Organization of the Year

The CALL in Garland & Hot Spring Counties

The CALL in Garland & Hot Spring Counties was established locally in 2014 under the leadership and vision of the previous County Coordinator Diane Wright and a dedicated team of volunteers. Tonya Ross became the county coordinator in June 2021. “My husband and I have been foster parents for nine years, since April of 2013, and adopted two children that had been in our care in 2019. I started volunteering for The CALL in 2016 as a PRIDE Trainer providing pre-service training for prospective foster and adopt families. Two years later I became the Training Coordinator and led a team of trainers organizing and conducting all of the training for the two counties that we serve. We believe wholeheartedly in this mission and feel that it is a CALLing that God has placed on our hearts,” Ross said.

Abilities Unlimited of Hot Springs

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 self-worth and dignity to their lives. Daily activities were the initial focus until the AUI Thrift Store, the first resale business in Hot Springs, opened as a work opportunity for individuals with disabilities. “The thrift store has always been a win-win for everyone in the Hot Springs community and surrounding areas in that it has provided customers with a valuable shopping experience, clients and employees with a work opportunity while supporting the AUI mission and providing a source of revenue for the program. Our purpose is to provide an engaging, goal-oriented environment that promotes personal achievement, informed life and employment choices, self-advocacy and expression through education and experience in life skills and employment options.”

Cooper-Anthony Mercy Child Advocacy Center

Cooper-Anthony Mercy Child Advocacy Center’s mission is to utilize a multidisciplinary team approach to provide a safe, child-friendly and caring place where children are assessed when allegations of child abuse arise.

CAMCAC takes a comprehensive and coordinated approach in response to allegations of child abuse for children ages birth to 18 years. Cooper-Anthony Mercy Child Advocacy Center (CAMCAC) is a 501(c)(3) organization. Mercy founded CAMCAC in Hot Springs in 2003, followed by satellite centers in Saline (2018) and Polk (2015) counties. In 2022, CAMCAC created an alternative location in Grant County to provide in-county services to families that are unable to transport to another location. CAMCAC is one of 17 CACs in the state and has the unique distinction of being the only hospital-based child advocacy center in the state.

Healthy Connections

Healthy Connections’ Mission Statement is “Improving the health and well-being of the communities we serve with a commitment to excellence in all that we do.”

“Simply put, we strive to make medical, dental, and behavioral health care available to people who might not otherwise have access.”

Healthy Connections was founded in Mena in 1998 and first arrived in Hot Springs in 2013. Its first Hot Springs clinic, located at 1723 Malvern Ave., provided primary care medical services and general dental services. A few years later, it expanded to a second location at 3604 Central Ave., Suite D. This location provides both primary care services and pediatrics services, through the MyKids Pediatric Clinic by Healthy Connections.

High Impact Movement

High Impact Movement Inc. 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 Movement — H.I.M. — walks alongside youths in their season of life and takes them on a journey where they will discover their potential and their place in contributing to the community.

Five years ago, when the Hot Springs Boys & Girls Club closed its doors, High Impact stepped in to fill the void where nothing was going on and began to develop what is now a life-giving journey for hundreds of young people right here in Hot Springs.

Cutwell 4 Kids

C4K has deep roots in the Hot Springs area and has been providing art classes in the community since 2014. The mission is to provide interactive visual art activities to promote healthy self-expression, build confidence and self-esteem, and provide opportunities for youth to gain healthy coping skills.

Short term, Cutwell 4 Kids plans to have classes for senior adults in the community and later have the seniors mentor local youth from the neighborhood. “These two groups would create an intergenerational pathway to understanding where we are, how we got here and how we can move toward a brighter future. There are no other organizations or programs in the Hot Springs area serving disadvantaged youth the way that C4K does through creative activities.”

Oaklawn Center on Aging

Oaklawn Center on Aging Inc. was established as a UAMS Center on Aging in 2009. In 2019, Oaklawn Center on Aging/ UAMS became Oaklawn Center on Aging Inc.

“OCOA is committed to serving older adults in the Garland County area. We focus on geriatric educational programs for older adults to enhance their quality of live as they age. We train caregivers, health care professionals and student in geriatric issues so that they may better serve our older population.

Cooperative Christian Ministries and Clinic

Since 1997, the mission of CCMC has been to improve the quality of life for people who are underserved and under-resourced in the community by addressing poverty, physical and spiritual well-being, and practical concerns and needs.

This year marks the 25th year that CCMC has been focusing on three areas of human need: charitable health care, advocacy services, and poverty disruption programs.

National Park College

National Park College is among the top 20 employers in the county providing a significant economic impact to the community as well as providing services that contribute to further economic development in the area. The college has approximately 343 employees, including 220 fulltime and 123 part-time, and an annual operating budget of more than $18 million. NPC enrolls over 7,500 credit and noncredit students per year.

“NPC has placed a strategic focus on retaining students to live and work in our community. We do this through partnerships with business and industry and innovative initiatives that attract young talent.”