Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Local notes
RED CROSS SEEKS BLOOD
The American Red Cross and the McLarty Daniel dealerships of Northwest Arkansas are teaming up to help save lives by hosting the inaugural Northwest Arkansas Community Blood Drive Oct. 12-16 at the John Q. Hammons Center, 3201 Pinnacle Hills Parkway in Rogers.
The community is invited to donate blood from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily to help patients in need. All presenting donors will receive a special Red Cross T-shirt, while supplies last. There will also be giveaways throughout the week.
The Red Cross needs donors of all blood types to give blood in support of kids fighting cancer, patients with sickle cell disease and others facing serious illnesses. The Red Cross must collect nearly 13,000 blood donations every day for patients at about 2,500 hospitals and transfusion centers nationwide. The Red Cross encourages healthy individuals to schedule and keep blood donation appointments in the weeks ahead to ensure a stable supply for patients throughout this coronavirus pandemic. All donors are required to wear a face covering or mask while at the drive, in alignment with new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention public guidance.
Each Red Cross blood drive and donation center follows the highest standards of safety and infection control, and additional precautions — including temperature checks, social distancing and face coverings for donors and staff — have been implemented to ensure the health of all those in attendance. Donors are asked to schedule an appointment prior to arriving at the drive.
Other donation opportunities include:
• Bella Vista: 1:30-5:30 p.m. Oct. 22, First United Methodist Church, 20 Boyce Drive.
• Rogers: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and 1-5 p.m. Oct. 15 and 16, John Q. Hammons Center, 3201 Pinnacle Hills Parkway. • Springdale: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 23, Knights of Columbus Hall, 267 N. Barrington Road.
Information: (800) 7332767 or redcrossblood.org.
WRITERS COLONY HOLDS POETLUCK
The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow will hold a special edition virtual Poetluck in celebration of LGBTQ History Month at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 15 and will celebrate the literary accomplishments of LGBTQ alumni and friends of WCDH. Readers include Joss Barton, William Jack Sibley, Kai Coggin, Debbie Browne, Patricia Evans Cox, Jonathan Harper and Stephen Chan.
Spectators may join a moderated watch party on Facebook Live at the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow page.
Information: (479)2537444 or writerscolony.org.
OLLI SETS NEW CLASSES
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Arkansas announces the following classes for the upcoming week:
• Oct. 12: “The Beauty & Tragedy of Peoples Temple & Jonestown.” — This in-person course, taught by Preston Jones, intends to dive deep into the dark events that took place in November 1978 when more than 900 Americans died at Jonestown, Guyana, in the largest murder-suicide
in modern history. Preston Jones, a professor at John Brown University, is a research collaborator with the Jonestown Institute, based at San Diego State University. He has interviewed numerous people with ties to Peoples Temple & Jonestown, including survivors of the tragedy in Guyana. $15.
• Oct. 14: “Landscaping for the Future with Native Plants,” (in person), $25 members, $40 nonmembers.
• Oct. 15: “Hazards to Humanity,” (in person /online), $29
PEEL ADDS NEW STAFF
Bentonville-based Peel Compton Foundation announces the hiring of Jennifer Martinez Belt as director of development.
Belt joins the Peel Compton Foundation with more than 15 years of fundraising and nonprofit leadership experience and key skills that will enable the Foundation to accelerate sustainable growth. Belt’s career in the nonprofit sector includes organizations in healthcare, literacy and hunger relief with annual budgets raising over $5 million.
She is a graduate of the University of Central Arkansas in Conway and is relocating from Little Rock with her husband and two children. Belt most recently served as the director of advancement for the Arkansas Repertory Theatre and the chief development officer for the Arkansas Foodbank in Little Rock. She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and serves on the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance board of directors.
Information: peelcompton.org.
WELCOME HEALTH RECEIVES SUPPORT
Welcome Health recently received a $10,000 matching gift from Ozark Cares, an initiative of Ozarks Electric Cooperative which focuses on volunteering, giving and educating. Ozarks Electric and its employees donated $5,000, and CoBank, which finances rural electric distribution projects, gave $5,000.
Information: welcome healthnwa.org.
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