Organization of the Year nominees
Organization of the Year nominees
Abilities Unlimited of Hot Springs Arkansas
Adult & Teen Challenge of Arkansas
COMPACT Family Services Agency
Greater Hot Springs Kiwanis High Impact Ministries Immigration Arkansas, Inc. Ouachita Behavioral Health and Wellness
Ouachita Children, Youth & Family Services
Project Hope Food Bank United Way of the Ouachitas Veteran’s Memorial of Garland County
Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Hot Springs
Cooperative Christian Ministries and Clinic
Hot Springs Area Community Foundation
Abilities Unlimited of Hot Springs Arkansas
Parents desiring a productive day for their adult children with varying disabilities banded together in 1961 to create a secure environment that provided meaningful activities giving selfworth and dignity to their lives. Daily activities were the initial focus until the AUI Thrift Store, the first resale business in Hot Springs, was opened as a work opportunity for individuals with disabilities. “Our purpose is to provide an engaging, goal oriented environment which promotes personal achievement, informed life and employment choices, self-advocacy and expression through education and experience in life skills and employment options.” Today, AUI is led by the executive director, governed by a board of directors comprised of community and state leaders and consumer family members of and is licensed and/or approved by the United States Department of Labor, Arkansas Department of Human Services, Arkansas Developmentally Disabled Services, Arkansas Rehabilitation Services, Medicaid and the Social Security Administration to serve individuals with disabilities and primarily those with developmental disabilities through a variety of programs.
Adult & Teen Challenge of Arkansas
Adult & Teen Challenge of Arkansas is a faith-based program to help people overcome life-controlling problems by teaching practical values that are learned in the classroom, practiced in work therapy, strengthened in worship, and lived through service. For over 50 years, Adult & Teen Challenge of Arkansas has offered faith-based residential care at no cost to help people overcome life-controlling problems, such as addiction. It began in Little Rock, then moved to Hot Springs in 1981 where the program quickly expanded to a 45-acre campus with the capacity to house 56 clients who live there for an average of 10 months. Clients progress through a four-month program in their recovery process that includes group classes that address practical issues such as anger management, growing through failure, and how to develop healthy relationships. With staff, they also design a unique, personalized curriculum to address difficult struggles such as past trauma or personal-assessment. In 2020, the program expanded to a 10-month full phase program that includes vocational and resource management training.
Greater Hot Springs Kiwanis
Greater Hot Springs Kiwanis is a mixed group of men and women across ages, backgrounds, and interests. “We are informal, fun, and excited about serving and growing in the Hot Springs area. We make a difference by sponsoring the Terrific Kids Programs, Education and Community Appreciation Award Grants, scholarships for local students, and more!” Kiwanians across the U.S. are devoted to serving the children in local communities, and those worldwide through unique and innovative service projects and fundraising initiatives. “We are in the process of putting together a Teacher/Educator and Community Appreciation Event, with future plans to partner with other Civic Groups.”
High Impact Ministries
High Impact Ministries exists to Engage, Equip, Empower and Expose the next generation to attain their full potential and guide them in achieving their goals to become healthy productive citizens. High Impact Ministries, Inc. was established in Hot Springs in April 2018 as a nonprofit charitable organization. Executive Director and CEO Amos Gray, along with his wife, Carol, and a group of friends realized that there was very little for the youth in Garland County. The Boys & Girls Club had closed and after-school programs were limited. This is when H.I.M. was founded. In April 2018, there were 15 students registered with HIM. Today, HIM averages 70 students daily in the Impact Academy, with over 150 students registered from Garland County. They attend schools in the Hot Springs School District, Fountain Lake, Lakeside, Lake Hamilton, and Cutter Morning Star districts, in addition to area private schools and students that are home-schooled. Since its inception, HIM has reached and engaged over 2,500 students in Garland County through its diverse programs.
Immigration Arkansas, Inc.
Immigration Arkansas, Inc., has served the Hot Springs/ Garland County community since 2017 and is a nonprofit organization that targets these individuals by acting as a liaison for them with the authorities, legal services, immigration services and medical services. The bilingual case coordinators work with the community to offer resources and services to the immigrant population of Hot Springs and Little Rock. Immigration Arkansas, Inc., is devoted to reuniting Arkansans with their multicultural neighbors through advocacy, education, and immigration services; supporting youth, families, individuals and business within the community.
Ouachita Behavioral Health and Wellness
Ouachita Behavioral Health and Wellness has been serving the community since its inception in 1967. OBHAW provides mental and behavioral health services in Garland, Hot Spring, Clark, Montgomery and Pike counties. Starting as a traditional outpatient counseling clinic, over the years it has expanded its services to a Community Mental Health Center and in 2020 was awarded a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic grant from SAMHSA that has allowed it to greatly expand its services to the most vulnerable persons. OBHAW provides behavioral and mental health services to over 5,000 of our most vulnerable and at-risk persons in the community per year. In addition to outpatient counseling and psychiatric care, our clients now have access to substance abuse services, intensive outpatient treatment, day treatment services for the seriously mentally ill, care coordination, case management, financial case management, Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), 24-hour mobile emergency services team, schoolbased services, a therapeutic preschool program, smoking cessation classes, diabetes education, nutrition classes and integrated primary care to focus on whole-person health.
Ouachita Children, Youth & Family Services
Ouachita Children’s Center has been in existence since 1977. It is a nonprofit organization, with a 501(c)3 status. Built in
1928 as the Children’s Home Orphanage and listed on the National Registry, the dual-colored brick building remains true to its legacy of sheltering children in crisis. In 2020, OCC officially changed its name to Ouachita Children, Youth, and Family Services, Inc. Beneath the umbrella of OCYFS, each program is operated under a d/b/a. The emergency shelter that has been in existence since 1977 is still called Ouachita Children’s Center. In addition to outpatient counseling and psychiatric care, clients now have access to substance abuse services, intensive outpatient treatment, day treatment services for the seriously mentally ill, care coordination, case management, financial case management, Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), 24hour mobile emergency services team, school-based services, a therapeutic preschool program, smoking cessation classes, diabetes education, nutrition classes and integrated primary care to focus on whole-person health.
Project HOPE Food Bank
Project HOPE Food Bank’s mission is to provide a food resource to other nonprofits dedicated to community improvement. Project HOPE Food Bank functions much like a coop: “We have the logistics to purchase, store and distribute large quantities of food. We purchase wholesale in large lots for the best prices. Using our grants and donations we subsidize the price, offering food to nonprofits (the large and small) at a fraction of retail prices. This allows our partners the ability to stretch their budgets and improve the lives of more individuals at risk of hunger. Our partners include pantries, homeless shelters, crisis centers, charity kitchens, children’s homes and schools.” Its success is achieved through community support: “Our facility is donated, our equipment has been obtained through grants, and our manpower is provided volunteers. Your support of Project HOPE Food Bank aids 50 agencies that serve children, seniors and families struggling with food insecurity.”
United Way of the Ouachitas
Serving Hot Springs/Garland County since 1917, United Way of the Ouachitas will “unite people and resources to build a stronger community and create lasting positive change. As the community collaborator, we will facilitate initiatives to eradicate childhood hunger and will do this through EDUCATION, EXPANSION, ENGAGEMENT, EMPOWERMENT and EXECUTION.” During the pandemic, United Ways from across the state came together to launch Arkansas 211, to provide a free telephone service that connects individuals in need to important community services in the state of Arkansas. It provided FREE VITA/Volunteer Income Tax Assistance for individuals and families to file their tax returns, with over $85,000 in refunds coming back to our community in 2020, and launched the Caring Club Card program for individuals who either increased their annual contribution by $52 or to new donors who contribute at this level will receive a merchant discount card.
Garland County Veteran’s Memorial and Military Park
A nonprofit organization with a committee of nonpaid volunteers that works tirelessly to maintain and show our respect to our Military veterans. Dedicated in 2009, the Garland County Memorial and Military Park is a tribute to all Veterans who sacrificed their well-being to defend the principles of freedom and democracy on which our nation was built. The Memorial assures that our veterans are recognized, honored, and thanked for the service that they provided us and our country. The Memorial is dedicated to the education of our future generations about the human cost of the defense of our freedom and serves as an eternal reminder of the debt we owe our Veterans.
Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Hot Springs
The Hot Springs Women’s Chamber of Commerce is celebrating its 55th anniversary of service to Hot Springs and Garland County. Membership is comprised of women involved in banking and finance, education, law, medicine, real estate, retail sales, service organizations and numerous other fields and open to all area residents who desire to volunteer in the organization’s activities. The Women’s Chamber of Commerce devotes its entire energies to the advancement of educational, civic, commercial and cultural interests in the Hot Springs and Garland County area. “We are here to make a difference! We invite guests to join us — to come give with us, to come work with us and to come make a difference in the lives of others!”
Cooperative Christian Ministries and Clinic
Since 1997, Cooperative Christian Ministries and Clinic, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, has served under-resourced people of the community. It offers three branches of care: a charitable health care clinic that provides medical, dental, pharmacy, and vision care for patients who are uninsured or underinsured; advocacy services to help those in poverty facing destabilizing circumstances access the resources they need; and poverty disruption programs to teach people how to move from poverty to stability. CCMC’s charitable clinics care for patients who are at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, which makes poverty disruption a primary focus for the nonprofit.
Hot Springs Area Community Foundation
Since 1991, the Hot Springs Area Community Foundation, has served both Garland and Montgomery counties and is one of largest of 29 affiliates of the Arkansas Community Foundation. “We like to think of our ourselves as the stable heartbeat in the middle of our community, providing direction, along with dollars and knowledge of where the needs exist around us. Since our beginning, the Foundation has created over 100 funds all with charitable purposes, with a current asset balance totaling $10,903,000. During the past year slightly under $3,000,000 has been awarded in grants and scholarships from those foundation directed and individual donor funds.”