Giving Circle surpasses $1M in donations
The Hot Springs Giving Circle recently donated to the Garland County Historical Society, Mid-America Science Museum and Cooperative Christian Ministries and Clinic, pushing the group’s total donations over the last 15 years to more than $1 million.
“I’m extremely proud,” said Hot Springs Giving Circle Chairman Jim Elmore. “I’ve been chairman for — this is my seventh year. I believe I’ve been on the board for 10 years. … All the money that we’ve given people so that these 501(c)(3)s (can) continue to serve the community, they’re needed. It is so satisfying to give back to society and say thank you. And that’s the way I say thank you for my gifts is to give. All of us are very proud that we’ve stayed together. We’ve continued to do the work and give love and money to the community.”
Started in 2007, the Giving Circle was founded by philanthropists Dorothy Morris and the late Don Monroe, according to a news release from CCMC and the Giving Circle. The two friends created a group of people who pooled their resources to “respond to immediate needs of Hot Springs nonprofit organizations who are making a difference.”
The group has grown to include 12 board members now, and each member donates $6,000 their first year and $5,000 each year after, the release said. Most recently, the board approved donating funds to the historical society, the Mid-America Science Museum and CCMC.
CCMC requested funds for the most immediate need out of the three recipients: a leaking roof.
“We have been battling a leaky roof since last fall,” CCMC Executive Director Sallie Culbreth said in an email and on Facebook.
“Pharmacy rooms flooded, endangering our new computers. The foyer has had a permanent bucket to catch water, our community room flooded and water covered the entire floor, and our clinic hallway had a leak dangerously close to our brand new digital scale,” she said.
“Well, all that has changed thanks to a grant provided by the Hot Springs Giving Circle! We now have a fully repaired and leak proof roof so that we can be functional and not worried about where the building will be
water soaked next.
“I am (very) happy to share with you that our roof is now fully repaired and leak proof thanks to your generous grant,” Culbreth said.
“I don’t have adequate words to thank you for this. Without the threat of losing use of rooms, damaged equipment, or having to step around tubs collecting water or the need to mop up the mess, we can resume functionality to fulfill our mission.”
The GCHS asked for funding for new equipment to be used in digitizing the history of Garland County, the release said.
“They do tremendous good for the community and the state (with) the historical stuff they have for people (who) wanna write books or just students that wanna learn about the history,” Elmore said. “They needed a better scanner to scan things that were much higher quality.”
“We are so grateful for this generous donation from the Giving Circle, which will help us to continue our important work of preserving and sharing the history of Garland County,” Liz Robbins, executive director of the historical society, said in an email.
The Mid-America Science Museum requested funds to replace an outdated sound system, which the museum’s Chief Executive Officer Diane LaFollette said was as old as the original construction of the building in the 1970s.
“The sound system that we have right now, most of it is original to the construction from 1979,” she said. “So, a lot of it is really out of date and quasi functional and sporadically functional as well. “
The new sound system, which she hopes will be installed within six months, will not only update the museum’s safety protocols, but also enhance the individual exhibits, LaFollette said.
“It’s important to be able to have a sound system for a lot of reasons,” she said.
“One of the foremost reasons is for safety, so we can make announcements across the entire museum in case of an emergency.
“But, from what I know from talking to people that worked with the museum back at the very beginning, early years when the museum was built, each gallery had a separate control for their sound system. So, the music in the galleries were customized to what was going on, what the experience was. So, as you’d walk through, you might hear different music, and it would just kinda set the scene,” LaFollette said.
“So, it just helps learning, assists with that. So, with this new system, (we’ll be) able to do that again.”
“Mid-America (brings) a lot of people into our community, and those people spend money in our community,” Elmore said. “They do a lot of educating. … We agreed that it was a good thing to do, and we gave them that because of that reason.”
“We’re very grateful that they have decided to award us,” LaFollette said. “This grant is something that we have needed to do for quite a while, and we really enjoy their support. We have enjoyed their support for years, and we’re just so grateful that they have elected to support us in this way.”
The Giving Circle receives applications from nonprofit organizations, and strives to accommodate each request they receive that meets the requirements of the organization, Elmore said.
“If it’s a nonprofit, and it’s a stable nonprofit, we don’t do startups, we don’t pay for payroll,” he said. “You have to be an operating, stable organization that’s run into a situation or an opportunity that helps you continue your work or expand your work in a better way.
“It’s just a great joy to give. You can’t receive if you don’t give. And we receive that joy by giving. You give to receive. That’s where it all starts.”