Giving back

Arkansas Children’s

Arkansas Business Alliance, a group of approximately 150 store owners around the state, recently donated $80,000 to Arkansas Children’s Hospital Festival of Stars program.

Festival of Stars is an annual toy drive and radiothon hosted by Arkansas Children’s as a way to provide gifts and support to families who are staying at Arkansas Children’s through the holiday season. In 2017, the Festival of Stars toy drive became a statewide event with the help of Circle of Friends Volunteer Chapters, so this year, the event was held in 11 locations.

This gift will support the ACH Festival of Stars Toy, Donation Drive and Radiothon for the next five years.

Festival of Stars Toy and Radiothon will be on Dec. 14. Information: archildrens. org/festival.

Komen charities

The Ozark Affiliate of Susan G. Komen announced at the recent Promise Circle Luncheon that it will grant $550,000 to fund eight programs that will provide thousands of women and men with lifesaving breast health screening, education and treatment assistance throughout the next year. In addition to revealing the grant recipients, the Top Teams, Top Fundraising Teams, Top Corporate Teams, Top Friends/Family Teams and the Top 25 fundraising individuals from the 2017 Race for the Cure were recognized.

“The Ozark Affiliate is excited to partner with the eight local organizations to provide screening, outreach, education and treatment services to women and men in our 10 county service area who are uninsured or underinsured. At the Ozark Affiliate we want to make sure that all women have access to quality healthcare, regardless of the ability to pay,” said Vicki Cowling, Director of Mission Services at the Ozark Affiliate.

The Ozark Affiliate raises funds through events like the upcoming 20th Annual Race for the Cure, which will be held on April 28 at the Pinnacle Hills Promenade mall. To register for the race, visit the website at www.komenozark.org.

The following programs have been selected for funding by the Ozark Affiliate. Applicants were selected by an independent grant panel through a competitive application and review process. For details about the Ozark Affiliate’s grant recipients, visit www.komenozark.org or call (479) 750-7465.

Community Clinic — Awarded $84,500. Serves Benton and Washington counties. The “We Are Aware” program provides a culturally competent continuum of care for lowincome, uninsured/underinsured patients in Northwest Arkansas through breast care education, screening, diagnostic and treatment support.

Donald W. Reynolds Cancer Support House — Awarded $37,000. Serves Crawford and Sebastian counties. To Save A Life: Survivorship” program provides breast cancer patients with advocacy, information & financial assistance. The program also offers screening and diagnostic services.

Madison County Health Coalition — Awarded $61,500. Serves Madison County. The Madison County Health Coalition program provides a navigator to advocate for breast cancer patients and educate the community on breast health. The program also provides gas cards.

Mercy Breast Center — Awarded $35,000. Serves Benton and Washington counties. The Mercy Breast Center’s breast health program provides a nurse navigator to work with all breast cancer patients through their breast cancer journey. The program also provides diagnostic services and continuum of care breast cancer information and education.

Mercy Foundation Fort Smith — Awarded $40,000. Serves Sebastian and Crawford counties. Provides educational outreach, navigation, screening, diagnostic and treatment funding for low income, uninsured or underinsured women and men, as well as, access to a mobile mammography unit.

North Arkansas Partnership for Health Education — Awarded $115,000. Serves Boone, Carroll and Newton counties. Provides comprehensive educational outreach and awareness campaigns to increase participation in breast health education classes, breast self-awareness training and access to treatment. This program also provides screenings, diagnostic services, patient advocacy and transportation assistance.

Cox Health Foundation in Branson — Awarded $40,000. Serves Stone and Taney counties in Missouri. Provides access to breast care and cancer treatment for at-risk women by offering financial assistance for women in need of screening mammograms, diagnostic testing and transportation assistance. A nurse navigator is also provided to help those diagnosed with breast cancer navigate their journey.

Washington Regional Cancer Support Home. Awarded $137,000. Serves Washington and Benton counties. Provides a breast health navigator and a bilingual navigator who offer specialized guidance and support to patients on their breast cancer journey. The program guides patients through diagnosis, treatment and assistance to financial support resources as needed.

Since its inception in 1998, the Ozark Affiliate has awarded $11 million to local organizations to provide breast health services to uninsured and underinsured men and women in the

10-county service area.

Courtesy photo Mary Alice Serafini (right), president of Rotary Club of Fayetteville, presents Eva Terry of Peace at Home Family Shelter a check for $420 collected from the Rotary Club of Fayetteville. Peace at Home Family Shelter empowers victims of domestic...

Courtesy photo Mercy Health Foundation Fort Smith received a $20,000 grant from Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation to benefit patients at Hembree Cancer Center. The grant will help underserved cancer patients at Mercy receive oral health care. Pictured are Traci...

Courtesy photo The LilyPad Quilters from Peace Lutheran Church in Rogers donated 42 quilts and two tied blankets to Arkansas Children’s Northwest in Springdale on March 1. The quilters will continue to make more quilts for the hospital in the near future.

Courtesy photo Mount Comfort Presbyterian Church received a $1,000 grant from Arkansas Blue & You Foundation for a healthier Arkansas for Mount Comfort Community Garden. Last year, the garden produced 3,500 pounds of produce which it donates at various Fayetteville...