Helping those who help others

Area Northwest Arkansas nonprofit organizations provide community residents important services 365 days of the year. Here’s a chance to help them help others.

Arkansas Support Network

6836 Isaac’s Orchard Road, Springdale
927-4100
Opportunity: ‘Adopt’
Anyone interested in “adopting” a child or adult with special needs for the holidays can contact LaDonna Meredith at lmeredith@supports.org or call 756-5026. Items needed for
30 adults include socks, underwear, shoes, jeans, shirts and games. Items needed for 36 children include socks, shoes, underwear, jeans, shirts, games and toys.

Arts Center Of The Ozarks

214 S. Main St., Springdale
751-5441
Opportunity: Donations
Kathi Blundell, ACO administrative director, requests contributions to the general fund, “which is used for all sorts of programs and events, from buying lumber to turning on the lights to providing art classroom supplies to paying royalties to offering classroom scholarships for children — and so much more.”
Also requested are donations toward purchasing a new phone system and toward upgrading the computer and box office system, along with four office chairs, copy paper by the case and rolls of 44-cent and 28-cent stamps.

Arts Live Theatre

818 N. Sang Ave., Fayetteville
521-4932
Opportunity: Donations
Among the practical presents requested by Arts Live are a Brother LC61 printer ink (all colors); Epson 69 (all colors); paper towels (bulk rolls); copy paper (white); toilet paper (bulk rolls); shop vac; three-prong folders; carpet shampooer; mini DV tapes; recordable DVDs and CDs; trash bags (13 gallon); water cooler jugs (Culligan 1.9 liters); and 6-foot folding tables.

B&B Fund Drive

596 Oakridge Road, Rogers
936-8708
Opportunities: volunteer, provide food, gifts
The organization will have its 19th annual Christmas dinner at the Church of Christ Activity Center, 904 N.W. Eighth St. in Bentonville.
Donations are sought of such foods as canned vegetables, baked beans, green beans, sweet peas, corn, instant or whole potatoes, canned milk, meats such as ham, turkey and chicken, breads and desserts such as cakes, pies and cookies.
Toys for boys and girls from birth to 16 years of age also are sought.

Benton County

Sunshine School

3400 Woods Lane, Rogers/Little Flock
636-3190
Opportunity: Donations
Among the items requested by the staff of the Sunshine School are art supplies, paints, markers, dry erase markers, glue sticks, construction paper, pipe cleaners, etc.; preschool age books, puzzles, games, baby dolls and balls (soft); wet wipes; facial tissue; waterproof Band-Aids; latexfree medical gloves (all sizes); plastic spoons; paper cups; hydrocortisone cream; triple antibiotic cream; Clorox wipes; teacher appreciation gifts; and food items for needy families who have children attending the school.

Big Brothers Big Sisters

Of Northwest Arkansas

Harvey Jones Health & Education Building,
610 E. Emma Ave. Suite D, Springdale
756-5683
Opportunity: The Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Arkansas organization is in need of the following items for its sitebased programs in Bentonville and Siloam Springs:
Games — Connect Four, Mancala, Guess Who, puzzles
(100 pieces or less), flash cards, word puzzle books (Mad Libs, word search, crosswords, etc.), chess, Candy Land, Sorry, checkers, Battleship, card games (Uno, Old Maid, Go Fish, etc.), decks of cards, or any elementary-age appropriate board game.
Craft items — washable markers, yarn, construction paper, stamps/stamp markers, coloring books, activity books, paint and paint brushes, stencils and glue sticks
Supplies, etc. — Ziploc bags for game pieces and craft items, ink cartridges for HP 60 printer, Wal-Mart gift cards with which to purchase match photos, and Rubbermaid containers in which to store games.
Donations may be dropped off between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the Big Brothers Big Sisters NWA office located in the Harvey Jones Health & Education Building, 610 E. Emma Ave. Suite D in Springdale.

Botanical Garden

Of The Ozarks

4703 N. Crossover Road, Fayetteville
750-2620
Opportunities: Fencing, money, volunteers
Ron Cox, executive director, says fencing for the garden — “something to help keep the critters out” is needed. There is also a need for dollars (about $35,000) and volunteers to finish the Reading Railroad section of the garden. Also needed are volunteers and dollars (about $30,000) for a butterfly house scheduled to open in summer 2011.

Elizabeth Richardson

Center

3917 S. Old Missouri Road, Springdale
872-1800
Opportunities: Crafts, CDs, CPR
ERC adult clients can use craft supplies (colored paper, paints, brushes). Residential needs include blankets, comforters, pillows, dishes, kitchen/cooking items, 200-piece puzzles, crayons, CDs by country artists. Organizational gifts that will benefit all ERC programs include items for the sensory room at Life Skills, Wii games for exercise and entertainment, an Xbox 360 for the Life Skills day program, CPR mannequins for training purposes (both baby and adult sizes), four automated electric defibrillators (for adults) and four automated electric defibrillators (for children).

Habitat For Humanity

Of Washington County

1421 E. 15th St., Fayetteville
575-9696
Mission: Habitat for Humanity of Washington County was founded in 1992. It is an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. The mission of Habitat is by putting faith into action, Habitat for Humanity of Washington County empowers individuals and families to break the cycle of poverty through partnership one house at a time.
Habitat builds and rehabs houses for extremely low income individuals who cannot qualify for a conventional mortgage through a bank. Homeowners are selected based upon income, need for adequate shelter and desire to partner with Habitat by performing a minimum of 300 hours of sweat equity toward building their own home and other Habitat homes. Houses are financed by Habitat with a no interest loan.
Opportunities: The organization needs a Kubota Tractor with a minimum of 30 HP that has the backhoe attachment. The agency also has two houses under construction in Fayetteville for which additional funding is needed to complete. The financial need for each house is approximately $50,000. Additionally, the organization can always use donations of appliances, furniture, doors, windows, and miscellaneous building materials for our ReStore.

Life Styles Inc.

2471 W. Sycamore St., Fayetteville
521-3581
Opportunity: Personal presents
Life Styles clients and staff can use picture frames (all sizes), art supplies (art brushes, paint, canvases), sewing/quilting supplies (needles, fiber fill, batting, fabric), beading supplies (wire, glass beads), sheets, towels, decorative apartment items (pictures/paintings), personal items (body soap, shampoo), cleaning supplies, office supplies, ice cooler on wheels and sleeping bags.

Mashburn Scholarship

Foundation

1765 N. College Ave., Suite 9, Fayetteville
582-1936
Opportunity: Scholarship Santas
The foundation’s wish is to be able to award 24 scholarships ($1,000 per semester). Other needs include office supplies and printing costs.

The NWA Center

For Equality

Fayetteville
966-9014
Mission: A grassroots movement to achieve full equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in Northwest Arkansas.
Opportunities: The Community Center seeks contributions to the general operating fund to advance a variety of services such as peer support, events, educational activities, HIV testing and counseling and a youth program that offers a safe space free from discrimination. General office supplies are also needed such as reams of paper, card stock, postage, trash bags, Post-its, etc. Sterile gloves are needed for HIV testing. Larger items needed include a laptop and a shredder.

Northwest Arkansas

Children’s Shelter

Bentonville
795-2417
Opportunity: Expanding Horizons support
The Children’s Shelter is requesting support of the nonprofit agency’s Expanding Horizons program. This program helps the children in the shelter’s care throughout the year to participate in fun activities that help them learn to manage fear and stress while also building selfesteem. Support for Expanding Horizons will help meet growing needs year-round for the more than
470 children the shelter serves.
Gift cards to the any of the following businesses are appreciated: Walmart, JCPenney, Payless Shoes, Target, Old Navy, Hobby Lobby, Build-A-Bear, Malco theaters, Lewis & Clark, Borders, Barnes & Noble, Jump Zone, Fun City, Chuck E. Cheese, Silver Dollar City, Great Day Skate Place.
Yearly magazine subscriptions to such publications as National Geographic Kids, Sports Illustrated Kids, Highlights for Children and Teen Voices also are appreciated.

Northwest Arkansas

Food Bank

1378 June Self Drive in Bethel Heights
872-8774 ext. 200
Opportunity: The Northwest Arkansas Food Bank is accepting donations of its most needed food items. Items include canned meat, canned vegetables, fruit cups, macaroni and cheese, cereal, dry beans, rice, boxed dinners and dry milk powder.
The food bank provides meals to more than 100,000 people each year. Donations may be dropped off at the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, 1378 June Self Drive, in Bethel Heights from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Monetary donations may be made through www. nwafoodbank.org. For every $1 donated, the food bank can provide five meals.

Northwest Arkansas

Women’s Shelter

Rogers
246-9999
Opportunity: “Adopt A Family”
The organization has an adopt-a-family program every year in which people who want to donate can call the office at 479-246-9999, and the staff will match a family in need with the donor. The donor then buys the gifts from a list the agency provides, wraps them, and delivers them to the shelter by Dec. 23. The “adopted” families are all people who have stayed in shelter with them in the last year.
General shelter needs include socks and underwear for women and children, all sizes; dry foods such as cereal, crackers, peanut butter, pasta; children’s art supplies; pajamas for women and children, all sizes.

Pagnozzi Charities
2828 E. Millennium Drive, Suite 1, Fayetteville
443-2550
Project: Adopt a Player
In the last two years, Pagnozzi Charities has successfully raised more than $7,000 in its Adopt a Player campaign, which has helped more than 140 children play sports. Again this year, the organization is asking for a donation of $50, which is the average amount of one scholarship per child. This donation will help a child play his or her chosen sport or give them the proper equipment to meet their needs. For a donation of $500, an individual or company can adopt an entire team (10 youth).
In return for a donation, the donor will receive a “thank you” card from a child as well as a Pagnozzi Charities logo Christmas ornament.

Pathfinder Inc. Northwest Arkansas Skills Training Center
1004 S.E. Fifth St., Bentonville
254-6717
Opportunity: Donations
Among the items needed at Pathfinder’s centers in Bentonville and Cave Springs are a Leas chair, swing and stand for adults with disabilities for calming and soothing; 150 gallery profile canvases; assorted colors of acrylic paint (for Pathfinder’s yearly Art Walk fundraiser); a passenger van with wheelchair lift; a washer and dryer; a refrigerator; two pallet jacks; a motorized pallet jack; and outdoor pavilion; a covered walkway for loading and unloading vans; a 24-foot bob truck with a Tommy Lift; and six microwaves.

Peace At Home
Fayetteville
444-8310
Opportunity: Among the items identified as needed most critically are African-American hair products, alarm clocks, baby items, batteries for toys and safes in rooms, bedding — twin and full — bras (all sizes in A, B and C cups), can openers, cleaning supplies, cooking utensils, deodorant, diapers (size 4, 5 and 6), dish sets, dry erase markers, file folder fasteners, full-size bottles of shampoo and conditioner, gift cards, hair coloring, hair dryers, hairspray, lamps, laundry baskets, manila folders, miscellaneous medicine cabinet supplies, night lights, paper clips, pillows, pots/pans, printer paper, pullup diapers, silverware, trash bags, vacuum cleaners, washcloths, women’s panties, sizes 5 through 8.

Rogers Historical Museum
322 S. Second St., Rogers
621-1154
Opportunity: Practical presents
The museum needs a pallet jack and a new microwave, “a high energy one that heats quicker.”

Rogers Little Theater
116 S. Second St., Rogers
631-8988
Opportunity: Donations
What better way to give to RLT this season than to offer funding necessary to provide students ages 6 to 20 with live theater experiences, including classes, club meetings, camps and stage performances, says Richard Dean Prudenti, the organization’s president.
“A sponsor would enable us to finalize the scope and scale of a youth enrichment program according to a vision that includes hiring professional and experienced teaching artists to interact, inspire, organize and effectively lead children in true artistic learning experiences as well as reinforce educational topics so that our performance art is relevant to our community. Our greatest funding need is for a Spotlight Studio so students can rehearse and build their skills in downtown Rogers, then take the spotlight on stage inside the Victory Theater.”
RLT also seeks sponsorships for the Daytime Performances/ Classroom Series — $5,000 per two performances of a production.
Finally, RLT would like a $2,500 ticket sponsor.

Shiloh Museum Of Ozark History
118 W. Johnson Ave. in Springdale
750-8165
Opportunity: Donations
On the museum’s wish list are historically accurate reproductions for education programs: A wooden washboard, one large and one small wooden wash tub, two wooden buckets, a child’s wooden yoke and a child’s-size and a full-size magic lantern.
For collections care, the museum staff requests a canister vacuum with attachments, a rolling metal shelf unit and garment racks. The research library could use a portable, lightweight microfilm reader, used or new. For landscaping, seven onequart size “Big Bluestem” grass packages would be useful.

Single Parent Scholarship Fund Of Northwest Arkansas
610-A E. Emma Ave., Suite D, Springdale
756-5683
Opportunity: Leaders are encouraging readers to honor their loved one by giving the gift of education, through the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas. Gifts can be accepted online at www.spsfnwa.org, or at the mailing address is 601 W. Dickson St., Suite 2, Fayetteville, AR 72701.

Spay Arkansas
Fayetteville (working to establish a spay and neuter clinic in Springdale)
442-7472
www.spayarkansas.org
Opportunity: Pay for a spay.
Through the Pay for a Spay program, a gift of $25 will fix a cat and $35 will spay or neuter a dog. So many people enjoy the companionship of a furry friend, especially the elderly, and yet on a fixed income they are unable to pay for this service, a board member noted. The gift can be a way to memorialize a family pet that has died this year. Individuals also can participate in Pay For a Day in which $1,000 will take care of up to 30 spays or neuters.

TheatreSquared
505 W. Spring St., Fayetteville
445-6333
“A Poem for Santa” Martin Miller, managing director, has written T2’s Christmas list this way: Dear Santa, It’s true we’ve asked for plenty but read on, sir, have no fear, we’ve only just a couple things we hope you’ll bring this year… Some AIRLINE MILES for artists who hail from coast to coast; a USED CAR to transport them when, in cold, they need it most; Some LUMBER to build stunning sets, and PAINT to make them shine; and a WASHER/DRYER COMBO might save us a little time… But really, Santa, most of all, we ask no more of you then just to keep seats full of folks who love the things we do.

Trike Theatre
107 N.W. Second St., 116 W. Central Ave., Bentonville
(866) 331-3681
Opportunities: Trike Theatre, NWA’s professional theatre for youth, needs supplies for its Pre-K Dramatic Book Club program. Trike brings books alive and builds early literacy skills through dramatic read-aloud experiences. Items needed include heavy duty plastic foot lockers with built-in wheels, two iPods and Phillips portable speaker docks for iPod, two portable laptop computers, new and gently used costumes, hats and other clothing props, miniature toy figurines, craft supplies such as acrylic paints (water base), foam brushes, markers, pencils, paper, etc., Duck Tape (assorted colors and styles), assorted fabric, assorted puppets, reusable name tags, three 5×7 solid color carpets, card stock and letter-sized printing paper, print cartridges: Dell MK991color and MK990 black ink, both series 9; children’s books (Donors can request a list by sending an e-mail t info@ triketheatre.org.) A big dream is a delivery truck for taking arts-integrated early literacy programs on the road.

Victory Walk Inc.
1200 N. 40th St., Springdale
479-365-2600
Opportunities: The nonprofit organization’s holiday wish list is for money for scholarship to help with the cost of therapy for clients wanting to come to Victory Walk, Inc. — Spinal Cord Injury Recovery Center. Cost for an hour of therapy is about $65 per hour out-ofpocket expense for clients with spinal cord injuries.

* With thanks to Becca Bacon Martin, Brandi Guthrie Sellers and Debbie Miller for their hard work.