Category: Nonprofit

Wine Walk, Movie Night Part of LLLT Founder's Weekend

9/22/2016

Hike to Lula Falls during LLLT’s Founder’s Weekend, October 1-2.

by David Fields
Established in 2014 to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Lula Lake Land Trust, Founder's Weekend is a celebration of the land trust and its founders, Helen and Bobby Davenport.

According to its website, Lula Lake Land Trust was established by the will of Robert Davenport in January of 1994. LLLT seeks to protect and preserve the natural beauty and abundant resources within the Rock Creek watershed for the benefit of present and future generations.

According to LLLT Executive Director Mike Pollock, Founder's Weekend draws hundreds of visitors to the preserve. "We draw them in to share our vision for a protected watershed, conservation, environmental education and to recreate and play," he says.

This year, Founder's Weekend will have two full days of programming on October 1 and 2. Activities include guided history walks, yoga sessions, Tai Chi lessons, critter visits, a discussion on the hemlock woolly adelgid infestation and much more.

New this year, the celebration also includes two premier nightly events. "I've always had the belief that nonprofits need to be fun while they're doing good work behind the scenes," says Pollock. "That's why we're hosting music events, movie night and the new Lula Lake Wine Walk. We want people to have fun while they're pitching in."

On Saturday, October 1, the inaugural Lula Lake Film Fest will take place at dusk. Family-friendly short films on outdoor adventure and conservation will be screened. Soft drinks, beer, wine and snacks will be available. A $10 donation per person is suggested.

Sunday night will feature the Lula Lake Wine Walk for those age 21 and up. Five wine tasting stations will be located along Lula Lake's core preserve. Each stop will feature selected wines and snacks from Riverside Wine and Spirits and acoustic music. The last wine stop will offer hors d’oeuvres and a featured band. This event is limited to 125 participants and there is a fee of $40 per person. To purchase a ticket to the Wine Walk, visit Eventbrite.

Visit the Lula Lake Land Trust website for a detailed schedule and more information about the third annual Founder's Weekend.

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Watch a Movie Under the Stars

7/8/2016

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by David Fields
First Things First's Movies in the Park returns to Coolidge Park this month. Each Saturday in July, beginning July 9, a family-friendly box office hit movie will be projected on a giant movie screen in the park.

First Things First is an award-winning, nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening families in Hamilton County through education, collaboration and mobilization. First Things First encourages families to pack up chairs, blankets and picnic baskets and gather for some quality time while watching this year’s featured movies.

"First Things First's mission is to strengthen the families of our communities," said Julie Baumgardner of First Things First. "Movies in the Park is a great opportunity for families to spend time together and create memories that will last a lifetime."

Can you guess the titles of the movies First Things First is showing this summer? Here are some hints:

July 9 – Funny little yellow creatures are recruited by a super-villain who, alongside her inventor husband, hatch a plot to take over the world.
July 16 – A police officer rabbit and wily fox set out to solve a mysterious case in a bustling animal metropolis.
July 23 – The galaxy faces a new threat from the dark side, but a young duo joins forces to defeat evil and restore order in the universe.
July 30 – A hockey-loving 11-year-old girl’s world turns upside-down when she and her parents move to San Francisco. Her emotions try to guide her through this life-changing event.

"Movies in the Park is one of our favorite events," Baumgardner said. "We encourage families to join us and enjoy some quality time together."

All movies are free to the public. Movies will start each week at sundown (just after 9 p.m.). Concessions will be available for purchase on-site. Children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent.

Movies in the Park is sponsored by Comcast, Sunny 92.3, Hamico, Coker Tire, Belhaven University, The Chattanooga Times Free Press, City of Chattanooga, Family Concessions LLC and Lifeguard Ambulance Service.

For additional information, visit www.firstthings.org or call (423) 267-5385.

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LLLT Holding a Live Concert on June 10

6/6/2016

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Peggy Douglas is performing at Lula Lake Land Trust on June 10.

The Lula Lake Land Trust will be rocking on Friday, June 10, at the land trust’s core property on Lookout Mountain. Both Brian Haynes of the Chattanooga Folk School and the Rising Fawn Social Club will perform. Your feet are guaranteed to be tapping as you mingle about in this beautiful place.

There will also be an excerpt from local playwright Peggy Douglas’s play, “A Visit with Mother Maybelle,” which celebrates the life of Maybelle Carter. Peggy’s one-woman show of old-time music and original poetry monologues brings a little-known, but important, woman to life. The Appalachian Carter family made an indelible mark on American recorded music, and Maybelle is considered responsible for taking the then-underplayed guitar and making it the cornerstone of country instrumentation. One of the first well-known female voices in country music, Maybelle’s voice had a Gothic quality that is found in Irish and Scottish folk music. Maybelle Carter crossed styles, genres and generations, yet hers is not a household name.

“Mother Maybelle” will reveal herself in this one-woman show combining poetry, performance and music, giving audiences a sense of this warm and slightly starchy figure with an occasional twinkle of mischief in her eyes. The monologues and music will capture the girlishness that was said to remain a disarming element of Maybelle’s personality throughout her life.

Sponsored by River City Sessions, a monthly program at The Camp House featuring local and regional musical acts along with southern storytelling, this event will take place in breathtaking surroundings at 7 p.m.

“We’re really excited about performing at sunset on such a beautiful property,” said Michael Gray, director and facilitator of River City Sessions. “Lula Lake has such a unique story to tell and it will be the perfect backdrop to share our southern culture.”

“We’re grateful that River City Sessions has decided to partner with us,” said Mike Pollock, executive director of Lula Lake Land Trust. “We really appreciate the proceeds from the benefit, but we’re also really looking forward to hosting friends on a Friday night with excellent entertainment.”

Admission is a suggested donation of $10 per person and the proceeds benefit the Lula Lake Land Trust. Food and beverages will be available on site for additional purchase. The concert will be recorded live and will air the following Sunday on WUTC 88.1 FM.

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Get Out into Nature at Reflection Riding

5/24/2016

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Kevin Calhoon leads a group of birding enthusiasts along the Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center boardwalk.

With its annual spring plant sale, an appearance from a best-selling author and a celebration of migratory birds, springtime has been busy at Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center.

Hundreds attended the 29th Annual Spring Native Plant Sale in April, which raised a record-breaking $41,000 for the organization. Many folks shop the plant sale each year to add native species to their landscapes.

On May 2, London-based author Andrea Wulf gave a presentation on her book, "Founding Gardeners." A mesmerized audience filled Reflection Riding’s classroom to hear Wulf’s unique insight into how the founding fathers of the United States saw a connection between plants and politics. The melding of the two was pertinent to create an economically independent nation, and it also protected the country from the corruption, decadence and tyranny associated with many 18th century European governments.

Birds of a Feather, the second program in The Tennessee Aquarium and Reflection Ridings “Wild Chattanooga” series took place on Saturday, May 7. More than 50 people participated in activities celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The morning kicked off with a bird banding demonstration presented by Dr. David Aborn from UTC. Then, Keven Calhoun, an ornithology specialist from the Tennessee Aquarium, and local naturalist Bob Butters led bird walk. John and Lissie Diener, the avian technicians for the Tennessee River George Trust, presented their latest research on bird migration patterns. Corey Hagen, education director for Reflection Riding, gave several birds of prey demonstrations featuring Reflection Riding’s resident great horned owl, red shoulder hawk and screech owl.
Reflection Riding also hosted the Rotatry Club of Chattanooga for its annual spring outing during May.

Looking to summer, there are many exciting events planned at Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center. Summer camp kicks off in June and offers kids a great chance to interact with the great outdoors while they learn through art projects, hike, canoe and more. Registration is open now.

Reflection Riding recently welcomed three new red wolves into its pack. On June 23, there will be a fundraiser for the red wolf breeding program at the nature center. Click here to learn more about the wolf pups and the fundraiser. Then, on June 24, there will be a bat cave tour. Call (423) 821-1160 to learn more about the tour or to sign up.

If you want to enjoy nature on your own, don’t forget about Reflection Riding’s great opportunities to get outdoors. Stop by to take your dog for a walk, book the treehouse for a gathering, borrow a canoe for a cooling summer paddle and check out how the wolf puppies are developing. For more information, visit www.reflectionriding.org.

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McKamey Animal Center Celebrates 18K Adoptions

5/12/2016

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McKamey celebrates 18,000 adoptions.

The McKamey Animal Center opened its doors in 2008 and since that time more than 18,000 animals, including dogs, cats, rabbits, horses, snakes and turtles and many more species, have found their forever homes. To celebrate its success, the center is hosting its inaugural "Back to MAC Reunion Dog Walk" at the McKamey Animal Center at 4500 North Access Rd. on Saturday, May 14. Registration is at 8 a.m. and the walk starts at 9 a.m.

"Back to MAC Reunion Dog Walk" is a fundraiser for the McKamey Animal Center, nonprofit organization providing animal care services and animal protection for the City of Chattanooga. The 26,000-square-foot facility accommodates over 6,000 animals annually of multiple species and provides a number of programs and services funded through donations.

The cost for the event is $25 per dog; all humans are free. The event is open to both alumni pets and non-alumni pets. After the walk, there will be several contests at the center for alumni pets to participate in. Plenty of refreshments will be available for both pet owners and their pets.

Owners of any McKamey alumni pets are encouraged to email in a photo of their McKamey pet and story of when it was adopted to to be on display on the alumni wall the day of the event.

According to executive director Jamie McAloon, "Adoptions are extremely important to an animal shelter. In many communities the number of animals coming into the local animal shelter will often overwhelm a shelter." McKamey works with a number of local and national rescue organizations that help to place animals all over the country. "We have a very progressive adoption program combined with a number of rescues that help to get these animals into homes," said McAloon.

McKamey's in-house population varies depending on the time of year. In winter months, it averages 200 animals in the shelter daily, but in peak summer months the shelter can be bulging at the seams with over 400 in the Center to be cared for.
According to McAloon, "It's not enough to just adopt — you have to spay and neuter and offer assistance and access to spay and neuter services, which McKamey also provides in their state-of-the art surgery suite."
McKamey provides spay/neuter services for low income pet owners and those on public assistance, under the guidance of two staff veterinarians and a full surgery staff. In 2015, the center conducted over 5,500 spay/neuter surgeries and placed over 4000 animals into new homes.

For more information, go to www.mckameyanimalcenter.org.

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"Founding Gardeners" Author to Speak

4/25/2016

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Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center will host best-selling author Andrea Wulf on May 2 at 7:30 p.m. Wulf will discuss her book "Founding Gardeners," the revolutionary generation from the unique and intimate perspective of their lives as gardeners, plantsmen and farmers. A reception and book signing will follow.

For the founding fathers, gardening, agriculture and botany were elemental passions, as deeply ingrained in their characters as their belief in liberty for the nation they were creating. Andrea Wulf reveals for the first time this aspect of the revolutionary generation. She describes how, even as British ships gathered off Staten Island, George Washington wrote his estate manager about the garden at Mount Vernon; how a tour of English gardens renewed Thomas Jefferson's and John Adam's faith in their fledgling nation; how a trip to the great botanist John Bartram's garden helped the delegates of the Constitutional Congress to break their deadlock; and why James Madison is the forgotten father of American environmentalism. Taken together, these and other stories are a revelation of previously overlooked ideology of the American Revolution.

Seating is limited. Advance reservations for this fundraising event will be $35 per individual and $60 per couple with a discount of 20 percent for Reflection Riding and Tennessee Aquarium members. Seating will be available for purchase at the event for $45 per individual and $75 for couples with a 20 percent discount for Reflection Riding and Tennessee Aquarium members.

Andrea Wulf was born in India and moved to Germany as a child. She lives in Britain where she trained as a design historian at the Royal College of Art. She is the author of "The Brother Gardeners" and the co-author of "This Other Eden."Her book "Founding Gardeners" was published to great acclaim in spring 2011. Her "Chasing Venus" was published in 2012 in eight countries in conjunction with the last transit of Venus in our century. And her latest book, "The Invention of Nature," has received rave reviews and is a New York Times bestseller. She has written for New York Times, the LA Times, Wall Street Journal, the Guardian and many others.

To purchase tickets, visit the Reflection Riding website. For more about Andrew Wulf, visit her website.

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Spring Cleaning? Donate Items to ReStore

4/25/2016

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Donate items to ReStore as you do your spring cleaning.

It's springtime in Chattanooga and for most, this means remodeling, spring cleaning and garage sales. As you are conducting your home improvement projects, decluttering your home or hosting garage sales, don't forget to donate unwanted items to area nonprofits. One to consider is Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area's ReStore.

The ReStore operates as a retail store, accepting donations of new and gently used household, furniture and building items from individuals and businesses in the community. These goods are then sold to the public at a reduced cost, usually at 50 to 70 percent of the original price. All proceeds help Habitat for Humanity build new and affordable homes for deserving Chattanooga families to purchase with a zero-interest mortgage.

Some suggested items to donate to the Restore include cabinets, working appliances, furniture (indoor and outdoor), houseware and home décor items, building materials, flooring and new carpet, tools and garden equipment.

Donations are accepted Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and on Saturday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at Habitat's ReStore located at 1150 E. 14th Street. The ReStore also offers a complimentary pick up service. To schedule a donation pick up following your day of spring cleaning or garage sale, call the ReStore at (423) 634-1004 or visit the ReStore website.

Don't let your good, unwanted items go to the landfill. Donate them today to help families in need.

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Lookout Mountain
Happenings

Wine Walk, Movie Night Part of LLLT Founder's Weekend

Watch a Movie Under the Stars

LLLT Holding a Live Concert on June 10

Get Out into Nature at Reflection Riding

McKamey Animal Center Celebrates 18K Adoptions

"Founding Gardeners" Author to Speak

Spring Cleaning? Donate Items to ReStore

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Lookout Mountain​Happenings

Wine Walk, Movie Night Part of LLLT Founder's Weekend

Watch a Movie Under the Stars

LLLT Holding a Live Concert on June 10

Get Out into Nature at Reflection Riding

McKamey Animal Center Celebrates 18K Adoptions

"Founding Gardeners" Author to Speak

Spring Cleaning? Donate Items to ReStore

Article Categories

Archives

Stay up-to-date

Contact US

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Lookout Mountain
Happenings