We want all of our families to know they have a voice and they matter.”

Fellowship North Knoxville Church will celebrate its second anniversary in the Fountain City area in January and is involved with special programs at

WSMS including the PRC. Church members volunteer to support students in part by supplying Thanksgiving meals and Christmas gifts to some of the less fortunate families in the school and by working at the school during the church’s Outside the Box Sundays.

“We have been so blessed individually and as a church body,” said one Fellowship member. “How can we not give back?”

The school held “Token Night Celebration” in December. Students and families were invited to a sit-down candlelight dinner and dessert in the school cafeteria prepared and served by members of Fellowship North Church. Christmas carols were performed by the UT student chapter of the American Choral Directors Association. Each fam-

s ’ r a e Y u o w Y e r N o A F h s i W

ily received a hand-painted ornament made by staff at WSMS. Prizes were awarded to students and families with the most participation in PRC events.

“Fellowship Church made this event such a wonderful and magical night for our families,” said N’Diaye. “We are so grateful for the love they have shown our school.”

The PRC offers monthly workshops for family members. Support for the center comes from volunteers, donations and fundraising along with federal program dollars under Family and Engagement.

PRC classes are held in the library 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Family members interested in attending workshops can get the complete list with dates at www.knoxschools. org/Page/10783, or by calling N’Diaye at 594-4474.

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571 Danea Summerford signs thank you notes to send to guest speakers at the SMG newspaper club.

Madison Thomas leads Christmas carols with Garrett McQueen on the bassoon.

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5

8 • DECEMBER 31, 2014 • Shopper news

Disturbing ‘Foxcatcher’ examines extremes “Foxcatcher” has a lot to say about wealth, about family and about priorities, but above all it is a gripping story that pulls viewers along on a bizarre ride.

Based on real-life events, the drama involves “America’s wealthiest family,” the du Ponts, but it is equally focused on another kind of family – two brothers bound tightly together by history and vocation.

Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) is a world-class wrestler who won a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics. His older brother, Dave (Mark Ruffalo), is also a wrestler who won gold at the same Olympics.

Dave coaches wrestling at a university and has a stable home life with wife Nancy (Sienna Miller) and their two young children. Mark lives in a shabby apartment, scraping by as best he can.

They train together as Mark prepares for the World Championships in 1987 and the Seoul Olympics in 1988.

Mark is invited – commanded – to visit John E. du Pont (Steve Carell) on the Pennsylvania estate he shares with his mother, Jean (Vanessa Redgrave).

John tells Mark he is a fan of wrestling and an amateur wrestler himself, and he wants to fund Mark’s train-

Betsy Pickle

ing and expenses so he can go to Seoul and bring back America’s greatness.

He has built a training facility on the property and wants Mark and Dave to come live at Foxcatcher Farm.

Mark buys into John’s grandiose scheme, but Dave is happy where he is and doesn’t want to uproot his family. John, though shocked that someone would say no to him, assures Mark that they will form a power partnership with John as coach, mentor and sponsor.

It’s an athlete’s fairy tale – until it isn’t. Rob Simonsen’s wistful score makes it clear that a happy ending is not in store.

“Foxcatcher” lets both Carell and Tatum dig deeper than their films usually allow. Tatum is especially revelatory, depicting Mark as a wounded, lost creature grounded only by his loving brother and his focus on wrestling. Tatum does a fantastic job of convey-

ing Mark’s insecurities and simplicity.

With Carell, viewers first must get past an obviously prosthetic nose (designed to make him look more like the real du Pont) that the actor literally uses to look down upon others. The upward tilt of his chin may be realistic, but it is a distraction, even as the film progresses.

Fortunately, Carell’s other attributes outweigh the nuisance over time, and it does lend itself to the concept that there’s something “off” about John.

A son of privilege, he actually does have some accomplishments to his credit, but his sense of entitlement has led him to create a myth of himself that is altogether

undeserved. Carell gives him an otherworldly aura that’s alternately mesmerizing and creepy.

As the solid, supportive Dave, Ruffalo is his usual dependable self. Dave is almost too good; if all brothers were this wonderful, everybody would want one.

The script by E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman is a magic act, foreshadowing but never giving away too much. Director Bennett Miller (“Moneyball”) handles all the elements as though the film were a mystery, creating an uneasy tone that makes it clear that the fox always gets the raw end of the deal.

Rated R. Now showing at John du Pont (Steve Carell) gives Mark Schultz (Channing TaDowntown West. tum) instructions in “Foxcatcher.”

BETSY PICKLE’S TOP 10 FILMS OF 2014 1. Boyhood 2. Obvious Child 3. Calvary 4. Foxcatcher 5. The Imitation Game 6. The Grand Budapest Hotel 7. Birdman Ellar Coltrane grows up in front of the camera in “Boy- 8. Whiplash hood,” Betsy Pickle’s choice 9. Nightcrawler 10. The Good Lie for best film of 2014.

p p a H

New this week “The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death” is the lone new movie opening in theaters Friday.

Picking up the story of the Woman in Black 40 years later, the film returns to creepy Eel Marsh House, where children who have been evacuated from London during World War II start to disappear. Phoebe Fox (pictured) stars along with Helen McCrory and Jeremy Irvine.

! r a e Y w e yN

from the

weekender

Shopper news • DECEMBER 31, 2014 • 9

THROUGH SATURDAY, JAN. 3 ■ The Knoxville Watercolor Society exhibit at the Rose Center, 442 W. Second North St., Morristown. Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, Thursday until 7:30 p.m. Info: www.knxvillewatercolorsociety.com.

Knoxvillians are no doubt aware that their city claims certain musical pedigrees. Sergei Rachmaninoff played his last concert here, at what is now Cox Auditorium. Hank Williams, Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, the Everly Brothers and Roy Flanking rising opera stars in 2013 are Metropolitan Opera National Council regional co-chairs Acuff all had doings in the Phyllis Driver of Knoxville and Shelly Page of Nashville. The young singers are Linda Brimer Barnett, Leah Serr and Mabs Seay. Photo by Ely Driver Scruffy Little City. of that decade, a district level of the auditions was added as a first round feeding Carol into the regions. This basic Shane structure has remained in place up to the present.

There are currently 50 districts and 16 regions.

This coming weekend, Knoxville and Nashville – Knoxville will become an East Tennessee and Middle important musical destina- Tennessee districts, respection for some talented young tively – are part of the Midsingers when the Metropoli- South region, and the two tan Opera National Council cities host the auditions in holds its 2015 regional audi- alternate years. This year it’s Knoxville’s turn. tions here.

Some of the winners of The process started in 1935 with “Auditions of the past auditions held in KnoxAir,” a radio program that ville include Cheryl Studer, featured exceptional young Delores Ziegler, Roy Smith American singers looking to and Jami Rogers.

Rogers, who lives in West join the Met’s working roster. Some of the stars culled Knoxville, says, “It’s a diffifrom this operatic “Ameri- cult and exacting process.” can Idol” were Risë Stevens, She remembers one sopraEleanor Steber and Robert no who neglected to bring her sheet music onstage for Merrill.

In 1950, the Met board the pianist. Having to go established a regional audi- back and retrieve it from tions program for those un- her dressing room “threw able to come to New York for her for the whole audition.” the radio show. By the end Rogers herself won in 1996.

“It’s great exposure,” she says. “It’s amazing to sing on the Met stage with the Met orchestra!”

Married to tenor Kevin Anderson since the late ’90s, she now teaches voice privately and at Pellissippi State Community College.

The Rogers-Anderson family also includes a 12-yearold son who seems to be following in the musical tradition; he recently sang with the Church Street United Methodist Treble Choir on the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra’s Clayton Holiday Concerts.

Co-director of the auditions in Knoxville is retired Carson-Newman professor of business and accounting Phyllis Driver, who says she “has little musical talent, but a great love for many forms of music.” Past president of the Knoxville Opera Guild, Driver still serves on its board.

Judges this year will be Carroll Freeman, the Val-

THROUGH SUNDAY, JAN. 4 ■ Holidays on Ice presented by Home Federal Bank, on Market Square. Hours: 1-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 1-9 p.m. Sundays. Info: www. knoxvillesholidaysonice.com.

FRIDAY

erie Adams Distinguished Professor in Opera at Georgia State; Dean Anthony, director of the Janiec Opera Company at the Brevard Music Center and co-director of the University of Memphis opera program; and Jerome Shannon, director of Pensacola Opera.

And what happens after a win in Knoxville? According to the Met website, winners of the regional auditions win a trip to New York to participate in the national semifinals, held on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera. Approximately 10 are selected and compete the following Sunday in a public Grand Finals Concert, accompanied by the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.

The jury bestows approximately five Grand Winner awards of $15,000. The remaining national finalists are awarded prizes ranging from $1,500 to $5,000.

If you like opera, or you’re looking to expand your ho-

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■ Opening reception for Art Market Gallery featured artists for January: Eun-Sook Kim of Oak Ridge and Harriet Smith Howell of Rutledge, 5:30 p.m., Art Market Gallery, 422 S. Gay St. Info: 525-5265, artmarketgallery.net or facebook.com/Art. Market.Gallery.

SUNDAY ■ Winter Princess Sk8, 4-6 p.m., Cool Sports, 110 S. Watt Road. Pictures with Princess Elsa and Anna available. Info: www.coolsportstn.com, generalinfo@coolsportstn.com, 218-4500.

rizons in 2015, now’s your chance to hear some rising stars. “There are 25 singers who have registered so far,” says Driver. “Each will sing at least one aria, so everyone is invited to come and listen to some very talented young singers – some who may sing at the Met or other opera houses around the world in the future. People may come and go as their

The Egg and I

By Sandra Clark

Mystery Diner

6 a.m. and closes at 2 p.m. with a 2:30 p.m. closing on weekends. The menu has all those things mother loved for you to eat at breakfast – eggs done every way from the omelet to scrambled to chile rellenos, bacon, sausage in both the pig and turkey varieties, biscuits and gravy, oatmeal and pancakes.

Side dishes include breakfast potatoes, fruit or grits. The variety of the offerings at The Egg and I could have you come in every day for a month and never order the same food.

Or you could get stuck on a favorite like I did and find

Parisian Benedict is a favorite at The Egg and I.

Photo by Mystery

Diner

it hard to branch out to anything else.

The Parisian Benedict has everything I love for breakfast and not a single thing for me to pull to the side of the plate and hide under the garnish.

The Parisian Benedict is built on a buttery croissant.

It is layered with smoked ham, Swiss cheese and sautéed portabella mushrooms then topped with two perfectly poached eggs and

Send story suggestions to news@shoppernewsnow.com.

Run 4 Their Lives – Knoxville

Plate it

Mother always told you: It’s the most important meal of the day. Formerly the stepchild of restaurants, breakfast has hit the fast track in American cuisine, with every kind of establishment from Taco Bell to fancy steak houses trying to get in on the act.

Finding a good breakfast in a restaurant is easy nowadays. This “most important” meal even has its own venues, where breakfast foods are the star, lunch offerings are thrown in for variety, and everybody is home by 3 p.m.

The Egg and I is a breakfast/brunch/lunch restaurant that now has two locations in the Knoxville area.

Way out west, there is a restaurant in the shadow of Costco, just off Lovell Road.

Closer to town, The Egg and I is nestled in a Bearden strip mall at 4108 Kingston Pike.

The Egg and I opens at

schedule permits during the day.”

The Mid-South region Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions take place this Saturday, Jan. 3, beginning at 11 a.m., at the Natalie Haslam Music Building at the University of Tennessee. The event is free and open to the public.

smothered in creamy hollandaise sauce.

Garnish with the few tops of fresh green onions. It is an uptown breakfast with all the lip-smacking goodness of a plate from momma’s table.

The Egg and I has a lunch menu, something I know only because I have seen it.

Breakfast is the star of the show for me, and there just isn’t any time of the day that breakfast isn’t a good idea.

Pam Cantrell is making things happen with the Knoxville version of Run 4 Their Lives. This year’s race is set for 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 10, at Market Square.

The race raises awareness and funds for sexually exploited women and children worldwide.

This year team competitions have been added with prizes (and bragging rights) for most spirited, most money raised, and largest number of runners/walkers.

The Knoxville race is one of several such events, and all information is available at the website www. freedom424.org/r4tl/races/.

This year’s centerpiece is the 5k Run/Walk, starting at 9 a.m. Entry fee is $24 plus a $2.50 sign-up fee with registration ending Jan. 8. The race fee is waived for those who set up a fundraiser with a minimum of $50 donations.

A second event, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, will also begin at 9 a.m. with a simi-

lar entry and sign-up fee.

Both races are led and organized entirely by volunteers, and more volunteers are needed for race day. All information is available on the website.

Sponsors like Cantrell’s Heat and Air include stats with their advertisements: ■ There are estimated to be 27 million slaves worldwide ■ This industry brings in $32 billion/year and those numbers are increasing daily ■ Reportedly, 161 countries are affected by human trafficking as either sources, transit centers or destinations ■ 80 percent of trafficked victims are women.

More and more, young girls and women are being sold, trafficked or forced into prostitution ■ The average age of trafficking victims worldwide is 12 years old ■ Every 120 seconds a child is sold into slavery – 30 per hour – 720 a day – 1.2 million a year.

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business Joe Jarret to speak at ETBA

By Nancy Whittaker The East Towne Business Alliance (ETBA) will kick off the new year at 8 a.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 7, with its regular monthly meeting.

Everyone is invited to attend at New Harvest Park Community Center.

President Justin Sterling encourages all business owners and managers, local residents and anyone interested in promoting the East Towne area to attend. Joe Jarret, attorney and mediator, will speak.

The meetings are also about networking; breakfast is served before the meetings, which gives the early birds time to get to know one another. Sterling also gives

attendees the opportunity to share information with the group about themselves and their business.

T h e ETBA began just over a year ago.

The initial goal was to Sterling bring more awareness of the businesses along the East Towne Corridor by improving signage and access. With efforts from members and local politicians, it appears new signs will be installed in 2015. City council member Nick Della Volpe has spearheaded this effort.

10 • DECEMBER 31, 2014 • NORTH/EAST Shopper news

Knox Y marks 160th anniversary

By Bonny C. Millard Knoxville and the nation prepare to celebrate the coming New Year this evening (Dec. 31), but friends of the YMCA of East Tennessee have another reason to celebrate: The organization turns 160 years old today.

Rick Coleman, chief financial officer, said the YMCA of East Tennessee is the third-oldest in the nation, being formed just 10 years after the original organization was created in England. Knoxville’s Y, as it’s more commonly known these days, was started with “six men and a prayer group.”

Nationally, the YMCA is known as the originator of basketball and Father’s Day.

Hospice care with Dr. Gregory Phelps

By Bonny C. Millard The topic of how people want to handle the end of their lives, particularly if a serious lingering illness is involved, has become more popular as baby boomers age.

Dr. Gregory Phelps, medical director of hospice at UT Medical Center, said the country now has the largest generation of those over the age of 65 that it’s ever had: 10,000-11,000 boomers turning age 65 every day. As a result, more people are thinking in terms of health care for those final intervening years.

Phelps recently spoke to the Rotary Club of Knoxville and encouraged them to have conversations about this issue with their family members over the holidays.

By making these decisions, families know what a person’s wishes are.

It’s difficult for some people to talk about end-of-life care, but several books have been written about the subject. Phelps said this reflects the increasing interest in the topic.

“We never know when and where it’s going to come,” Phelps said. “We all know the time will come, and we are totally unprepared for a totally predictable event. So what I’m here to do is talk to you about voicing your choice and making your wishes known.”

Phelps acknowledged that it is a serious topic, especially at Christmastime, Dr. Phelps but he interjected humor throughout his talk. He laughed and said his goal is to be shot by a jealous husband at the age of 95.

Hospice is about having the highest quality of life until the end, and finding what gives a dying person pleasure is an important part of the process, he said.

“You give your family this gift of what you want,” he said.

NEWS FROM PREMIER SURGICAL

Treatment at Premier Vein Clinics Rejuvenates Lady’s Legs “I never realized I had “cankles” until after I had my varicose veins treated,” confesses Kelly Kriehn of Knoxville, a recent patient of Premier Vein Clinics. “My husband says he can actually see Kelly Kriehn my ankles, now that my “cankles” are gone.”

Not only have Kriehn’s ankles and legs stopped swelling, she no longer has painful, ropy veins protruding from each leg.

Like nearly 50 percent of adults, Kriehn had been living with varicose veins. Her symptoms started about five years ago and progressively grew worse.

“I first noticed that my legs were throbbing and hurting when I worked out,” remembers Kriehn. “You could see the swelling as the blood pooled in my legs and ankles.”

Along with the pain and swelling, Kriehn’s veins developed a “snaky” look.

“I would be fine first thing in the morning, but as soon as I got out of bed and stood up the swelling and “ropy” veins would start. The longer I stayed vertical, the worse they got.”

Kriehn sought help from vascular surgeon, Dr. Willard Campbell of Premier Vein Clinics. Through an ultrasound test, Dr. Willard Campbell, they learned that Vascular Surgeon the veins in her legs weren’t functioning properly. “Ultimately, it was taking 8 seconds for the blood to return up my legs.

It’s supposed to take half a second,” says Kriehn.

The 46-year old Kriehn was surprised at the diagnosis. “I don’t have a job where I stand up all day. I’m active and exercise, but I still developed varicose veins.”

The Premier Vein Clinics staff worked with Kriehn’s insurance company to cover the medically necessary treatment of her varicose veins. Dr. Campbell used

non-invasive endovenous laser therapy to heat and close the diseased veins in each leg.

The veins were then removed through tiny incisions. The procedure was Before

performed on each leg two weeks apart, in the Premier Vein Clinics office on Papermil Drive.

Kriehn wore compression bandages on her legs for a couple of After weeks as she healed. She’s thrilled with the results.

“It’s been great! I didn’t realize how badly my legs always hurt until they were treated. Now, I don’t have to deal with elevating my legs every night when I get home from work.”

Although she was initially frightened by the idea of undergoing a vein procedure, Kriehn says it was worth it. “For me, it was never a vanity or cosmetic issue. It just got to be painful. Even if you’re scared, there is relief. Your legs and your quality of life can be so much better!”

James Naismith, a teacher at the YMCA training school in Springfield, Mass., invented basketball in 1891, using peach baskets.

“He was a program director at the Y,” Coleman said. “The boss asked him to come up with something new.”

The Y has a copy of the original document in which Naismith wrote out the game rules.

“It’s quite interesting considering Pat Summitt is here in Knoxville, and we’re one of the oldest Ys,” Coleman said.

The document was part of a historical timeline showcasing the local Y’s 160year growth. The original minutes in a journal, which has been kept in pristine condition, contains information dating back to Dec. 16, 1854, as well as Dec. 31, 1854, when the YMCA held its first public meeting.

The minutes noted the large gathering of men at that Dec. 31 meeting, reflecting that attendance was “unmistakable proof of the interest awakened in the minds of the community.”

Coleman sees this as an indication that the local founders recognized the future importance of the YMCA. “I think they saw this as something becoming larger,” he said.

The YMCA rotated among several churches before members raised money for their own place, which

Rick Coleman, YMCA chief financial officer, displays the original minutes from the Y’s first public meeting 160 years ago. Photo

by Bonny C. Millard

was just a room where the men could come to read and pray. The permanent residence was built at 605 W. Clinch Ave. in 1929. Now the Lindsay Young Downtown YMCA, it was named for a major benefactor. The Clinch Avenue location had rooms for men to rent, but those floors have since been sold and made into condos.

The fitness center is on the first floor.

Coleman said that even though they are celebrating the Y’s history in Knoxville, its leaders are ever mindful of their present goals. The Y serves more than 30,000 area residents and offers almost $1.3 million in subsidies to those who can’t afford services. The nonprofit’s focus includes youth development, healthy living

Hiking into the New Year From Reelfoot to Henry Horton to Roan Mountain and every state park in between, Tennessee is kicking off the new year with First Hikes, a part of America’s State Parks First Day Hikes initiative in all 50 states.

Each state park will host its own free, guided hike in the first few days of the new year.

“Our First Hikes have been very popular, and we are excited to continue this series in the new year,” said Brock Hill, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation deputy commissioner. “The First Hikes offer a great way to get outside, exercise, enjoy nature and welcome the new year with friends and family.”

First Hikes at area state parks include: ■ Chestnut Ridge Nature Hike at Big Ridge State Park, 1 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 1. Meet at the park office. The hike is rated easy to moderate with two uphill sections. Bring water and a snack. The average high this time of the year is 40F, so dress in layers: a base layer of wicking material under

a thicker mid-layer (fleece or sweater) and top with a wind-breaking shell. Pack a hat and possibly gloves and be prepared for rain.

Boots should be lightly insulated and water resistant, and wear wool or synthetic socks (cotton is not recommended). Big Ridge State Park is at 1015 Big Ridge Road, Maynardville. Info: Sarah Nicley, 992-5523 or Sarah.Nicley@tn.gov.

■ Cove Lake Fitness Walk, 9 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 1. Meet at recreation building parking area. The fitness walk is 3.5 miles on a paved trail and the difficulty level is easy to moderate. Bring plenty of water and wear appropriate attire. Cove Lake State Park is at 110 Cove Lake Lane, Caryville. Info: Ranger Casey Hatmaker, 423-566-9701, or casey.hatmaker@tn.gov.

■ Hikin’ into 2015 at Cumberland Mountain, 10 a.m. CT, Thursday, Jan. 1. Meet at the park restaurant. The hike is an easy to moderate three miles along the Pioneer Loop Trail.

Wear warm clothes and sturdy hiking shoes. Hot cocoa, coffee and water will

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and social responsibility.

The Y also operates a Community Giving Garden and donated 2,500 pounds of fresh produce to local pantries last season.

The Cansler Family YMCA, named after educator and principal of Austin High School Charles Cansler, was originally located on Wilson Avenue.

It moved in 2004 to Jessamine Street and houses the corporate offices in addition to its fitness center.

The Davis Family YMCA on South Northshore Drive opened in 2010. The other locations are the Bob Temple North Side YMCA in Halls and West Side YMCA. For info: www. ymcaknoxville.org/.

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be provided inside the restaurant at the start of the hike. Cumberland Mountain State Park is at 24 Office Drive, Crossville. Info: 931-484-6138.

■ Fort Loudoun History Hike, 1 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 1. Meet at the Visitor Center. The hike is less than one mile and will last about one hour. Fort Loudoun State Park is at 338 Fort Loudoun Road, Vonore.

Info: 423-884-6217.

■ Debord and Emory Gap Falls Hike at Frozen Head State Park, 10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 1. Meet park rangers at the Visitor Center, 964 Flat Fork Road, Wartburg. Hike is roughly three miles round-trip and is rated moderate in difficulty. Bring water and a snack.

Rangers will lead the hike rain or shine, so prepare for expected weather; Frozen Head can be several degrees cooler than surrounding towns. Hiking shoes/boots are recommended as well as coats, hats and gloves. Info: Ranger Lucinda Burnham, 423-201-2953 or Lucinda.

Burnham@tn.gov.

■ Midnight Hike at Norris Dam State Park, Wednesday, Dec. 31. Meet at Andrews Ridge Trailhead.

Bring a flashlight or headlamp. Norris Dam State Park is at 125 Village Green Circle, Rocky Top. Info: Mark Morgan, 426-7461.

■ Panther Creek Lost Road Trail, 10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 1. Meet at Upper Campground Pavilion. Hike is a moderately strenuous 1.9-mile loop. Dress warmly and wear sturdy shoes or boots. Panther Creek State Park is at 2010 Panther Creek Park Road, Morristown. Info: 423-587-7046.

■ Sunset Hike at Seven Islands, 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 1. Meet at barn at entrance parking lot. Hike is about two miles.

Dress for cold weather and bring a flashlight or headlamp. Seven Islands State Birding Park is at 2809 Kelly Lane, Kodak. Info: 4078335.

NORTH/EAST Shopper news • DECEMBER 31, 2014 • 11

NEWS FROM EMERALD YOUTH FOUNDATION OF KNOXVILLE

Emerald Youth, City of Knoxville give home to

Urban Swim program

Championship Volleyball Team The Emerald Youth girls’ volleyball team, “White Lightning,” took the championship title in the Emerald Youth recreational league tournament Dec. 6-7. They were among 120 middle and high school girls playing on 12 teams. Members

of the winning team are (front) Camryn Cox, Sierra Smith; (back) Kayla Martin, Julia Kohlman, Maggie Lewis, Jackie Kohlman, coach Anthony Anderson, Mickaela Wilson, Brittany Blankenship and Ona Rippy. Not pictured: Jwila Blair.

Emerald children enjoy

Variety holiday party Pictured are Emerald participants (front) Jonathan Smith and Britton Reyes, (back) Caden Combs, Noel Vasquez, Variety executive director Carol Fusco, Lena Foster and Keyle Bookout.

More than 300 city children from Emerald Youth recently enjoyed a festive breakfast and showing of “The Penguins of Madagascar” at Regal Cinemas in Knoxville Center Mall. Each child had a picture made with Santa and Mrs. Claus and received a gift.

The occasion was the annual holiday party hosted Dec. 6 by Variety, The Children’s Charity of Eastern

Tennessee, and sponsored

by Regal Entertainment Group. “It is one of the children’s favorite events. It is just so fun,” said one EYF ministry director.

Variety of Eastern Tennessee benefits a wide range of area children who are at risk. It is part of an international organization devoted to protecting the health and well-being of children around the world.

Cutting the ribbon at the restored E.V. Davidson Recreation Center pool are City Councilman Daniel Brown; Oscar Cruz, 7; Tank Strickland of the mayor’s office; Fynal Barnes, 6; senior pastor of Faith Promise Church Chris Stephens; Knoxville Parks & Recreation director Joe Walsh; TaTiyona Kaiser, 6; Emerald Youth president and CEO Steve Diggs and Terrance Rooks, 10.

The pool at the E.V. Davidson Recreation Center in the heart of Knoxville now has new life as the site of a vibrant swimming program for city youth.

Emerald Youth Foundation and the City of Knoxville are partnering to reopen the Carl Cowan Pool at the E.V. Davidson Recreation Center, 3124 Wilson Avenue. Emerald’s Swim School and Aquatics Program now provides up to 100 children with weekly swim lessons, totaling more than 350 youth each year.

The City of Knoxville

renovated and reopened the center, formerly the Eastside YMCA, in 2005 with gymnasium, fitness room, kitchen and community rooms with free library and computers for student use. Emerald Youth, which has provided swim lessons at sites around the city for years, has never before had a pool of its own.

Its summer swim team uses the Ed Cothren Pool at Malcolm Martin Park.

Thanks to the generosity of many in the community, including Faith Promise Church, Emerald Youth has

Caring adults help urban youth discover faith As Christians around the world eagerly awaited the celebration of Jesus’ birth, Knoxville’s urban youth made their own preparations for the joyful holiday.

K-12 city youth are using a weekly discipleship curriculum to grow deeper in their faith. This year’s curriculum is called “Follow the Leader,” and is written and produced specifically for Emerald Youth

Foundation.

During the Christmas season, lessons include discussions about eagerly waiting for something, and activities like building a nativity scene.

Small groups, which pair one or two adults with a handful of youth for deeper discussion, give kids a safe place to talk. Questions arise like: Is Jesus still involved in our lives? After all, he left.

A Message from Steve Diggs, Emerald Youth President and CEO Advent is a time when I am filled with awe.

This year, I am brought to my knees at all that God is allowing Emerald Youth Foundation to shepherd.

Consider: In partnership with the City of Knoxville, Emerald has reopened the E.V. Davidson Recreation Steve Diggs Center pool to house our swim school for urban children.

The 14-acre Sansom Sports Complex, now under construction, will soon be home to more than 350 city kids playing soccer.

Eventually it will host other field sports like lacrosse and flag football.

hired Justin Baxter as its full-time swim instructor.

Baxter will also coach the Emerald Youth swim team, which competes regionally during the summer months.

“This is a great facility that is ideal to teach children how to swim and how to race,” said Baxter, a longtime Knoxville swim coach. He cited the spacious deck and the generous dimensions of the fivelane pool: 30 x 75 feet, with a graduated depth ranging from three to nine feet.

“Nowadays, you don’t often get these features in new pools because they are expensive. You don’t get the depth and the deck space,” he said.

“Emerald Youth does great work with children all across Knoxville,” said mayor Madeline Rogero.

“We are happy to partner with them at the E.V. Davidson Center, just as we have at the Sansom Sports Complex. These programs help children develop healthy habits for long, active lives.”

“We are thrilled that this wonderful pool will be home to our swim program. Teaching city children to swim safely and be proficient in water sports has been a goal at Emerald Youth for many years,” said Emerald Youth president and CEO Steve Diggs.

The pool will also serve as the offseason practice location for the Emerald Youth swim team.

Terrance Rooks, a fifth grader at Sarah Moore Greene, has taken lessons through Emerald Youth for three years. He is thrilled about the pool. “I feel great that we finally have a pool that is ours. I like that I get to hang out with my friends and have fun in the water learning how to swim.”

Emerald Charter Schools, a nonprofit started by Emerald Youth, will launch the city’s first public charter school in July 2015.

In partnership with city churches and ministries, 50 small discipleship groups will take place throughout next year.

With these amazing new developments on behalf of Knoxville’s kids, wonderful things are happening.

Our stewardship of these initiatives comes with great responsibility, including financial.

I want to tell you about one Emerald supporter’s generous response to this need.

The longtime donor, who prefers to remain anonymous, bought some property as an investment with the intention of giving the return to Emerald Youth. But the funny thing was, “the land did not turn out to be a good

investment.”

I will let our friend speak: “I felt like God was saying, ‘Why are you just giving the gain? Why not give out of the principal?’ I felt like he was telling me that we need to give sacrificially.”

So the donor gave Emerald the entire amount from the sale of the land – $50,000 – with the hope that others in the Knoxville area would collectively match that amount. “I decided to trust God and let him worry about maximizing the dollar. It’s his to begin with,” our friend said.

I hope this donor’s story inspires you to consider giving to Emerald this holiday season, and I trust you’ll have a blessed and peaceful Christmas season!

What was good about his leaving? Sometimes parents leave.

If I don’t believe in God, can I still come to church?

“They teach about Jesus in a fun way. I like being in small groups. I like playing basketball too,” said Ticquea Ager, a 10th grader at Fulton High School.

“We learn things about God that I didn’t know,” said Sarah McGhee, 10, a student at Westview Elementary.

“When we go into our small groups, the leaders help us to understand. We learn we can help open people up to God’s hands, which can hold everybody.”

The weekly gatherings are an expression of the faith component of Emerald Youth Foundation. Since its founding, EYF has incorporated August-May devotionals, and another edition is utilized during the summer months.

Several things distinguish the EYF faith ministry.

The lessons take into account the realities of urban Knoxville, such as: higher rates of poverty and single parent households, fewer

strong role models for youth, and lower levels of engagement at church and school than among suburban kids.

The curriculum emphasizes big-picture Bible stories and practical life applications.

For example, in the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000, the point is not that kids should go share their lunch, but that God can do anything. The program emphasizes fun and relationships with trustworthy adults.

“This is a positive place where kids can come to be where someone cares about them,” said Emerald Youth’s Kent Stanger. “It is where a kid can learn about God and build a strong relationship with an adult.”

Christy Cardwell, curriculum and evaluation manager, said the ministry aims to break the sense of isolation and powerlessness that persists among urban young people. “We want the kids to have an awareness of their community, to be proud of their communities, and, like Jesus, to serve them. We want them to understand that they have something to give.”

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