Month: March 2011

Girl Scout Summer Resident Camp Registration Now Open

Posted by admin – March 31, 2011

Knoxville, Tenn. –  We may just be a few weeks into Spring, but it’s not too early to be thinking about Summer, and specifically what your kids will be doing when school is out of session.  If swimming, hiking, crafting and canoeing sound like fun, then Camp Tanasi is the ideal summer getaway for your daughter.

The Girl Scout Council of the Southern Appalachians is now accepting registrations for its popular resident camp at Camp Tanasi in Andersonville, Tennessee.  After a two-year hiatus, overnight adventures for girls ranging in ages from 6 – 17 are returning to Camp Tanasi this summer. “We have completely revamped the program offering,” says Becky Cavender, Camp Director.  “While we have traditional activities like crafts and kayaking, we’ve added new activities like yoga and the culinary arts.”  Camp Tanasi is situated on 461 forested acres bordering Norris Lake.

For four weeks in June and July, campers will explore all that Camp Tanasi has to offer, as well as make new friends and memories for life.  Through 3-day and 6-day overnight adventures, Camp Tanasi fulfills the Girl Scout Mission of building girls of courage, confidence and character.  “We have more options for rising 4th – 8th graders than ever before,” says Cavender.  The Girl Scouts are also offering special adventure camps focused on horseback riding and backpacking for girls in 6th grade and up.

The CEO of the Girl Scout Council of the Southern Appalachians, Booth Kammann is excited about the Summer Resident Camp at Camp Tanasi; she says it’s a wise investment in the future.  “Camp Tanasi provides a safe, all-girl environment, where campers can try new things, have new adventures and can simply be themselves.”

Camp Tanasi has a swimming pool, climbing tower, challenge course, rappelling wall, dock for canoeing, kayaking, paddle boating and water skiing, hiking trails, backcountry camping, archery, a craft cabin, and more.

The Girl Scout Council of the Southern Appalachians is hosting an Open House at Camp Tanasi on Saturday, April 2nd, as well as a series of Parent Nights in Chattanooga, Johnson City and Knoxville over the next several weeks.

The Open House will be held on Saturday, April 2nd from 2 p.m – 5 p.m. at Camp Tanasi.  Parents and guardians interested in sending their daughters to summer camp at Camp Tanasi are invited to tour the camp, meet the camp director and camp counselors.  Parents are encouraged to call Becky Cavender at (800) 474-1912 ext 209 or email her at rcavender@girlscoutcsa.org.

The Resident Camp Parent Night schedule is as follows:  Johnson City on Thursday, March 31st, Chattanooga on April 14th, and Knoxville on April 28th.  Each session will be held at the local Girl Scout Service Center from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

All information about the Resident Camp Program, including dates, registration form, financial aid application, even a readiness quiz, is available in the Tanasi Camp Catalog, which is found online at www.girlscoutcsa.org or can be requested by calling (800) 474-1912.

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Media Contact
Amelia Daniels
adaniels@ackermannpr.com
(865) 365-5847

About Us
The Girl Scout Council of the Southern Appalachians has 21,000 girl and adult members stretching from North Georgia to Southwest Virginia. Service centers are located in Chattanooga, Knoxville, and Johnson City. Our mission is to build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. The council offers financial assistance to ensure that every girl who wants to be a Girl Scout has the opportunity to join this vibrant organization.

Alcoa Foundation Sponsors Collegiate Recycling Challenge

Posted by Lisa Hood Skinner – March 30, 2011

University of Tennessee at Knoxville to showcase donated bins at Recyclympics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Alcoa Foundation has joined forces with Keep America Beautiful as a key partner of RecycleMania, a nationwide college and university recycling competition.

During the 8-week challenge, colleges and universities compete to see which can reduce, reuse and recycle the most waste on campus. The goal is to change behavior about recycling and raise awareness about waste reduction programs on campuses.

Alcoa Foundation supplied 50,000 recycling bins and awarded 13 universities across the U.S. with stackable, six-gallon bins appropriate for use in student housing or offices. The schools were selected based on their ability to develop a strategic plan to collect the most recyclable materials.

University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UTK) received 8,000 recycling bins.

From February 6 through April 2, hundreds of institutions of higher education have been competing to see who recycles the most on a per capita basis, who produces the least amount of waste and who recycles the largest percentage of their overall waste.   After six weeks of competition, UTK’s recycling rates are up 25 percent compared to 2010 levels.

UTK plans to wrap up its RecycleMania competition with the Second Annual Recyclympics event from 1-3 p.m., Friday, April 1 on the TRECS Intramural Field, located at 2111 Volunteer Blvd., between TRECS and the Tom Black Track.

“It’s going to be awesome,” said Jay Price, UTK’s Environmental Coordinator. “We need as many people out there as possible to learn about how they can make a difference through recycling.  And at the same time, they can test their skills in our recycling games including the phone book shotput, recycling obstacle course, compact discus, the recycling bin moon boot race, and the battery bucket race.”

The event helps celebrate the fact that with the newly donated bins, UTK now can boast that 100 percent of its residence halls have recycling bins.    In addition to supplying bins to all student residents, UTK will be providing bins to the more than 2,000 offices on campus, according to Price.  Before, offices had bins for recycling paper, but nothing for aluminum, plastic and glass recyclables.

“Alcoa Foundation’s bin grant has allowed us to expand our recycling initiatives into areas of the campus that were previously underserved,” Price added.  “The 8,000 bins have been and will continue to be instrumental in helping us increase our overall recycling rates.”

“Alcoa has set a goal to increase the nationwide recycling rate of aluminum cans to 75% by 2015, and one way to do that is to make it more convenient for institutions like colleges and universities to recycle. The distribution of 50,000 bins across 13 college and university campuses – and the education and awareness that comes along with the donation – will be a giant step in the right direction,” said Beth Schmitt, Alcoa’s Director of Recycling.

The KAB partnership further reinforces Alcoa and Alcoa Foundation’s commitment to increasing recycling across communities. Since 2008, Alcoa has distributed more than 100,000 recycling bins, launched the Make an Impact program to help families live more sustainably, developed a free Aluminate™ recycling iPhone app, and invested nearly $3.5 million in community-based recycling programs in the last five years.

In announcing the partnership, Alcoa Foundation also launched a unique “Download to Donate” initiative, donating $1, up to $50,000, to KAB for every free Aluminate™ recycling app download, between America Recycles Day (November 15, 2010) and February 6, 2011. The funding will further strengthen KAB’s environmental education programs and recycling infrastructure.

For more information on UTK’s Recyclympics: www.pp.utk.edu/Recycle/

For more information on RecycleMania: www.recyclemania.com

Media Contact:
Christy Newman
(865) 250-9155
christy.newman@alcoa.com

Details of Golf Invitational to benefit Boys & Girls Club of Halls/Powell announced

Posted by admin – March 28, 2011

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The 13th annual Halls/Powell Golf Invitational to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Halls/Powell is set to take place on Monday, May 23 at Beaver Brook Golf & Country Club.

The event will begin at 11:30 a.m. with a complimentary luncheon at the Club, located at 6800 Beaver Brook Drive. The shotgun tee-off begins at 1 p.m. and an awards reception will follow the tournament at 5:30 p.m.

“Participating in this tournament is a perfect way to help the Boys & Girls Club of Halls/Powell and have a great day out on the course as well,” said Chad Browning, event co-chair. “Playing golf for a good cause makes it twice as good!”

This tournament is held in memory of Daniel R. Burnette for his involvement in the establishment of the Boys & Girls Club of Halls/Powell and his leadership of the tournament for more than two years.

The invitational is open to the public. An entry fee of $250 per player is required for registration, and $190 of that fee is tax-deductible. All registered players will received a $50 Adidas gift card.

Several levels of sponsorships are still available for this tournament.

Players may register online at www.HallsPowellGolf.com or contact Josh Yarbrough, Executive Director, Boys & Girls Club of Halls/Powell, at (865) 232-1218 to ask for a registration form.

For additional information, contact the event co-chairs, Chad Browning at (865) 925-9593 or Danny Fleming at (865) 250-9984.

To schedule a media interview, contact Sarah Malak at (865) 584-0550 or smalak@ackermannpr.com.

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About Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley

The Boys & Girls Club of Halls/Powell is a member of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley, which currently serves 5,825 members, ages 5 to 17 years old throughout the region. The organization also provides 414,970 USDA hot meals and snacks annually for members free of charge. The Clubs see as many as 1,200 youth walk through the doors on any given day. There are 15 Club locations in Knox, Blount, Loudon and Northern Anderson Counties. The organization employs more than 260 trained, professional, caring staff and welcomes more than 1,200 volunteers annually. It is a charter member of United Way.

Media Contact:
Sarah Malak
(865) 584-0550                                                                                    
smalak@ackermannpr.com

The Smoky Mountain Region is quickly becoming a spring break hot spot

Posted by Erin Freeman – March 17, 2011

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. — There are two reasons the Smoky Mountains Region is becoming a favorite spring break destination for visitors from all over the country:

  • In the past three years, new attractions and resorts — like Wilderness at the Smokies and Titanic Museum Attraction — have opened and now offer visitors amazing things to do year-round regardless of the weather.
  • The Smoky Mountain Region covers two states and countless small communities around the national park.  Now that we are marketing the “Region” as a destination (as opposed to marketing each of the small communities and towns as individual entities) people get to see all of the offerings rather than just what each small town has to offer.

The Smoky Mountain Region is also a wildly successful destination because it is within a one-day drive for most of the U.S. population east of the Mississippi River.  And, as the McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville continues to get new low fare carriers serving new markets, more and more travelers are flying to East Tennessee for their vacations.

Watch and read the CBS News report about the Smoky Mountain Region and its appeal to spring breakers by clicking the photo below.

WVLT (CBS) television shows why the Smoky Mountain Region is a new spring break "hot spot"

Media Contact
Rick Laney
(865) 584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com

Space Still Available for Gadget Girls Event at University of Tennessee

Posted by Ryan Willis – March 16, 2011

Knoxville, Tenn. – The United States is falling behind its foreign competitors in STEM subjects, which include Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.  According to one study, American 15-year-olds ranked 21st in science and 25th in math compared to other countries.  And for girls, the statistics are even more staggering.

The American Association of University Women found that active recruiting and positive messaging can go a long way toward shrinking the gender gap in many science and engineering fields. In a 2010 report, the association identified eight major factors that helped depress the numbers of girls and women in STEM: beliefs about intelligence, stereotypes, self-assessment, spatial skills, the college student experience, university and college faculty, implicit bias, and workplace bias.

In an attempt to address a few of these factors, the Girl Scout Council of the Southern Appalachians is partnering with the University of Tennessee for a one-day event, open to all girls in grades 6 – 8 called Gadget Girls.  Registration for the April 9 event is now open.

As many as 300 middle-school aged girls will learn from female professors who are world-renowned scientists and mathematicians.  The girls will work side-by-side with the professors in their laboratories, making necklaces using their own DNA, testing dollar bills to see if they are real or counterfeit, and learning to grow their own crystals from household items.  Student volunteers from Kappa Delta sorority will serve as tour guides and walk the girls through campus.

Gadget Girls will be held Saturday, April 9, 2011 from 9am – 4pm.  Snacks, lunch and parking will be provided.  The cost is only $15 for Girl Scouts and $27 for all other girls.  Tickets for accompanying adults are $10.  Participants can register online at www.girlscoutcsa.org; the registration deadline is March 18, 2011.  Any questions can be directed to event organizers Sherry Harris, Ext. 105 and Becky Lunsford, ext. 520 by calling (800) 474-1912.

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About Us
The Girl Scout Council of the Southern Appalachians has 21,000 girl and adult members stretching from North Georgia to Southwest Virginia. Service centers are located in Chattanooga, Knoxville, and Johnson City. Our mission is to build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. The council offers financial assistance to ensure that every girl who wants to be a Girl Scout has the opportunity to join this vibrant organization.

Media Contact:
Amelia Daniels
Ackermann PR
(865) 365-5847
adaniels@ackermannpr.com

Proof the Boys & Girls Club is a positive place

Posted by admin – March 9, 2011

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley recently released the exciting results of a study revealing that the organization’s programs significantly increase the odds of graduation for the student populations that it serves.

Michele Silva of WVLT-TV caught up with the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley to learn more about the study and the organization’s effect on the youth it serves. Click the photo above to watch the video and listen to Raphael Pooser, former Club member, tell about his experiences at the Club.

The study, conducted by Robert Kronick, PhD, Professor, University of Tennessee (UT) and R. Eric Heidel, MS NCC, Statistical and Research Design Consultant, UT Graduate School of Medicine and PhD Student in Counselor Education, UT, aimed to answer the question “Does student participation in BGCTNV programs increase the odds of graduation?”

The most important findings are that the odds of a student graduating from high school increase by 1.5% for each day that he or she attends BGCTNV programs, regardless of how many years that student attends said programs.

The overall average career attendance (meaning the total number of days throughout the child’s life thus far) for BGCTNV members in the study was 157 days. This equates to a 235.5% increase in the odds of a student graduating as a result of being involved in BGCTNV programs. In essence, students were over twice as likely to graduate as a result of attending BGCTNV programs based on this sample.

For more information about the study or Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley, contact Sarah Malak at smalak@ackermannpr.com or (865) 584-0550.

Ackermann PR’s Rick Laney draws national attention to Smokies as a hot spring break destination

Posted by Erin Freeman – March 7, 2011

The Great Smoky Mountains Region

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Because of its expertise in travel and tourism in the Great Smoky Mountain Region, Ackermann PR continues to be the primary source for major national media outlets wanting more information about the nation’s most visited national park and the communities that surround it in Tennessee and North Carolina.

Last week, Ackermann PR Vice President Rick Laney turned up across the country talking about why the Great Smoky Mountain Region is quickly becoming a major spring break destination.  His comments about the appeal of the Smoky Mountain Region appeared in major media outlets including ABC News, CBS News, Chicago Tribune, Washington Examiner, Huffington Post, Charlotte Observer, Atlanta Journal Constitution and MSNBC.

“Our approach is completely different,” Laney said.  “While small, individual communities around the Smokies have touted what they have to offer for decades, no one has successfully marketed the region as a whole.  The funny thing is that tourists who come here don’t even recognize the little individual towns – they only recognize the Great Smoky Mountains.

“When you travel to somewhere like the Smokies for a vacation, you make it a point to see all there is to see, and the Smokies cover countless little communities in two separate states.  Our visitors hike in the Smokies, visit attractions in Gatlinburg, Hendersonville, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville, Asheville, Cherokee and Bryson City.  They go back and forth between North Carolina and Tennessee to take in the entire region.

“It only makes sense that the premier attractions and resorts are now marketing that way.”

For more information about Ackermann PR and its unique approach to travel and tourism marketing, call (865) 584-0550.

Media Contact
Shane Rhyne
(865) 584-0550
srhyne@ackermannpr.com

Cardiopulmonary Imaging Specialist, John C. Texada, M.D., Joins Vista Radiology

Posted by Lisa Hood Skinner – March 4, 2011

John C. Texada, M.D.KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Cardiopulmonary imaging specialist and board certified radiologist, John C. Texada, M.D., is joining Vista Radiology P.C., from the University of Alabama Hospital in Birmingham, Ala.

Dr. Texada received his medical degree and completed his internal medicine internship at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, La.  He completed his radiology residency and his cardiopulmonary imaging fellowship at the University of Alabama School of Medicine in Birmingham.

He is board certified with the American Board of Radiology and has been widely published in medical journals such as Radiology Board Review and Clinical Gastroenteriology and Hepatology.

In June 2005 and 2007, Dr. Texada received awards for excellence in emergency radiology and excellence in neuroradiology. He also received awards for excellence in abdominopelvic imaging, excellence in cardiothoracic imaging and a Breast MRI Award in June 2008.

Established over 40 years ago as Fort Sanders Radiology, Vista Radiology is the largest and most sub-specialized radiology practice in East Tennessee. With 38 Board-Certified radiologists, Vista is uniquely positioned to provide the highest available level of radiology expertise, including 24-hour teleradiology services and sub-specialized radiographic interpretations.

Vista Radiology also specializes in non-surgical, minimally invasive treatments such as endovascular repair of aneurysms, acute stroke treatments, breast biopsy, radiofrequency ablation and UFE, in Knoxville and the surrounding areas.  Vista’s membership includes fellowship trained specialists in body / cross sectional imaging, MR imaging, musculoskeletal radiology, neuro-interventional radiology, neuroradiology, cardiac imaging & thoracic radiology, vascular & interventional radiology, women’s imaging / breast intervention, PET & nuclear medicine, and pediatric radiology.

Vista provides radiology services for 9 East Tennessee hospitals:

  • Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center
  • Fort Sanders Parkwest Medical Center
  • Fort Sanders Sevier Medical Center
  • Fort Loudoun Medical Center
  • Roane Medical Center (Harriman, TN)
  • East Tennessee Children’s Hospital
  • Sky Ridge Medical Center (Cleveland, TN area)
  • Claiborne County Hospital (Tazewell, TN)
  • Lakeway Regional Hospital (Morristown, TN)

Additionally, Vista services outpatient facilities such as:

  • Fort Sanders West Diagnostic Center
  • Thompson Cancer Survival Breast Center
  • Thompson Cancer West
  • Parkwest Comprehensive Breast Center
  • The Breast Center and LeConte Medical Center
  • Diagnostic Health, Knoxville (formerly HealthSouth ODC)
  • Diagnostic Health, Nashville (formerly HealthSouth ODC)
  • Healthstar Physicians, P.C.

For more information about Vista Radiology, please visit www.vistaradiology.com. 

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CONTACT:
Charles McRae, Administrator
Vista Radiology, P.C.
(865) 595-4100