Community
May 13, 2026 by Staff Reports
HARDIN VALLEY — During National Volunteer Week, April 19–25, communities across the country pause to recognize the people who give their time and heart to others.
At Morning Pointe of Hardin Valley Assisted Living and Memory Care, one of those individuals is Madalyn Whedon, a volunteer whose steady presence is making a meaningful difference in residents’ daily lives, according to Clarissa Alberto, communications specialist with Morning Pointe Senior Living.
“Whedon began volunteering earlier this year, inspired by personal experience,” Alberto stated in a press release. “Having had relatives in senior living communities and nursing homes, she saw firsthand how much a simple visit or shared activity can brighten someone’s day.”
“I knew how much of a difference volunteers make,” Whedon shared.
Since February, Whedon has become a familiar and welcome face in the community, especially during one of residents’ favorite pastimes: bean bag baseball.
“She has spent the semester helping with practices, encouraging players and cheering them on,” Alberto stated. “Recently, she had the opportunity to support residents during a tournament, where their hard work and dedication were on full display”
“It was awesome to see all of the hard work they put in be shown off,” Whedon said.
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May 13, 2026 by Tammy Cheek
A Knox County non-profit organization is helping people in need become more mobile.
At Wheels Knoxville, a car ministry, “we take donated cars, repair them into a reliable gift to someone in critical need of transportation,” said Farragut resident Alan Knauth, who operates Wheels with his wife Natalie Knauth and founder Steve Bowman.
“Wheels Knoxville is an all volunteer, 501(C)(3) non-profit that takes donated cars from community members, repairs them to become reliable, safe transportation and then regifts them to individuals in critical need of transportation in the Knoxville area, Natalie said. “Wheels Knoxville could not do what it does without our donor families.
“We have gifted 12 cars so far in 2026, and earlier this year we gifted our 100th car,” she said.
Bowman founded the organization in 2017. He helped fix an old car then found out about a young man who needed a car, which spurred the ministry, Alan said.
“We got involved in 2023,” Alan added. “I bought a new truck, and [working on cars] was something I was always interested in.”
Then, Wheels became a non-profit in 2025. So far this year, they gave away 11 cars with seven more in their possession.
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May 13, 2026 by Jake Nichols
When Col. Ed Lowe stepped to the podium inside the Farragut Town Hall auditorium last week, he was 162 years removed from the battles that piqued his interest.
Yet even amidst the cannon fire and casualties within the Civil War, there existed the same leadership problems Lowe saw through his 26 years in the U.S. Army.
“I love the lessons we can learn from that and apply
even today,” Lowe said. “The leadership struggles these guys had back in 1863 are the same leadership challenges that face us today. It doesn’t matter if it’s military or civilian — there will still be problems with how you treat subordinates, your superiors, communication. And logistics matter still, too.”
After Lowe relocated from Pennsylvania to Tennessee in 2015, those similarities inspired him to dig deeper into Civil War battles across East Tennessee — especially the Knoxville clash between Confederate Gen. James Longstreet and Union leader Ambrose Burnside.
In November 1863, Longstreet and his Confederate forces tried and failed to capture Knoxville from Burnside and Union soldiers. Longstreet’s delay in attacking ultimately allowed Burnside’s men to retreat and fortify, thus resulting in a disastrous assault on Fort Sanders that turned the campaign into a failure.
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