Over 12 days, the "We Love Chattanooga Auction" organized to aid local businesses hurt by the COVID-19 shutdowns raised $45,000 for businesses and individuals in Hamilton County.
All proceeds from items sold are being distributed to the participating businesses and individuals, while $825 was collected in direct donations for United Way's COVID-19 Relief Fund and $1,150 was made from T-shirt sales in support of tornado relief.
The Chattanooga Tourism Co., alongside partners River City Company and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee, created the auction to help businesses experiencing economic effects from COVID-19 and recent tornadoes. Marissa Bell, a spokeswoman for the Chattanooga Tourism Co., said nearly one third of area businesses helped by the auction are hospitality and tourism-related, which is one of the top industries most affected by the pandemic and decrease in travel.
About 150 businesses and around 50 artists, performers and musicians participated in the auction, which ended Tuesday.
LifeSpring Pediatrics moves near Erlanger
LifeSpring Pediatrics has relocated its office from the Glenwood community to 1042 E. Third St. Suite 103, across the street from the main hospital of the Erlanger Health System.
The board for the faith-based pediatric clinic decided to move to the new location because it offers additional office space, increased visibility, and it is centrally located and accessible for its patients and their families. It also brings the pediatric clinic closer to other patient support services and medical partners.
"The increased space and providential timing of the move has given us the ability to serve our patients better during the COVID-19 pandemic. Going forward, the move has expanded our capacity to address the pediatric needs in the Chattanooga community," said Dr. Michele Pickett, co-founder and executive director of LifeSpring Pediatrics.
LifeSpring Pediatrics serves children from birth to 21 years of age and their families in Chattanooga. During the pandemic, the clinic is open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and provides pediatric care to children who are privately insured, those on Medicaid and those who are uninsured.
Racing green added to VW Atlas color lineup
When Volkswagen's Chattanooga plant resumes assembly after shutting down during the COVID-19 pandemic, its Atlas SUV will be available in Racing Green for the first time.
According to VW, the new color will give the SUV "a sophisticated presence" to match exterior and interior upgrades.
While Racing Green is not the only new addition to the model's color palette, it is the most radical and the result of a four-year process involving extensive market research and the input of Volkswagen employees around the globe, the automaker said.
Racing Green gives customers an option outside the traditional VW palette staples like white, black, silver, blue and red, the company said.
Racing Green, originally under consideration for the 2020 Passat, also built in Chattanooga, was already aligned with the paint shop's water-based priming technology specific to the plant. Unlike metallic colors that require two different pipelines to paint the car, which costs more, the Racing Green coat is able to achieve its metallic color with only one paint pipeline, the company said.
Besides Racing Green, two other updated colors, Pyrit Silver Metallic and Aurora Red Chroma, replace previous silver and red colors in the Volkswagen Atlas color palette.