2005 was a very busy year at United Way. We unveiled a new 50th Year logo to start the year. The officers were: President-Susan Alston, Campaign Chair-Terry Williams, Treasurer-Randy Bearce, Secretary-Laura Pickens, Allocations and Admissions Chair-Russ Hannah, Campaign Chair-Elect-Michael Givens, and Past President-Becky Carter. The Arthritis Foundation closed its Jonesboro office and did not apply for funding. The Literacy League was added as a United Way Agency for 2005. One-Time Grants paid in 2005 were: Boys and Girls Club of Cross County, Dyeann’s House, Jonesboro City Stars, Jonesboro Workcamp, Rotary Centennial Park and Legal Aid of Arkansas.
The 3rd Annual Gary Schuchardt 5K Race was held in June with 155 people running and walking the trail at Craighead Forest.
The first “Stuff the Bus” was held in 2005 in Corning and Newport.
“Stuff the Bus” is a partnership between United Way, Wal-Mart and the local schools to make sure kids have the school supplies they need. Customers are greeted as they arrive and asked to purchase an extra item for their local school. As they leave, the item is “stuffed” on the bus from their school.
The United Way of Greater Jonesboro celebrated its 50th anniversary on August 23. To celebrate this milestone in our community, United Way hosted a 50th Anniversary Celebration and Open House. All past and current board members, volunteers, employees and community supporters were invited to attend the festivities at the United Way office located at 407 Union in Jonesboro with food, drinks and dessert on hand for everyone. United Way Agencies displayed information about their organizations. A short program was held and included exciting events such as unveiling a mural, balloon launch and singing by the City Youth Ministries Choir.
2005 was a very busy year at United Way. We unveiled a new 50th Year logo to start the year. The officers were: President-Susan Alston, Campaign Chair-Terry Williams, Treasurer-Randy Bearce, Secretary-Laura Pickens, Allocations and Admissions Chair-Russ Hannah, Campaign Chair-Elect-Michael Givens, and Past President-Becky Carter. The Arthritis Foundation closed its Jonesboro office and did not apply for funding. The Literacy League was added as a United Way Agency for 2005. One-Time Grants paid in 2005 were: Boys and Girls Club of Cross County, Dyeann’s House, Jonesboro City Stars, Jonesboro Workcamp, Rotary Centennial Park and Legal Aid of Arkansas.
The 3rd Annual Gary Schuchardt 5K Race was held in June with 155 people running and walking the trail at Craighead Forest.
The first “Stuff the Bus” was held in 2005 in Corning and Newport. “Stuff the Bus” is a partnership between United Way, Wal-Mart and the local schools to make sure kids have the school supplies they need. Customers are greeted as they arrive and asked to purchase an extra item for their local school. As they leave, the item is “stuffed” on the bus from their school.
The United Way of Greater Jonesboro celebrated its 50th anniversary on August 23. To celebrate this milestone in our community, United Way hosted a 50th Anniversary Celebration and Open House. All past and current board members, volunteers, employees and community supporters were invited to attend the festivities at the United Way office located at 407 Union in Jonesboro with food, drinks and dessert on hand for everyone. United Way Agencies displayed information about their organizations. A short program was held and included exciting events such as unveiling a mural, balloon launch and singing by the City Youth Ministries Choir.
Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast August 29, sending thousands of evacuees to Northeast Arkansas. United Way volunteers spear-headed the coordinated effort of many organizations to prepare for their arrival. Temple Baptist, First Baptist, First Presbyterian and Central Baptist Churches provided their spaces for use as shelters. NEA Clinic leased the former Jelk’s Chrysler dealership building to serve as a “one-stop” center to provide the services to the evacuees in a centralized location to minimize their difficulties in obtaining the many necessities of starting over after relocating from New Orleans. The Jelk’s Center, as it came to be known, was open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 until 6:00 and staffed primarily by volunteers. It provided thousands of evacuees with the following services:
Ø Medical screenings
Ø Social Security Administration branch office
Ø United States Post Office branch office to open P. O. boxes
Ø three local bank branch offices
Ø assistance with filing FEMA claims
Ø American Red Cross assistance
Ø Employment Security Division branch office
Ø Jonesboro Housing Authority branch office
Ø Department of Human Services branch office
Ø public school enrollment in area schools
Ø food from the Food Bank of NEA
Ø clothing and other needs from the Salvation Army
The compassionate response from individuals and businesses in the community was immediate and overwhelming.
The inaugural “Stuff the Bus” event was held August 13 in Newport and Corning.
The 2005 Campaign Kick-Off was held on September 16 with the goal of raising $704,000. The final total for the 2005 Campaign was $711,163.
In November, United Way of Greater Jonesboro began participation in the “Imagination Library” program which is administered by the Dollywood Foundation. This program delivers one age-appropriate book to a child’s home every month. Children must be under five years old to be eligible.
The United Way officers for 2006 were: President – Terry Williams, Campaign Chair – Michael Givens, Campaign Chair-Elect – Laura Pickens, Treasurer – Randy Bearce, Allocations & Admissions – Kris Richardson, and Secretary, Jon Wilbanks. In January, the United Way of Greater Jonesboro changed its name to United Way of Northeast Arkansas to better reflect our service area. Our service area was officially defined to include the following counties: Clay, Craighead, Cross, Greene, Jackson, Lawrence, Poinsett and Randolph.
United Way implemented a new strategy of reaching out to Northeast Arkansas by creating Community Investment Teams. Each county would have their own Community Investment Team. Each Community Investment Team would be made up of at least 5 individuals from their respective county and would be responsible for fundraising and distribution of funds in their county.
Among the many awards presented at the Annual Awards Banquet, which was held at the St. Bernard’s Auditorium on January 26, was the Distinguished Service Award, presented to Kevin Box by the previous Distinguished Service Award winner Jon Wilbanks. Kevin Box was given this award in recognition of his outstanding service to United Way. He was instrumental in providing assistance at the Hurricane Relief Center and has been a tireless volunteer. Leading the Major Firms Awards once again with the Employee Leadership Award was City Water & Light. They have been the largest overall contributor to United Way for 19 consecutive years.
The 4th Annual Gary Schuchardt Memorial 5K was held on June 3rd and once again continued to grow. When the first race was held in 2003, there were 88 participants. In just 4 years this event has grown to include 210 walkers and runners. Along the trail the racers were given water and encouragement by volunteers from the Metro Rotary Club. After the race, the participants were entertained by KISS-FM and treated to ice-cream from ClearChannel’s “Polar-Roller.” Trophies were awarded in 25 brackets.
“Stuff the Bus” netted over 4,700 items of school supplies in “Stuff the Bus” held on August 5th in front of Wal-Mart stores in Corning, Pocahontas, Trumann and Newport. With the help of area Girl Scouts, customers were asked to purchase an item for their local school which was placed in a school bus parked in front of the store. There were approximately 1,300 items collected in Corning, 1,000 in Pocahontas, 1,200 in Newport, and 1,200 in Trumann. Thanks so much to Kevin Box and the Clear Channel Radio Group who provided media support and added to the excitement at all of the locations.
The citizens of Jonesboro came together for the 13th annual United Way Day of Caring and completed approximately 36 projects across the city. This was made possible thanks to the efforts of 290 volunteers from 25 businesses and organizations. These projects included painting, shelf building, yard work, and other small projects, which provide much-needed support to the member agencies of the United Way of Northeast Arkansas and also allow our supporters the opportunity to see first-hand the work that the agencies do.
At the United Way of Northeast Arkansas Annual Awards Luncheon, held at Godsey’s at Church Street Station on January 25, contributors were recognized and volunteers were honored with many awards. Dennis Spurlock was presented the Distinguished Service Award, and the Loaned Executive of the Year Award was awarded to two Loaned Executives. As Laura Pickens pointed out, this year’s Loaned Executives were so exceptional, it was truly impossible to name just one. The recipients this year were Richard Lowery and Linda Hill. Jan Troutt created the Pillars Art entitled “Seizing the Day”, which was auctioned at the Luncheon with the proceeds benefitting United Way.
2005 was a very busy year at United Way. We unveiled a new 50th Year logo to start the year. The officers were: President-Susan Alston, Campaign Chair-Terry Williams, Treasurer-Randy Bearce, Secretary-Laura Pickens, Allocations and Admissions Chair-Russ Hannah, Campaign Chair-Elect-Michael Givens, and Past President-Becky Carter. The Arthritis Foundation closed its Jonesboro office and did not apply for funding. The Literacy League was added as a United Way Agency for 2005. One-Time Grants paid in 2005 were: Boys and Girls Club of Cross County, Dyeann’s House, Jonesboro City Stars, Jonesboro Workcamp, Rotary Centennial Park and Legal Aid of Arkansas.
The 3rd Annual Gary Schuchardt 5K Race was held in June with 155 people running and walking the trail at Craighead Forest.
The first “Stuff the Bus” was held in 2005 in Corning and Newport. “Stuff the Bus” is a partnership between United Way, Wal-Mart and the local schools to make sure kids have the school supplies they need. Customers are greeted as they arrive and asked to purchase an extra item for their local school. As they leave, the item is “stuffed” on the bus from their school.
The United Way of Greater Jonesboro celebrated its 50th anniversary on August 23. To celebrate this milestone in our community, United Way hosted a 50th Anniversary Celebration and Open House. All past and current board members, volunteers, employees and community supporters were invited to attend the festivities at the United Way office located at 407 Union in Jonesboro with food, drinks and dessert on hand for everyone. United Way Agencies displayed information about their organizations. A short program was held and included exciting events such as unveiling a mural, balloon launch and singing by the City Youth Ministries Choir.
Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast August 29, sending thousands of evacuees to Northeast Arkansas. United Way volunteers spear-headed the coordinated effort of many organizations to prepare for their arrival. Temple Baptist, First Baptist, First Presbyterian and Central Baptist Churches provided their spaces for use as shelters. NEA Clinic leased the former Jelk’s Chrysler dealership building to serve as a “one-stop” center to provide the services to the evacuees in a centralized location to minimize their difficulties in obtaining the many necessities of starting over after relocating from New Orleans. The Jelk’s Center, as it came to be known, was open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 until 6:00 and staffed primarily by volunteers. It provided thousands of evacuees with the following services:
Ø Medical screenings
Ø Social Security Administration branch office
Ø United States Post Office branch office to open P. O. boxes
Ø three local bank branch offices
Ø assistance with filing FEMA claims
Ø American Red Cross assistance
Ø Employment Security Division branch office
Ø Jonesboro Housing Authority branch office
Ø Department of Human Services branch office
Ø public school enrollment in area schools
Ø food from the Food Bank of NEA
Ø clothing and other needs from the Salvation Army
The compassionate response from individuals and businesses in the community was immediate and overwhelming.
The inaugural “Stuff the Bus” event was held August 13 in Newport and Corning.
The 2005 Campaign Kick-Off was held on September 16 with the goal of raising $704,000. The final total for the 2005 Campaign was $711,163.
In November, United Way of Greater Jonesboro began participation in the “Imagination Library” program which is administered by the Dollywood Foundation. This program delivers one age-appropriate book to a child’s home every month. Children must be under five years old to be eligible.
The United Way officers for 2006 were: President – Terry Williams, Campaign Chair – Michael Givens, Campaign Chair-Elect – Laura Pickens, Treasurer – Randy Bearce, Allocations & Admissions – Kris Richardson, and Secretary, Jon Wilbanks. In January, the United Way of Greater Jonesboro changed its name to United Way of Northeast Arkansas to better reflect our service area. Our service area was officially defined to include the following counties: Clay, Craighead, Cross, Greene, Jackson, Lawrence, Poinsett and Randolph.
United Way implemented a new strategy of reaching out to Northeast Arkansas by creating Community Investment Teams. Each county would have their own Community Investment Team. Each Community Investment Team would be made up of at least 5 individuals from their respective county and would be responsible for fundraising and distribution of funds in their county.
Among the many awards presented at the Annual Awards Banquet, which was held at the St. Bernard’s Auditorium on January 26, was the Distinguished Service Award, presented to Kevin Box by the previous Distinguished Service Award winner Jon Wilbanks. Kevin Box was given this award in recognition of his outstanding service to United Way. He was instrumental in providing assistance at the Hurricane Relief Center and has been a tireless volunteer. Leading the Major Firms Awards once again with the Employee Leadership Award was City Water & Light. They have been the largest overall contributor to United Way for 19 consecutive years.
The 4th Annual Gary Schuchardt Memorial 5K was held on June 3rd and once again continued to grow. When the first race was held in 2003, there were 88 participants. In just 4 years this event has grown to include 210 walkers and runners. Along the trail the racers were given water and encouragement by volunteers from the Metro Rotary Club. After the race, the participants were entertained by KISS-FM and treated to ice-cream from ClearChannel’s “Polar-Roller.” Trophies were awarded in 25 brackets.
“Stuff the Bus” netted over 4,700 items of school supplies in “Stuff the Bus” held on August 5th in front of Wal-Mart stores in Corning, Pocahontas, Trumann and Newport. With the help of area Girl Scouts, customers were asked to purchase an item for their local school which was placed in a school bus parked in front of the store. There were approximately 1,300 items collected in Corning, 1,000 in Pocahontas, 1,200 in Newport, and 1,200 in Trumann. Thanks so much to Kevin Box and the Clear Channel Radio Group who provided media support and added to the excitement at all of the locations.
The citizens of Jonesboro came together for the 13th annual United Way Day of Caring and completed approximately 36 projects across the city. This was made possible thanks to the efforts of 290 volunteers from 25 businesses and organizations. These projects included painting, shelf building, yard work, and other small projects, which provide much-needed support to the member agencies of the United Way of Northeast Arkansas and also allow our supporters the opportunity to see first-hand the work that the agencies do.
At the United Way of Northeast Arkansas Annual Awards Luncheon, held at Godsey’s at Church Street Station on January 25, contributors were recognized and volunteers were honored with many awards. Dennis Spurlock was presented the Distinguished Service Award, and the Loaned Executive of the Year Award was awarded to two Loaned Executives. As Laura Pickens pointed out, this year’s Loaned Executives were so exceptional, it was truly impossible to name just one. The recipients this year were Richard Lowery and Linda Hill. Jan Troutt created the Pillars Art entitled “Seizing the Day”, which was auctioned at the Luncheon with the proceeds benefitting United Way.
Governor Mike Beebe announced a new statewide service, “2-1-1”, at a press conference at the state capitol in February. This is an easy-to-remember toll-free number for the people of Arkansas to use to find help or to learn how to give help. This United Ways of Arkansas initiative is expected to have a soft-launch in the summer.
On the evening of March 15th, United Way Pillars were honored at a reception hosted at St. Bernards Auditorium. Terry Williams and Laura Pickens greeted our guests who enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and music performed by Philip Jackson and Terry Carter. A print of an original work of art done exclusively for United Way Pillars by Jan Troutt entitled “Seizing the Day” was presented to each guest.
191 people ran and walked through the Craighead Forest Park in the 5th Annual Gary Schuchardt Memorial 5K which was held on June 2. It was the 8th event of 17 in the 2007 Ridge Rider Running & Walking Series and was the only trail run. The proceeds raised will be used to support United Way programs as well as to support 2 scholarships given annually by the Metro Rotary Club in memory of Gary Schuchardt.
What began in 2005 with two schools has continued to grow at a phenomenal rate to include nine schools in Northeast Arkansas in 2007 including Nettleton, Jonesboro, Success, Corning, Albright, Jackson County, Marmaduke Elementary, Oak Ridge Central and Trumann Elementary. Thanks to the 148 volunteers, more than 18,000 items of school supplies and $2622.80 were collected for the area school children in need.
Energy was high as ASU Coach Brian Boyer helped to kick off the Day of Caring with a rousing cheer, before approximately 350 volunteers departed the First United Methodist Church to begin their projects at over 40 locations.
The community leaders of Jackson County turned out for the UWNEA Jackson County Campaign Kick-Off. It was held at the historic Iron Mountain Train Depot in Newport on September 28th where the Jackson County Community Investment Team hosted an enthusiastic crowd who wanted to learn more about “Changing Lives and Building Communities” through United Way.
The officers for 2008 included President - Laura Pickens, Vice-President–Selena Barber, Treasurer - Connie Stevenson, Secretary - Debbie Mathis, and Past President - Michael Givens.
ASU Centennial Hall was chosen as the site of the 2008 Annual Awards Luncheon. Local Artist Michael Etheridge donated the Pillars Art, “Garden of Hope” which was auctioned during the affair with the proceeds benefitting United Way. Although there was snow just before the luncheon, many of our supporters came out to show their support. Debbie Mathis was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award.
In addition to donating the Pillars Art, Michael Etheridge and his wife Lisa generously opened their home for the Pillars Party on March 27. Under the leadership of Pillars Co-Chairs Ron and Joan Hannah the number of Pillars increased to 320, including 3 new Perpetual Pillars. The Pillars enjoyed their lovely home and received signed prints of the Pillars Art. In addition to showing our sincere appreciation to the Pillars, United Way also took the opportunity to say “Good-bye” to Kevin Lawrence who accepted a position with City, Water and Light as their Internal Auditor. A few of his many contributions to United Way of NEA include the 50th Anniversary Celebration with the unveiling of the United Way mural in 2005, establishing the Perpetual Pillars partnership in 2005, change of name to United Way of Northeast Arkansas, and the Statewide 2-1-1 First Call for Help initiative launched in 2008. We also welcomed Wendy Kirk as our new Executive Director.
The first Randolph County Day of Caring was held in May. All of the participants enjoyed their experience and plan to make it an annual event.
Also in May, another chapter closed as Melanie Polsgrove (our Community Impact Coordinator) left United Way of NEA to be a full-time mom to her two young daughters as well as the one on the way. During her time at United Way, Melanie made a substantial impact on many people ~ especially children. Among other accomplishments, she was instrumental in bringing both “Stuff the Bus” and the “Imagination Library” to Northeast Arkansas. Her legacy of good works will live on for many years and touch more lives than we will ever know. As Melanie departed, we welcomed Paula Robertson as our new Community Impact Coordinator.
The participants of this year’s Gary Schuchardt 5K enjoyed a fun day for families, friends and volunteers alike. As the sun rose over Craighead Forest Lake United Way staff, Metro Rotary and other volunteers, along with the Ridge Runners Athletic club descended upon Access 6 with loads of equipment, drinks and snacks. This event continues to grow every year and provide support for the works of the Metro Rotary Club and United Way.
Generosity. The people of Northeast Arkansas showed this quality over and over again as they contributed to “Stuff the Bus” for children in need of school supplies. This United Way initiative has continued to multiply its impact in Northeast Arkansas since its inception four years ago, thanks to those who contribute and the support of the partnering organizations which include KAIT8, TripleFM and Crowley’s Ridge Development Council. None of this would be possible without hundreds of hours of volunteer labor, many of whom we may never even know of. In every location ~ in all eight counties ~ donations of supplies and cash were up. 22,688 packages of school supplies were collected, along with $4397.38. This bounty of school supplies will be stored in the supply closets of Corning School District, Cross County School District, Wynne Schools, Greene County Tech, Marmaduke, Jackson Co. School District, Newport, Hoxie, Walnut Ridge, Marked Tree, Trumann, Maynard, Oak Ridge Central, Jonesboro Public Schools, Nettleton School District, and SUCCESS School and will be available to the children as needed throughout the school year.
The Day of Caring was kicked off at First United Methodist Church for the second year on September 12, with 432 volunteers.
The officers for 2009 included President - Selena Barber, Vice-President– Connie Stevenson, Treasurer – Mark Morrow, Secretary – Kim Long, and Past President - Laura Pickens.
The Annual Awards Luncheon was held for the second year at ASU Centennial Hall February 12, where it was announced that the Distinguished Service Award winner was Kelly Furr and Tammy Dunigan received the Loaned Executive of the Year Award.
Governor Mike Beebe announced a new statewide service, “2-1-1”, at a press conference at the state capitol in February. This is an easy-to-remember toll-free number for the people of Arkansas to use to find help or to learn how to give help. This United Ways of Arkansas initiative is expected to have a soft-launch in the summer.
On the evening of March 15th, United Way Pillars were honored at a reception hosted at St. Bernards Auditorium. Terry Williams and Laura Pickens greeted our guests who enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and music performed by Philip Jackson and Terry Carter. A print of an original work of art done exclusively for United Way Pillars by Jan Troutt entitled “Seizing the Day” was presented to each guest.
191 people ran and walked through the Craighead Forest Park in the 5th Annual Gary Schuchardt Memorial 5K which was held on June 2. It was the 8th event of 17 in the 2007 Ridge Rider Running & Walking Series and was the only trail run. The proceeds raised will be used to support United Way programs as well as to support 2 scholarships given annually by the Metro Rotary Club in memory of Gary Schuchardt.
What began in 2005 with two schools has continued to grow at a phenomenal rate to include nine schools in Northeast Arkansas in 2007 including Nettleton, Jonesboro, Success, Corning, Albright, Jackson County, Marmaduke Elementary, Oak Ridge Central and Trumann Elementary. Thanks to the 148 volunteers, more than 18,000 items of school supplies and $2622.80 were collected for the area school children in need.
Energy was high as ASU Coach Brian Boyer helped to kick off the Day of Caring with a rousing cheer, before approximately 350 volunteers departed the First United Methodist Church to begin their projects at over 40 locations.
The community leaders of Jackson County turned out for the UWNEA Jackson County Campaign Kick-Off. It was held at the historic Iron Mountain Train Depot in Newport on September 28th where the Jackson County Community Investment Team hosted an enthusiastic crowd who wanted to learn more about “Changing Lives and Building Communities” through United Way.
The officers for 2008 included President - Laura Pickens, Vice-President–Selena Barber, Treasurer - Connie Stevenson, Secretary - Debbie Mathis, and Past President - Michael Givens.
ASU Centennial Hall was chosen as the site of the 2008 Annual Awards Luncheon. Local Artist Michael Etheridge donated the Pillars Art, “Garden of Hope” which was auctioned during the affair with the proceeds benefitting United Way. Although there was snow just before the luncheon, many of our supporters came out to show their support. Debbie Mathis was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award.
In addition to donating the Pillars Art, Michael Etheridge and his wife Lisa generously opened their home for the Pillars Party on March 27. Under the leadership of Pillars Co-Chairs Ron and Joan Hannah the number of Pillars increased to 320, including 3 new Perpetual Pillars. The Pillars enjoyed their lovely home and received signed prints of the Pillars Art. In addition to showing our sincere appreciation to the Pillars, United Way also took the opportunity to say “Good-bye” to Kevin Lawrence who accepted a position with City, Water and Light as their Internal Auditor. A few of his many contributions to United Way of NEA include the 50th Anniversary Celebration with the unveiling of the United Way mural in 2005, establishing the Perpetual Pillars partnership in 2005, change of name to United Way of Northeast Arkansas, and the Statewide 2-1-1 First Call for Help initiative launched in 2008. We also welcomed Wendy Kirk as our new Executive Director.
The first Randolph County Day of Caring was held in May. All of the participants enjoyed their experience and plan to make it an annual event.
Also in May, another chapter closed as Melanie Polsgrove (our Community Impact Coordinator) left United Way of NEA to be a full-time mom to her two young daughters as well as the one on the way. During her time at United Way, Melanie made a substantial impact on many people ~ especially children. Among other accomplishments, she was instrumental in bringing both “Stuff the Bus” and the “Imagination Library” to Northeast Arkansas. Her legacy of good works will live on for many years and touch more lives than we will ever know. As Melanie departed, we welcomed Paula Robertson as our new Community Impact Coordinator.
The participants of this year’s Gary Schuchardt 5K enjoyed a fun day for families, friends and volunteers alike. As the sun rose over Craighead Forest Lake United Way staff, Metro Rotary and other volunteers, along with the Ridge Runners Athletic club descended upon Access 6 with loads of equipment, drinks and snacks. This event continues to grow every year and provide support for the works of the Metro Rotary Club and United Way.
Generosity. The people of Northeast Arkansas showed this quality over and over again as they contributed to “Stuff the Bus” for children in need of school supplies. This United Way initiative has continued to multiply its impact in Northeast Arkansas since its inception four years ago, thanks to those who contribute and the support of the partnering organizations which include KAIT8, TripleFM and Crowley’s Ridge Development Council. None of this would be possible without hundreds of hours of volunteer labor, many of whom we may never even know of. In every location ~ in all eight counties ~ donations of supplies and cash were up. 22,688 packages of school supplies were collected, along with $4397.38. This bounty of school supplies will be stored in the supply closets of Corning School District, Cross County School District, Wynne Schools, Greene County Tech, Marmaduke, Jackson Co. School District, Newport, Hoxie, Walnut Ridge, Marked Tree, Trumann, Maynard, Oak Ridge Central, Jonesboro Public Schools, Nettleton School District, and SUCCESS School and will be available to the children as needed throughout the school year.
The Day of Caring was kicked off at First United Methodist Church for the second year on September 12, with 432 volunteers.
The officers for 2009 included President - Selena Barber, Vice-President– Connie Stevenson, Treasurer – Mark Morrow, Secretary – Kim Long, and Past President - Laura Pickens.
The Annual Awards Luncheon was held for the second year at ASU Centennial Hall February 12, where it was announced that the Distinguished Service Award winner was Kelly Furr and Tammy Dunigan received the Loaned Executive of the Year Award.
Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast August 29, sending thousands of evacuees to Northeast Arkansas. United Way volunteers spear-headed the coordinated effort of many organizations to prepare for their arrival. Temple Baptist, First Baptist, First Presbyterian and Central Baptist Churches provided their spaces for use as shelters. NEA Clinic leased the former Jelk’s Chrysler dealership building to serve as a “one-stop” center to provide the services to the evacuees in a centralized location to minimize their difficulties in obtaining the many necessities of starting over after relocating from New Orleans. The Jelk’s Center, as it came to be known, was open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 until 6:00 and staffed primarily by volunteers. It provided thousands of evacuees with the following services:
Ø Medical screenings
Ø Social Security Administration branch office
Ø United States Post Office branch office to open P. O. boxes
Ø three local bank branch offices
Ø assistance with filing FEMA claims
Ø American Red Cross assistance
Ø Employment Security Division branch office
Ø Jonesboro Housing Authority branch office
Ø Department of Human Services branch office
Ø public school enrollment in area schools
Ø food from the Food Bank of NEA
Ø clothing and other needs from the Salvation Army
The compassionate response from individuals and businesses in the community was immediate and overwhelming.
The inaugural “Stuff the Bus” event was held August 13 in Newport and Corning.
The 2005 Campaign Kick-Off was held on September 16 with the goal of raising $704,000. The final total for the 2005 Campaign was $711,163.
In November, United Way of Greater Jonesboro began participation in the “Imagination Library” program which is administered by the Dollywood Foundation. This program delivers one age-appropriate book to a child’s home every month. Children must be under five years old to be eligible.
The United Way officers for 2006 were: President – Terry Williams, Campaign Chair – Michael Givens, Campaign Chair-Elect – Laura Pickens, Treasurer – Randy Bearce, Allocations & Admissions – Kris Richardson, and Secretary, Jon Wilbanks. In January, the United Way of Greater Jonesboro changed its name to United Way of Northeast Arkansas to better reflect our service area. Our service area was officially defined to include the following counties: Clay, Craighead, Cross, Greene, Jackson, Lawrence, Poinsett and Randolph.
United Way implemented a new strategy of reaching out to Northeast Arkansas by creating Community Investment Teams. Each county would have their own Community Investment Team. Each Community Investment Team would be made up of at least 5 individuals from their respective county and would be responsible for fundraising and distribution of funds in their county.
Among the many awards presented at the Annual Awards Banquet, which was held at the St. Bernard’s Auditorium on January 26, was the Distinguished Service Award, presented to Kevin Box by the previous Distinguished Service Award winner Jon Wilbanks. Kevin Box was given this award in recognition of his outstanding service to United Way. He was instrumental in providing assistance at the Hurricane Relief Center and has been a tireless volunteer. Leading the Major Firms Awards once again with the Employee Leadership Award was City Water & Light. They have been the largest overall contributor to United Way for 19 consecutive years.
The 4th Annual Gary Schuchardt Memorial 5K was held on June 3rd and once again continued to grow. When the first race was held in 2003, there were 88 participants. In just 4 years this event has grown to include 210 walkers and runners. Along the trail the racers were given water and encouragement by volunteers from the Metro Rotary Club. After the race, the participants were entertained by KISS-FM and treated to ice-cream from ClearChannel’s “Polar-Roller.” Trophies were awarded in 25 brackets.
“Stuff the Bus” netted over 4,700 items of school supplies in “Stuff the Bus” held on August 5th in front of Wal-Mart stores in Corning, Pocahontas, Trumann and Newport. With the help of area Girl Scouts, customers were asked to purchase an item for their local school which was placed in a school bus parked in front of the store. There were approximately 1,300 items collected in Corning, 1,000 in Pocahontas, 1,200 in Newport, and 1,200 in Trumann. Thanks so much to Kevin Box and the Clear Channel Radio Group who provided media support and added to the excitement at all of the locations.
The citizens of Jonesboro came together for the 13th annual United Way Day of Caring and completed approximately 36 projects across the city. This was made possible thanks to the efforts of 290 volunteers from 25 businesses and organizations. These projects included painting, shelf building, yard work, and other small projects, which provide much-needed support to the member agencies of the United Way of Northeast Arkansas and also allow our supporters the opportunity to see first-hand the work that the agencies do.
At the United Way of Northeast Arkansas Annual Awards Luncheon, held at Godsey’s at Church Street Station on January 25, contributors were recognized and volunteers were honored with many awards. Dennis Spurlock was presented the Distinguished Service Award, and the Loaned Executive of the Year Award was awarded to two Loaned Executives. As Laura Pickens pointed out, this year’s Loaned Executives were so exceptional, it was truly impossible to name just one. The recipients this year were Richard Lowery and Linda Hill. Jan Troutt created the Pillars Art entitled “Seizing the Day”, which was auctioned at the Luncheon with the proceeds benefitting United Way.
Governor Mike Beebe announced a new statewide service, “2-1-1”, at a press conference at the state capitol in February. This is an easy-to-remember toll-free number for the people of Arkansas to use to find help or to learn how to give help. This United Ways of Arkansas initiative is expected to have a soft-launch in the summer.
On the evening of March 15th, United Way Pillars were honored at a reception hosted at St. Bernards Auditorium. Terry Williams and Laura Pickens greeted our guests who enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and music performed by Philip Jackson and Terry Carter. A print of an original work of art done exclusively for United Way Pillars by Jan Troutt entitled “Seizing the Day” was presented to each guest.
191 people ran and walked through the Craighead Forest Park in the 5th Annual Gary Schuchardt Memorial 5K which was held on June 2. It was the 8th event of 17 in the 2007 Ridge Rider Running & Walking Series and was the only trail run. The proceeds raised will be used to support United Way programs as well as to support 2 scholarships given annually by the Metro Rotary Club in memory of Gary Schuchardt.
What began in 2005 with two schools has continued to grow at a phenomenal rate to include nine schools in Northeast Arkansas in 2007 including Nettleton, Jonesboro, Success, Corning, Albright, Jackson County, Marmaduke Elementary, Oak Ridge Central and Trumann Elementary. Thanks to the 148 volunteers, more than 18,000 items of school supplies and $2622.80 were collected for the area school children in need.
Energy was high as ASU Coach Brian Boyer helped to kick off the Day of Caring with a rousing cheer, before approximately 350 volunteers departed the First United Methodist Church to begin their projects at over 40 locations.
The community leaders of Jackson County turned out for the UWNEA Jackson County Campaign Kick-Off. It was held at the historic Iron Mountain Train Depot in Newport on September 28th where the Jackson County Community Investment Team hosted an enthusiastic crowd who wanted to learn more about “Changing Lives and Building Communities” through United Way.
The officers for 2008 included President - Laura Pickens, Vice-President–Selena Barber, Treasurer - Connie Stevenson, Secretary - Debbie Mathis, and Past President - Michael Givens.
ASU Centennial Hall was chosen as the site of the 2008 Annual Awards Luncheon. Local Artist Michael Etheridge donated the Pillars Art, “Garden of Hope” which was auctioned during the affair with the proceeds benefitting United Way. Although there was snow just before the luncheon, many of our supporters came out to show their support. Debbie Mathis was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award.
In addition to donating the Pillars Art, Michael Etheridge and his wife Lisa generously opened their home for the Pillars Party on March 27. Under the leadership of Pillars Co-Chairs Ron and Joan Hannah the number of Pillars increased to 320, including 3 new Perpetual Pillars. The Pillars enjoyed their lovely home and received signed prints of the Pillars Art. In addition to showing our sincere appreciation to the Pillars, United Way also took the opportunity to say “Good-bye” to Kevin Lawrence who accepted a position with City, Water and Light as their Internal Auditor. A few of his many contributions to United Way of NEA include the 50th Anniversary Celebration with the unveiling of the United Way mural in 2005, establishing the Perpetual Pillars partnership in 2005, change of name to United Way of Northeast Arkansas, and the Statewide 2-1-1 First Call for Help initiative launched in 2008. We also welcomed Wendy Kirk as our new Executive Director.
The first Randolph County Day of Caring was held in May. All of the participants enjoyed their experience and plan to make it an annual event.
Also in May, another chapter closed as Melanie Polsgrove (our Community Impact Coordinator) left United Way of NEA to be a full-time mom to her two young daughters as well as the one on the way. During her time at United Way, Melanie made a substantial impact on many people ~ especially children. Among other accomplishments, she was instrumental in bringing both “Stuff the Bus” and the “Imagination Library” to Northeast Arkansas. Her legacy of good works will live on for many years and touch more lives than we will ever know. As Melanie departed, we welcomed Paula Robertson as our new Community Impact Coordinator.
The participants of this year’s Gary Schuchardt 5K enjoyed a fun day for families, friends and volunteers alike. As the sun rose over Craighead Forest Lake United Way staff, Metro Rotary and other volunteers, along with the Ridge Runners Athletic club descended upon Access 6 with loads of equipment, drinks and snacks. This event continues to grow every year and provide support for the works of the Metro Rotary Club and United Way.
Generosity. The people of Northeast Arkansas showed this quality over and over again as they contributed to “Stuff the Bus” for children in need of school supplies. This United Way initiative has continued to multiply its impact in Northeast Arkansas since its inception four years ago, thanks to those who contribute and the support of the partnering organizations which include KAIT8, TripleFM and Crowley’s Ridge Development Council. None of this would be possible without hundreds of hours of volunteer labor, many of whom we may never even know of. In every location ~ in all eight counties ~ donations of supplies and cash were up. 22,688 packages of school supplies were collected, along with $4397.38. This bounty of school supplies will be stored in the supply closets of Corning School District, Cross County School District, Wynne Schools, Greene County Tech, Marmaduke, Jackson Co. School District, Newport, Hoxie, Walnut Ridge, Marked Tree, Trumann, Maynard, Oak Ridge Central, Jonesboro Public Schools, Nettleton School District, and SUCCESS School and will be available to the children as needed throughout the school year.
The Day of Caring was kicked off at First United Methodist Church for the second year on September 12, with 432 volunteers.
The officers for 2009 included President - Selena Barber, Vice-President– Connie Stevenson, Treasurer – Mark Morrow, Secretary – Kim Long, and Past President - Laura Pickens.
The Annual Awards Luncheon was held for the second year at ASU Centennial Hall February 12, where it was announced that the Distinguished Service Award winner was Kelly Furr and Tammy Dunigan received the Loaned Executive of the Year Award. |
