For Immediate Release:
Media Contacts
Amy Webb, Chief of Communications
amy.webb@dhs.arkansas.gov
Gavin Lesnick, Deputy Chief of Communications
gavin.lesnick.dhs@dhs.arkansas.gov
The Blue Umbrella Gift Shop Joins Little Rock Regional Chamber
(LITTLE ROCK, Ark.) — The Blue Umbrella on Tuesday celebrated its membership in the Little Rock Regional Chamber with an official ribbon cutting ceremony.
Guests gathered outside of the gift shop, which sells one-of-a-kind, handmade products made by local artisans with intellectual and developmental disabilities, to celebrate the occasion. The event featured a ceremonial ribbon cutting and remarks from Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) Division of Developmental Disabilities Services Director Melissa Stone and Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr.
“We encourage people to come and support people with disabilities,” Stone told a small crowd gathered outside the shop for the ribbon cutting. “We have beautiful items in the store and we are so excited to be a part of this today.”
The Blue Umbrella employs nearly 200 clients from DHS’s human development centers and individual community providers across the state, and it has generated more than $43,000 to date. Proceeds from the sales at the shop go directly to the artisans who make the products and work in the store.
The gift shop is open Monday – Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. On Friday, May 14th, the gift shop will be extending its hours to be open from noon until 8 p.m. as part of Downtown Little Rock Partnership’s Second Friday Art Night.
Photos/Video: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1QMC64cA42TSkvVp5SH9vd7ZALMWomkby?usp=sharing
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