LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Community service is among the ways to preserve the culture, beauty and quality of life of a respective area.
And the importance of Arkansans using their gifts or talents to serve others was on full display Thursday afternoon in the Wally Allen Ballroom of the Statehouse Convention Center.
The Department of Human Services (DHS) Division of Community Service and Nonprofit Support (DCSNS), the office of Governor Asa Hutchinson and the Arkansas Municipal League awarded 12 cities with the Arkansas Volunteer Community of the Year Award.
Of the 31 municipalities which applied for COYA, the communities that received the honor were: Benton, Bentonville, Cherokee Village, Clarkridge, Fayetteville, Greenbrier, Heber Springs, Little Rock, Maumelle, McNeil, Mountain Home, and Van Buren. A panel of citizens from across the state served on the selection committee.
“It was an honor to participate in an event that celebrates what makes Arkansas such a special place: its people,” said DCSNS Program Recognition Specialist, Kimberly Simpson. “The Arkansas Volunteer Community of the Year Award is about the citizens and a willingness to do their part to assure that their particular town or city is a wonderful place to live.”
At the ceremony, which was held in front of several hundred members of the Arkansas Municipal League (AML), representatives from each of the 12 communities received a commemorative plaque. Additionally, Hutchinson commended members of the AML during a keynote address.
“We’re a state comprised of growing cities, but we’re also comprised of those small communities which are so critical to our state, to our way of life, and to our sense of community,” he said. “You are key to that success and to that (positive) future for our state. Thank you for what you do.”
The DCSNS promotes and supports volunteerism in the private, nonprofit, and governmental sectors as a means of enhancing the quality of life for all Arkansans. Each year, the division recognizes communities that band together in serving its neighbors. Winners typically have overcome obstacles such as limited funding for projects, taking a new approach to an old problem or recovering from natural disasters.
CUTLINE
Shown in the photo is Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson addressing members of the Arkansas Municipal League during an event at the Wally Allen Ballroom of the Statehouse Convention Center.