Press Release

Springdale, AR
May 31, 2002

Contact: Suzanne Ward - 501.927.0970
Emerson Goodwin - 501.927.0970

Springdale, AR — The board of directors of CommunityCare Foundation announced its first round of grants for 2002 today. Walter Turnbow, chair of the board of directors, said that a total of $2,452,238 was awarded to programs serving northwest Arkansas. These awards include $1,630,700 to 24 agencies and expansion of two special projects.

All Children Excel in School (ACES), the first special project, was initiated in two Springdale elementary schools in the fall of 2001. This year, the programs at Lee and Westwood elementary schools in Springdale will be continued, and new programs will be established in Gravette and Decatur elementary schools. The total ACES budget for 2002 - 2003 school year is $1,489,000.

The Springdale ACES programs focus on improving math and literacy performance for students in K — 4th grades. In Decatur and Gravette, ACES will help establish pre-school programs to ensure that students arrive at kindergarten with the skills they need to succeed in school. The University of Arkansas College of Graduate Education will provide programmatic design consulting on the pre-school programs. In all schools, Ozark Guidance will provide mental health counseling services, and the University of Arkansas Office of Research and Measurement will assist in evaluating the results of the programs.

The second special project, Nonprofit Learning Series (NLS), was initiated in the fall of 2001 to provide management training for nonprofit organizations in northwest Arkansas. Fifty agencies participated in four classes over the past eight months, focused on board development, strategic planning, fund development, and marketing. In 2002, NLS will repeat the four sessions for fifty additional organizations, and will expand to include three new components for agencies that have already completed the basic NLS series:

• Executive Exchange – a bi-monthly training opportunity for executive directors of agencies. Subjects will include time management, personnel issues, communications, and financial management.



• ALL ABOARD! – a one-time training for board members of nonprofit organizations, focusing on the fiduciary and management responsibilities of board members.



• Empowerment Zone – an in-depth strategic planning process for five agencies that will be facilitated by the Soderquist Center for Ethical Leadership at John Brown University.

Individual agency grants range in size from $11,153 to $500,000 with a median award size of $38,476. The smallest grant was $11,153 to the American Lung Association of Arkansas for the Open Airways for Schools program in elementary schools in Benton and Washington counties. The largest single grant was for $500,000 to the Harvey and Bernice Jones Center for Families for general operating support.

An alphabetical list of all grants funded in in May 2002, follows:

Alzheimer's Association, Inc, Respite Care & Outreach Program, Bella Vista, $81,958. To expand respite care for families of Alzheimer's patients and conduct a needs assessment.

American Lung Association of AR, Little Rock, $11,153. To expand Open Airways for Schools and Asthma In-Service programs in Benton and Washington counties, and conduct evaluation of the impact of the programs on children with asthma.

Arts Center of the Ozarks, Springdale, $95,000. General operating support for one year.

Benton County Women's Shelter, Art Therapy Support Group, Bentonville, $14,000. To fund art therapy programs for shelter residents.

Bentonville Skate Park, Bentonville, $35,494. To complete Phase 3 of the Skate Park.

Bread of Life Ministry, Client-Services Tracking System, Springdale, $37,912. To implement a client-services tracking system.

Community Clinic - St. Francis House, Springdale, $150,000. To provide medical and dental services for the working poor.

Community Development Corp of Bentonville/Bella Vista, Havenwood, Bentonville, $30,460. To fund art therapy programs.

EOA - Children's House, Fayetteville, $50,000. General operating support for one year.

Fayetteville School District-West Campus Childcare Center, Fayetteville, $48,150. To fund scholarships and general operating costs of the Teen Parent program.

Gravette High School, Gravette, $36,000. To purchase computers for the remediation program.

Jones Center for Families, Springdale, $500,000. General operating support for one year.

Junior Achievement of Arkansas, Inc., Springdale, $25,000. To purchase program materials for volunteers to use in approximately 170 classrooms in Benton and Washington counties.

Legal Aid of Arkansas, Domestic Violence Attorney Project, Fayetteville, $39,040. To hire an attorney to represent victims of domestic violence.

North Arkansas Symphony Society, Classical Kids, Fayetteville, $25,000. To support the Classical Kids programs, including the youth orchestras, Adventures in Music Series, Symphony Saturdays, and The Symphony Goes to School program.

Northwest Arkansas Academic Competition Association, High School Academic Competition, Rogers, $19,025. General operating support for one year.

Northwest Arkansas Community College (NWACC), Workforce Development Institute, Rogers, $55,400. To establish Building the Future, a financial literacy program for Hispanic adults.

Northwest Arkansas Rape Crisis, Inc., Springdale, $50,000. To implement PEERS (Prevention, Education, Empowerment, Recovery, and Support), a program designed to educate high school seniors about sexual assault issues.

OHC - Multicultural Center of NWA, Springdale, $50,000. General operating support for one year.

Salvation Army-Fayetteville, Emergency/Transitional Shelter, Fayetteville, $34,752. To provide kitchen renovations and furniture for the dorms in the Transitional Living Shelter.

Springdale Police Department, Springdale, $48,704. For expansion of the Juvenile Investigation Division.

Springdale School District-Springdale High School, Springdale, $14,113. To purchase communications equipment for school personnel.

University of Arkansas, PUSH - Project Urging Senior Health, Fayetteville, $32,111. To initiate a pilot exercise program for older adults at local senior centers.

Walton Arts Center, Family and Educational Programming, Fayetteville, $147,428. To conduct a strategic planning process and support education programs in local schools.

This is the third year of awarding grants for CommunityCare Foundation, which was established in 1998. In 2001, the foundation funded 61 individual agency grants totaling $4,137,815, plus two special projects, bringing the total funding to approximately $5 million. The Foundation expects to award approximately $5,800,000 during 2002, through two grant application periods.

The board of CommunityCare Foundation also voted to undertake a strategic planning process during the next six months. By December of this year, they expect to announce new funding priorities and grantmaking guidelines for 2003.

The next grant applicaton deadline is July 31, 2002. Additional information about the funding priorities of CommunityCare Foundation and application forms may be obtained from the website: www.ccfound.org.

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