Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Local notes
BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS
The Fort Smith Boys & Girls Club honored its 202324 scholarship recipients on June 12 during its June board meeting and celebratory luncheon. There are 34 recipients this year, including 13 new recipients and 21 renewal recipients whose awards total $50,000.
Since 1985, the FSBGC College Scholarship Program has granted 947 awards to 387 individual club members, totaling over $1 million in assistance. Applicants must have participated in FSBGC activities as members or volunteers for a minimum of two years, and financial need, community service and academic excellence are key components of selections.
The scholarship program is one of the largest of any Boys & Girls Club organization in the country.
This year’s recipients will attend institutions across the nation, from the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith to Johns Hopkins University, and will major in a breadth of fields, including dental hygiene, business, elementary education, engineering, and neuroscience.
Students who will be continuing their education locally will see their FSBGC scholarships matched at 100% through the UAFS Foundation. The university’ new match initiative was launched this year, demonstrating the institution’s commitment to support the civic organizations that drive the River Valley forward.
New recipients were Valerie Alvarado-Mora, Luke Barrie, Gordon Castlin, Kya Cole, Alex Crowder, Sebastian Garcia, Kaiden Kuykendall, Mekel Miller, Evan Morland, Alexaner Naegle, Griffin Weindel, Matthew Wewers and Jaden Williams. Renewal recipients were Addi Branham, Marlon Briggs, Grace Browning, Jett Frazier, Jackson Green, Jordan Green, Bryce Hindley, Braeden Hindley, Carson Hunsucker, Brenda Infante, Brennen Linson, Yvette Martinez, Lynde Morland, Te’Vion Releford, Rachel Simpson, William Stites, JaJuan “JT” Thorne, Khamille Warr, Khassidy Warr, Mary-Kate Wewers and Luke Wyatt.
Information: (501) 2766282.
BOOTS & BADGES
First responders in Northwest Arkansas are uniting with Community Blood Center of the Ozarks, a supplier of blood, plasma and platelets to patients at more than 40 area healthcare facilities, for Boots and Badges Community Challenge Blood Drives throughout the summer.
The Boots and Badges Community Challenge Blood Drives are a fun event which provides an opportunity for the community to come together and support local patients, while at the same time honoring area first responders for the magnificent work they do every day. It is also a friendly competition between fire and police departments with a traveling trophy awarded to the department with the strongest showing.
Upcoming Boots & Badges Community Challenge Blood Drives in Northwest Arkansas:
• June 28, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.: West Fork Boots & Badges at the Community Center.
• July 6, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.: Rogers Boots & Badges at the Rogers Activity Center.
• July 7, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.: Springdale Boots & Badges at the Springdale Fire Dept Station No. 1.
• July 13, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.: Pea Ridge Boots & Badges at Pea Ridge Middle School.
• Aug. 2, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.: Fayetteville Boots & Badges at Cross Church Fayetteville Campus.
• Aug. 30, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.: Gravette Boots & Badges at two locations, Gravette Civic Center and Ozarks Community Hospital of Gravette.
Photo identification is required. Eat well and drink plenty of fluids prior to the blood drive.
To help avoid wait times, appointments are strongly encouraged.
Information: cbco.org/ bootsandbadges.
WOMEN ARTISTS
The Arkansas Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts invites Arkansas artists who identify as women to apply for its online biennial Juried Artist Registry. The application is available on the ACNMWA website under “What We Do, Juried Artist Registry.”
Original current work in all media is eligible. The application deadline is Aug. 1. Selected artists will be featured on the ACNWMA website from September 2023 to September 2025.
The juror for the 2023-25 registry is Matthew Bailey, Ph.D., gallery director and assistant professor in the Department of Art and Design at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith. Bailey was one of the inaugural Tyson Scholars at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
ACNMWA is a nonprofit volunteer organization founded in 1989 by Helen Walton and Ed Dell Wortz. Its mission is to highlight the accomplishments of Arkansas women artists and share the groundbreaking work of the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) in Washington, D.C. The museum brings recognition to the achievements of women artists of all periods and nationalities by exhibiting, preserving, acquiring, and researching art by women and by teaching the public about their accomplishments.
Information: acnmwa.org and nmwa.org.
BOYS & GIRLS CLUB
The Donald W. Reynolds Boys & Girls Club received a $24,845 grant on June 1 from the Taco Bell Foundation to support more than 10,000 youth in Washington County. The funds will go toward programs supporting youth education and career readiness.
K-MAC Enterprises, the local Taco Bell franchisee, is thrilled to support the Donald W. Reynolds Boys & Girls Club in Northwest Arkansas.
The Donald W. Reynolds Boys and Girls Club was one of more than 450 youth-serving organizations that received a portion of the $15 million in community grants presented by the Taco Bell Foundation this year. The grants are an example of the Taco Bell Foundation’s mission to break down barriers to education and fuel young people’s boldest ambitions.
The Taco Bell Foundation also awarded a $23,845 community grant to the Benton County Boys & Girls Club.
Information: fayettevillekids.org, kmaccorp.com or tacobellfoundation.org.
Send news about local events, charity fundraisers and family or class reunions to ourtown@nwadg.com. Deadline is 4 p.m. Tuesday for Sunday publication. Please include a phone number or email address for publication.