People and Places

MERCY FOUNDATION NAMES BOARD

Mercy Health Foundation has added six new board members to its 23-member board. Joining the board in July are Ben Blakeman, president of Blakeman’s Fine Jewelry; Susan Peacock, a communications and development consultant; Eric Scott, a business leader and philanthropist; Chris Turner, senior vice president and general manager of the Global Walmart Service Team, PepsiCo; Reg Yarbrough, president of the Consumer Products Group; and Kasie Yokley, co-founder of 3W Magazine. The board also elected a new slate of officers. They include Mary Zettle, chairman; Ashley Buchanan, vice chairman; Liz Fernandez, secretary; and Pat Curran, treasurer.

OUTSTANDING CITIZEN AWARD

Bentonville Mayor Bob McCaslin named the 2018 second quarter winners of the Mayor’s Outstanding Citizen Award: Anna McCasland, Emily Douglas and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Bentonville Stake). Anna McCasland is a senior at Bentonville West High School and very involved at her school. She served as the Student Council president and a member of the varsity cheer team during the last school year and represented the school at Arkansas Girls State. Rebecca Camarigg, who nominated McCasland, noted that, in lieu of the National School Walkout, McCasland orchestrated a day of kindness, during which students were asked to perform 17 random acts of kindness in memory of the 17 students killed in the Parkland, Fla., shooting. Emily Douglas is an active volunteer in many Bentonville organizations, including her church, First United Methodist Church in Bentonville; Meals on Wheels; Friends of the Library; Circle of Life Hospice; and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. John Douglas nominated his wife. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Bentonville Stake) annually sponsors the Emergency Preparedness Fair. Additionally, and each congregation in the Stake adopted a local charity to support the individuals most in need in the community, such as Havenwood, Helping Hands and the Salvation Army emergency shelter. Jennifer VanSlooten, public affairs director for the Mormon churches in Northwest Arkansas, nominated the Bentonville community, writing, “Though none of these individuals would ever want to receive recognition for their service, it is noteworthy the amount of good a group of individuals can accomplish when they come together with a common goal. Although all of these efforts collectively have helped Bentonville become a better place to live with our families, it is the individuals who participated who benefited the most. There is great satisfaction that comes from knowing you have helped another.” The third quarter 2018 nominations will be accepted through Sept. 14, the last nomination period to take place during McCaslin’s final term of office. Information: bentonvillear.com.

ARKANSAS PRESS WOMEN

Arkansas Press Women recently presented award certificates to winners in its 2018 Communications Contest. First-place winners in the contest advance to the National Federation of Press Women competition, with winners named in September. Local award winners include: Debbie Miller of Northwest Arkansas Community College, who was honored in the following categories:

■ Specialty articles, education: first place for “Friday Focus: Beatrice Becerra” and “Friday Focus: Rogers Mom Letresa Sweetser.”

■ Blogs, nonprofit, government or educational: first, “Exceed @ NWACC.”

■ Community, institutional or internal relations: first, paramedic campaign — “College welcomes new health professions dean”; “Bentonville college increasing number of paramedic students”; “NWACC addressing paramedic shortage in NWA”; “Paramedic shortage looms large in Northwest Arkansas.” Graphic designer Amy McLarty, a graphic designer at NWACC collaborated with Miller on this project and shares this award.

■ News or feature release, single release: honorable mention for nursing accreditation release — “College’s Nursing Program Receives National Accreditation” Miller also served as course instructor and facilitated entry into the collegiate and education section of APW’s contest for two University of Arkansas student teams, which both placed in the public relations campaign category.

■ Sara Brown, Schafer Huggins, Jamie Napier and Kinley Shotts — first, Arkansas Athletes Outreach.

■ Klaire Duff, McKenna Krajeck and Alissa Virgil — second, Single Parent Scholarship Fund. Fred Miller of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, who received the following awards:

■ News story, online: first, “Researchers add gene editing to rice research toolbox.”

■ News story, online: Second, “Mighty mites manifest massive manual.”

■ Feature story, online: first, “Zombies are real, and closer than you think.”

PEREIRA RECEIVES GRANT

Art Ventures announces Eloa Pereira as recipient of an FY19 M-AAA artistic innovations grant. Her project, Neighbors and Neighborhood, is a collection of 12 works that depict life in Beav-O-Rama Park in the outskirts of Fayetteville. An unincorporated rural community, the modest site is located on the banks of the White River and at its entrance a sign reads “Where Neighbors Are Friends.” Pereria received $9,000 to create new work and was selected by a panel of artists and arts professionals from across a six-state region. She is one of only 17 recipients of this grant that was made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts.