Calendar of Events

The Volunteer Ministry Center’s Carry the Torch Knoxville event will be held on Thursday, October 24th at the Knoxville Convention Center and will feature Tracy Kidder and Dr. Jim O’Connell.

Tracy Kidder is an outstanding author whose best-selling works include House, Among Schoolchildren, Old Friends, Home Town, Mountains Beyond Mountains, Strength in What Remains, and The Soul of a New Machine, which earned him a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award. His most recent book, Rough Sleepers, is the powerful story of an inspiring doctor, Dr. Jim O’Connell.

Dr. Jim O’Connell helped create a program to care for Boston’s homeless community. He is the founding physician of the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, which now serves over 10,000 homeless individuals and families each year in two hospital-based clinics and in 30 shelters and outreach sites and on the streets of Boston. He assisted in establishing the nation’s first medical respite program for homeless persons and designed and implemented the nation’s first computerized medical record for the homeless program. He has been featured on ABC’s Nightline, CBS Evening News, and in several feature-length documentaries.

Carry the Torch will begin with a Mission Fair at 10:00 am. Agencies which provide housing, general assistance, medical, and behavioral health services throughout our community, along with VMC will present booths and interact with visitors who are looking for volunteer opportunities. The Carry the Torch luncheon will begin promptly at 11:45 am in the Ballroom of the Knoxville Convention Center.

Carry the Torch is a sponsored table event, but limited reserved seating is available to the public for $125 per seat. Seats may be purchased through the VMC website at www.vmcinc.org or by contacting Mary Beth Ramey at (865) 524-3926, x 229.

The mission of the Volunteer Ministry Center is to end and prevent homelessness through compassion, accountability, and results.

Each year, 1 in 68 children are diagnosed with Autism. Our Place Art Organization is hosting the 6th annual Bowl for Autism at Maple Hall, located at 414 S. Gay Street, on Thu Oct 24, 5-7 PM to support individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Our Place Art Organization is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 2013 that provides programs and services for individuals with Autism and other intellectual/developmental disorders. We are dedicated to enriching their lives through the arts. Your donation/sponsorship can directly help us support individuals in our community and make it easier for their families to locate, obtain, and use the community resources that are available to their children in the Greater Knoxville and Knox County area so that these individuals can live happy, healthy, and productive lives. https://ourplaceart.com/bowl-for-autism

Each year, 1 in 68 children are diagnosed with Autism. Our Place Art Organization is hosting the 6th annual Bowl for Autism at Maple Hall, located at 414 S. Gay Street, on Thu Oct 24, 5-7 PM to support individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Our Place Art Organization is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 2013 that provides programs and services for individuals with Autism and other intellectual/developmental disorders. We are dedicated to enriching their lives through the arts. Your donation/sponsorship can directly help us support individuals in our community and make it easier for their families to locate, obtain, and use the community resources that are available to their children in the Greater Knoxville and Knox County area so that these individuals can live happy, healthy, and productive lives. https://ourplaceart.com/bowl-for-autism