Festival of Chairs scheduled for Thursday in Conway

CONWAY — The diverse styles, designs and colors of chairs to be auctioned at the 17th annual Festival of Chairs in Conway represent the individual children who are served by the Children’s Advocacy Alliance.

Artists take scarred or outdated chairs and refresh them to be sold at the event, which will take place from 6-8 p.m. Thursday at Legacy Acres, 100 Legacy Acres Drive in Conway. The theme of the event is Colors of Hope. Other items will be offered in live and silent auctions.

First lady Susan Hutchinson will be the keynote speaker.

“Children don’t outgrow this pain; they don’t outgrow these memories,” Hutchinson said in a press release. “What we do here and what we do at all the centers is that we help the children finally speak and talk about it and heal.”

Tess Fletcher, executive director of the Children’s Advocacy Alliance, said Hutchinson has a heart for the children of Arkansas.

“The passion and dedication the first lady of Arkansas has for our children in this state is amazing,” Fletcher said. “She has been fighting for the rights of child victims of abuse for years.”

Hutchinson, who was the first Child Advocacy Centers of Arkansas Woman of Inspiration honoree, serves on the state chapter board.

As the regional nonprofit provider of advocacy services for abused and neglected children of Faulkner, Van Buren, Searcy, Conway and Perry counties, the Children’s Advocacy Alliance is a partnership of the Children’s Advocacy Center and the Court Appointed Special Advocates of the 20th Judicial District.

The Children’s Advocacy Center in Conway provides forensic interviews, therapy, sexual-abuse medical exams and family advocacy for abused and neglected children.

The chairs of the event are Nancy and Jeff Hall of Pulaski County.

“Conway is special to us,” Nancy Hall said. “Jeff and I met on a blind date in 1973 as students at [the University of Central Arkansas].”

Their daughter, Dr. Courtney Sick, is an obstetriciangynecologist in Conway.

“We have always been around children; we have always been a family with children around us,” Nancy Hall said. “Jeff taught softball from the time Courtney was 4 years old until she graduated.

“Someone loving and respecting these kids — that’s all it takes. To give every child an equal chance — that’s my passion. Anything that Jeff and I can do to help children, I feel like we are the ones who are blessed.”

Fletcher said the Halls provide constant support to the children served through the alliance through attendance of Festival of Chairs every year; attending the Heroes for Hope Race; providing clothing, food and school supplies for the children; and more.

Leia Smith, development coordinator of the Children’s Advocacy Alliance, said the Halls go above and beyond what anyone would expect them to contribute.

“Because of the dedication of Jeff and Nancy Hall, kids have shoes and clothes that fit them, foster children have a voice in court, and CAC kids are getting what they need. These people are changing the lives of the kids in our community. They deserve our recognition and thanks, at the very least,” Smith said.

Tickets to the event are $50 each and can be purchased at hopeandjustice.org.

“I feel like Festival of Chairs is always a special time, but this year feels even more unique,” Fletcher said in a press release. “My hope is that we have a greater amount of community support to enable us to provide more services to the children who need us most. I hope everyone who wants to stand up for the abused, neglected or voiceless child is able to join us.”

In 2017, the Children’s Advocacy Center served 234 children from Faulkner, Van Buren, Searcy, Conway and Pope counties. The Court Appointed Special Advocates assisted 182 children from Faulkner, Van Buren and Searcy counties in 2017.