Press Release

Springdale, AR
November 30, 2000

Contact: Suzanne Ward - 501.927.0970
Emerson Goodwin - 501.927.0970

Springdale, AR — The board of directors of CommunityCare Foundation, Inc. announced its third round of grants today. Walter Turnbow, chair of the board of directors, said that a total of $1,426,646 was awarded to 31 agencies serving Washington and Benton counties.

Grants range in size from $4,820 to $135,000 with an average award size of $46,000. The smallest grant was $4,820 to Head Start of Washington County for the Family Focus program. The largest single grant in this cycle was for $135,000 to the Council on Aging Meals on Wheels program to complete the capital campaign for a new building.

This round of contributions completes the first year of grantmaking by the CommunityCare Foundation, which was established in 1998 as a result of the sale of Northwest Health Systems, including the hospitals in Springdale and Bentonville. In all three rounds during 2000, the foundation funded 101 grants totaling $4,596,727.

The largest grant funded in 2000 was for $500,000 to the Harvey and Bernice Jones Center for Families. Six grants were awarded to various programs in each of the Springdale and Bentonville Public Schools, with Springdale schools receiving a total of $494,396 and Bentonville schools receiving a total of $281,456.

During the year, grant awards were made to organizations in all five of the areas of interest to the Foundation: arts and culture, education, health, human services, and public/society benefit. The following chart shows the percent of funds allocated in each area in the year 2000:

An alphabetical list of all grants funded in November 2000, follows:

American Lung Association of Arkansas, Little Rock, $6,353 to implement the "Open Airways for Schools" and "Asthma In-Service" programs in 23 elementary schools in Benton and Washington Counties.

Bella Vista Sheriff's Office, Bella Vista, $11,000 to purchase a computer and software for Operation Good Morning, a daily telephone call to elderly residents.

Benton County Juvenile Detention Center, Bentonville, $45,600 to employ a full-time social worker at the newly opened youth rehabilitative detention center.

Benton County Prosecutor's Office, Bentonville, $60,000 for a specialized prosecutor whose caseload will be comprised of sexual and priority-one child abuse cases.

Botanical Garden Society of the Ozarks, Inc., Fayetteville, $64,000 to complete the master planning process for the proposed botanical garden.

Boys/Girls Club of Siloam Springs, Siloam Springs, $25,000 for operating expenses related to expanding their five core programs.

Community Resource Group — Ozark Transit Authority, Fayetteville, $39,820 to provide the 20% local match for federal funds to purchase three buses and a van for transportation programs in Benton, Carroll, Madison and Washington counties.

Council on Aging-Meals on Wheels, Elderly Service Nutrition Program, Fayetteville, $135,000: $100,000 to complete the $2.5 million capital campaign for a new administrative office and kitchen facility, and $35,000 matching fund to establish an annual appeal.

Decision Point, Springdale, $75,000 general operating expenses for the substance abuse treatment center.

Gravette High School, The Main Academy, Gravette, $29,535 to supply the alternative high school with computers and software to facilitate independent learning modules.

Head Start of Washington County (EOA), Fayetteville, $4,820 to support the Family Focus project which will involve and assist up to 380 Head Start children and their families in achieving a common goal.

Helping Hands, Inc., Bentonville, $50,000 to provide assistance with medical bills and prescription drugs for indigent families and the elderly.

KIDCARE, Springdale, $33,972 for a five-month after-school care pilot program targeted at high-risk third through fifth graders at Harvey Jones Elementary School in Springdale.

Mother-to-Mother Ministry of Northwest Arkansas, Bentonville, $15,000 to assist with the organization's general operating expenses. Mother-to-Mother offers one-on-one mentoring, support, and advocacy to underserved mothers and their dependent children.

NOARK Girl Scout Council, Springdale, $9,000 to establish a "Girl Scouting in the Schools" program in low-income and rural areas of Benton and Washington counties.

Northwest Arkansas Community College, Bentonville, $42,775 to assist the Paso-a-Paso (Step-by-Step) Program designed to increase the educational achievement and career potential of high school students from non-English speaking families.

Northwest Arkansas Community College, Bentonville, $81,500 to purchase state-of-the-art health and fire safety equipment and training materials for the Allied Health Department.

Northwest Technical Institute, Springdale, $29,342 to purchase interactive instructional materials for the nursing program.

Our Farm, Inc., Rogers, $9,080 to support counseling services at the youth residential treatment homes in Rogers.

Ozark Legal Services, Fayetteville, $17,298 to upgrade the administrative capabilities of the Fayetteville office in order to better serve the civil legal matters of low-income people in northwest Arkansas.

Restoration Center, Inc., Springdale, $20,000 general operating expenses for the pantry, which provides food and emergency assistance to individuals and agencies in northwest Arkansas.

Richardson Center, Inc., Fayetteville, $47,875 to purchase a 12-passenger van to provide transportation for clients with developmental disabilities.

Springdale Cup Ministry, Springdale, $30,360 to purchase and install a walk-in freezer/cooler to improve the variety of food offered through the pantry.

Springdale School District, Springdale, $113,386 to completely upgrade the District's instructional use of computers.

Springdale School District, Springdale, $129,990 to purchase interior and exterior video surveillance equipment to improve student safety for Central and Southwest Junior High Schools.

Springdale School District-Central Junior High School, Springdale, $54,200 to establish mini-labs in English as a Second Language, Resource, and English classrooms to offer technology-based learning opportunities.

University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, $69,665 to fund the implementation of a community-wide osteoporosis screening, education and referral project for women aged 40 years and older.

University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, $47,075 to fund the implementation of the "Keep a Clear Mind Drug Education" program in the Bentonville and Springdale schools.

Walton Arts Center, Fayetteville, $60,000 to fund programs for children.

Watch D.O.G.S. Across America, Springdale, $50,000 to establish the "Fathers as Volunteers" program in schools in Benton and Washington counties.

Westark Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, Springdale, $20,000 matching grant to initiate the "Learning for Life" program and begin outreach to the Hispanic community in northwest Arkansas.

Walter Turnbow indicated that the foundation will be conducting only two grant cycles in 2001, and that the next deadline for grant applications to CommunityCare Foundation, Inc. is February 28, 2001. For additional information on the guidelines of the foundation and the application process, please check the website www.ccfound.org.

CommunityCare Foundation, Inc. was founded in 1998 with funds from the sale of Northwest Medical Center in Springdale and Bates Medical Center in Bentonville. The Foundation operates as a supporting organization to the Northwest Arkansas Community Foundation and its mission is to enrich the quality of life in this area.

Back to news & press release home | Back to top