Guidance group greets leaders

Paint party profitable

Some 1,000 supporters helped the American Heart Association Paint the Town Red and raise more than $300,000 on Jan. 19 at Fayetteville Town Center. The annual event at the Fayetteville Town Center is designed for philanthropic young professionals and kicks off a series of spring fundraisers for the nonprofit organization whose mission is “building healthier lives free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.” Heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 5 killers in the United States.

More than a dozen area restaurants provided tastes for Paint partiers and competed in the Reynolds Consumer Products “Taste of the Town” contest. Winners were: ■ Big Whisky — Best Presentation;

■ Crabby’s Seafood Bar & Grill — Most Creative Bite;

■ Wright’s Barbecue — Overall Taste; and

■ Wright’s Barbecue — Taste of the Town.

Next up for the group is Go Red for Women on Feb. 27, Heart Walk on April 14 and the 2018 Northwest Arkansas Heart Ball on May 12.

Those helping the Heart Association included John Roberts, Alyson Wick, Todd Moses, Ashley Peoples, Brad Kinney, Rod Vandenbos, Melissa Rumple, Jeff Brown, David Lattanzio, Lauren Deleon, Craig Baranyk, Michaela Roberts and Jill Weinreber.

Ozark Guidance backers gathered at a reception Thursday afternoon to welcome Justin B. Hunt, M.D., chief medical officer, and Chris E. Bockelman, chief financial officer, to the nonprofit mental health organization. Both administrators came on board at Ozark Guidance in October.

Hunt joined the organization after serving as assistant chief and

psychiatrist supervisor in the Mental Health Service within the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks and is an assistant professor in the psychiatry department for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Bockelman, a certified public accountant, comes to the area from Edmond, Okla., where he served Summit Medical Center as CFO and outpatient surgery administrator.

Those gathering to welcome new Ozark Guidance administrators included Kevin Hatfield, Diane and Bob Shaw, Ann Rosso, Denise Garner, Don Gibson, Jane and Dave Gearhart, Brock Gearhart, Sharon and David Hunt, Beth and Larry Wilkins, Woodie Acord and Laura Tyler.

For more event photos — nwadg.com/photos/society.

NWA Democrat-Gazette/CARIN SCHOPPMEYER Scott and Jessica Bolle (from left) and Holly and Matt Hicks Paint the Town Red with the American Heart Association on Jan. 19 at the Fayetteville Town Center.

NWA Democrat-Gazette/CARIN SCHOPPMEYER Jake McBride (from left), Kaley Schwab and Dan Skoff welcome guests to Paint the Town Red.

NWA Democrat-Gazette/CARIN SCHOPPMEYER Chris Bockelman, Ozark Guidance CFO (from left), Katy and Dr. Justin Hunt, chief medical officer, and Kevin Hatfield, board chairman, visit at a reception to welcome Bockelman and Hunt to the mental health organization.

NWA Democrat-Gazette/CARIN SCHOPPMEYER Brock Gearhart (from left), Jane and Dave Gearhart and Laura Tyler, Ozark Guidance CEO, visit at the reception on Thursday.

NWA Democrat-Gazette/CARIN SCHOPPMEYER Kim Sloan, American Heart Association executive director, Rod Vandenbos, Courtney Lawless, Mason Kesner, Leslee Urhahn and Demetrius McCullough gather at Paint the Town Red.

NWA Democrat-Gazette/CARIN SCHOPPMEYER Leah and Caleb Mitchell attend Paint the Town Red.

NWA Democrat-Gazette/CARIN SCHOPPMEYER Woodie Acord and Denise Garner attend the Ozark Guidance reception.

NWA Democrat-Gazette/CARIN SCHOPPMEYER Steven Hinds (from left), Nancy Kahanak, Diane Shaw and Jerri Skaggs gather at the Ozark Guidance reception.

NWA Democrat-Gazette/CARIN SCHOPPMEYER Ashton Witt (left) and Rebecca Shores volunteer at the Heart Association benefit.