Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Along for the ride
Event organizers say volunteers make rally possible.
FAYETTEVILLE — Every Bikes, Blues & BBQ attendant handing out beer garden bracelets, controlling the flow of bodies in and out of the lots or cleaning up the remnants from the night before volunteers for the job.
Without them, the rally wouldn’t happen, organizers say.
The volunteers typically come from a broad spectrum of the Northwest Arkansas nonprofit community, said Leah Spears-Blackmon, volunteer coordinator for this year’s festival.
Those organizations include Arkansas Support Network, Child Care Aware of Northwest Arkansas, Habitat for Humanity, Boys & Girls Club, Jackson L. Graves Foundation, Single
Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas and the Northwest Arkansas Center for Sexual Assault, to name a few.
The rally doles out contributions to charity annually. Last year marked a milestone with about $230,00 given to more than 40 nonprofit groups and school programs. That included a 10-year commitment to Arkansas Children’s Northwest hospital totaling $200,000.
Volunteering isn’t a requirement to get a grant, but the support that’s reciprocated is much appreciated, Spears-Blackmon said.
Spears-Blackmon took on the job for the first time this year and immediately noticed the sincere lack of chaos for an event of its size and breadth. Organizers estimate 325,000 to 350,000 attendees this year with events and happenings throughout Northwest Arkansas.
“Every single volunteer, every single person in charge of something — they’re the most laid-back, good-humored, easy-going people,” she said. “We’re dealing with a lot of people in a huge area. You kind of just have to roll with the punches.”
Open Avenues had about 25 volunteers slinging beers near the Dickson Street main stage Wednesday night. The Rogers-based organization provides job training and placement for people with disabilities, Executive Director Brenda Neal said.
“They may have the skill set to do the job, but they may need help with putting together a resume or actually applying for the job,” she said.
Times have been tough financially for the group. It lost a significant part of its budget from United Way and has gone without a travel grant from an Arkansas Department of Transportation program it depended on. Changes to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act that went into effect in Arkansas last year have changed its service model and the money that went with it, Neal said.
Open Avenues received $2,439 from Bikes and Blues last year, on top of the more than $1,000 it received from working beer sales and tips. Organizations who send volunteers to the beer garden get 5 percent of the beer sales and keep the tips.
“I cannot count the ways,” Neal said. “We’ve had so many cuts in funding over the last three years that it’s just desperately needed.”
Maddie Hernandez, development coordinator with Open Avenues, helped a handful of colleagues and volunteers get beers to the thirsty crowd. She said she didn’t mind the work because she used to be a bartender in Joplin, Mo., back in college.
“It kind of takes me back to the good ol’ days of interaction with people,” she said. “We do that anyway. Networking is kind of our jam.”
Most importantly it’s getting the word out about Open Avenues and what the organization does, Hernandez said.
“Even if people are just getting beer for a second, they may be seeing our name, may be wondering what we do, may be asking,” she said.
Tonight, volunteers with Children’s Safety Center of Washington County will have their turn at the beer garden. The organization was the first child advocacy center in the state and keeps abused children from enduring further trauma during the course of police investigations, prosecution and treatments.
Last year, the center made $1,200 from tips and its portion of the beer sales. That’s in addition to the $2,578 it was awarded in grant money.
People often ask how they can help out at Children’s Safety Center, but because of the sensitive nature of the work and privacy concerns, opportunities are few and far between. Helping out during Bikes, Blues & BBQ serves as a means for non-staff to help, said Emily Rappe-Fisher, development director.
“It’s just a fun way to volunteer but also make a little money for the organization at the same time,” she said.
Tommy Sisemore, Bikes, Blues & BBQ executive director, estimated 500 to 600 volunteers keep the festival running every year.
“We absolutely could not execute the rally at the level we are accustomed to without the help of our volunteer groups,” he said. “Having the help of all these groups helps us raise our charitable giving astronomically.”