In the News

October 9, 2005
Section: RUTHERFORD
Edition: MAIN
Page: 2R

14 to vie for Crye-Leike Chili Cook-Off title
JUANITA THOUIN
FREELANCE OK

By JUANITA THOUIN

For Rutherford A.M.

Crye-Leike employees who fancy themselves good cooks will square off Tuesday in the second annual Crye-Leike Chili Cook-Off, coordinator Joe Beard said.

"A really nice atmosphere with a lot of people having a good time," is how Steve Holeman, last year's second place winner, characterized that event.

Fourteen cooks will vie for a first place trophy and gift certificate to Chili's Grill and Bar. The event lasts from 11:30 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Thirteen of the chili makers are from Crye-Leike's offices in Smyrna and Murfreesboro. One is a doctor at StoneCrest Medical Center, Beard said.

The event is open to the public, and for a $5 donation, you can sample the different recipes.

This year's cook-off will benefit the Master's Touch Academy, a Christian school in Smyrna for special needs children.

Holeman will again enter a pot of his white chili in the competition. "It's a different recipe than most chili," he said.

Judges for this year's event will be Smyrna Mayor Bob Spivey, Ann Berry from the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce and Neil Heatherly, chief executive officer of StoneCrest Medical Center.

In addition to the chili-tasting, several prizes will be raffled off during the event.

Prizes include six-month memberships to World's Gym, tickets to the Tennessee Titans verses Oakland Raiders game and a 26-inch plasma television donated by Yadzin Construction, Beard said.

Crye-Leike decided to hold the event on a Tuesday, Beard said, because many realty companies hold their in-house employee meetings on that day.

He expects many in the real estate industry will come out in support of the event, to be held outside the Crye-Leike office on Sam Ridley Boulevard, just across the street from Logan's Roadhouse.

Crye-Leike in Smyrna hopes to continue this annual tradition for years to come, broker Tom Williams said. Each year they will choose a different charity for the proceeds, he said.

Williams said the agency chose Master's Touch this year "to let our community know it exists."

"The cool thing is you're getting a lunch for five bucks and it's going to charity," Holeman said.

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October 30, 2005
Section: RUTHERFORD
Edition: MAIN
Page: 2R

Master's Touch Academy in Smyrna educates children with special needs
JUANITA THOUIN
FREELANCE OK

By JUANITA THOUIN

For Rutherford A.M.

Ashley Jackson, 14, smiled broadly and pointed to neatly scripted letters on the notebook paper in her hand.

Three years ago Ashley, who is now working pre-Algebra problems and constructing sentences, was deemed "uneducable" by a public school system in Middle Tennessee, said Donna Lee, teacher and co-founder of Master's Touch Academy in Smyrna.

Started in 2003 by Donna Lee and her husband Larry Lee, Master's Touch Academy provides a comprehensive and intensive educational experience for children with special needs, Donna said.

"God has a purpose and a plan for their lives," Donna said. "We're helping them fulfill that purpose, despite their disabilities."

The school, which operates as a separate ancillary ministry of Calvary Baptist Church on Rock Springs Road, has 13 students, two teachers and two aides. Physical, occupational and speech therapists are also involved, when needed

Each teacher has a degree and the school is working towards accreditation by the Tennessee Association of Christian Schools, Donna said.

Amy Eaton, 14, who entered Master's Touch in August of this year, showed off a meticulous drawing of a modern-day angel while talking about her recent experiences at Master's Touch.

"I like coming to this school because I fit in," Amy said. "Nobody talked to me and they ignored me because I was different," the teenager said of her previous school.

Larry and Donna founded Master's Touch Academy after years of struggling with limited educational opportunities for their special needs daughter, Christa.

Public schools try to educate special needs children, Faye Cummins, a parent of a Master's Touch student said. However, most are so overcrowded that the special needs child often doesn't receive the focused education or attention he or she needs, Cummins said.

"If they get it, they get it. If they don't, they don't," she added.

Master's Touch accepts children from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. However, Donna cautions, a student in third grade at this unique school might be older than the traditional third grader.

Master's Touch Academy accepts students with a variety of physical or mental challenges, Donna Lee said. Down's syndrome, autism and cerebral palsy are some of the conditions her students must deal with.

The school is not able to accept children who require significant medical intervention, such as those with tracheotomies, Donna noted. Master's Touch just doesn't have the nursing staff for such children, she said.

While it costs about $1,100 dollars per month to educate each child, parents pay only $450 per month for tuition. The rest of the operating budget comes from donations and fund-raisers, director of development Shawn Newport said.

As far as administrators know, there is only one other school in the nation similar to Master's Touch Academy. That one is located in South Carolina, Donna said.

The limited number of similar Christian schools isn't surprising, Donna said. "It's not an easy endeavor at all," to operate a school for special needs children, she said.

For more information on Master's Touch Christian Academy, go to www.masterstouchacademy.com or call 615-459-4357. Donations can be mailed to: The Master's Touch Academy, PO Box 942, Smyrna, TN 37167.