Calendar - Special Events

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Together, UNITED, we can inspire hope and create opportunities for a better tomorrow. That is what it means to LIVE UNITED.

United Way of Northeast Arkansas invites you to be part of the change by volunteering for the 18^th Annual Day of Caring on October 8. The Campaign Kickoff Celebration begins at 8:00 at the St. Bernards Auditorium where breakfast will be served to volunteers from 8:00 – 9:00. Lunch for our volunteer workers will also be served at the Auditorium from 12:00 – 2:00. Projects will be ongoing throughout the day.

United Way of Northeast Arkansas has organized the community-wide Day of Caring since 1993, providing area residents with volunteer opportunities of all kinds. On this special day, more than 500 volunteers come together to make an impact by completing projects at local non-profit organizations. Projects in the past have included repairing playground equipment, building shelves, yard work, and painting. Groups and individuals can work all day or only in the morning or afternoon. To participate, contact Carole Damron at carole.damron@unitedway.org .

Show your team spirit by designing a t-shirt incorporating the Day of Caring logo! You will be able to download the logo from the website at www.uwnea.org .

United Way of Northeast Arkansas is working to advance the common good by focusing on education, income and health. These are the building blocks for a good life – a quality education that leads to a stable job, enough income to support a family through retirement and good health. You are invited to be part of the change.

Give. Advocate. Volunteer. LIVE UNITED.

One of the best things about starting a new school year is buying shiny new school supplies. Imagine going to school without them. Unfortunately for many kids, that is exactly what they experience. That's why United Way of Northeast Arkansas has joined forces with KAIT8, Jonesboro Radio Group and Crowley’s Ridge Development Council to “Stuff the Bus” on August 7 with school supplies for kids in need throughout Northeast Arkansas. By donating school supplies, everyone can contribute to a successful school year, with each child having the needed supplies to excel.

Through “Stuff the Bus”, not a single crayon or eraser is wasted. The donations are maximized by distributing items directly to each school. There, a supply closet is accessed throughout the school year by teachers or other staff for their students who don’t have what they need to complete an assignment. All supplies collected are delivered directly to the area schools in time for the start of the school year.

The first United Way of NEA “Stuff the Bus” was held August 13, 2005 with 2 schools in the Newport and Corning areas. The program has grown rapidly in its first years and will benefit more than 19 schools this year in Northeast Arkansas.

Please contact your school Guidance Counselor to access the supplies.

Here’s how you can get involved and join the LIVE UNITED movement:

• GIVE. Donate school supplies at any of 9 Wal-Mart stores throughout NEA on Saturday, August 7 between 9:00a.m. and 4:00p.m. including Jonesboro (Parker Road and Highland Drive), Corning, Newport, Paragould, Pocahontas, Trumann, Walnut Ridge and Wynne.
• ADVOCATE. Tell your friends about this important project.
• VOLUNTEER. Contact Paula Robertson via e-mail (paula.robertson@unitedway.org) or telephone (870-935-3658) at United Way of Northeast Arkansas.
• ADVANCE THE COMMON GOOD. Create opportunities for a better life for all by providing students with necessary supplies.

Join United Way of Northeast Arkansas and the Metro Rotary Club for the 8^th Annual Gary Schuchardt 5K Run/Walk to be held on Saturday, June 5! This ChampionChip timed event will be held at Craighead Forest Park and is known as the most popular trail run in Northeast Arkansas. Passing through some of the park’s most beautiful areas, the 5k course winds around the lake and through the forest. Participants will enjoy refreshments before and after the race, as well as water along the trail.

Individual participants will receive a goody bag and a t-shirt. To learn more and receive the shirt size of your choice, pre-register online at www.uwnea.org before June 4th. The online pre-registration cost is $17.50, and the paper version cost is $20. You may also register the day of the race from 7:00a.m.—7:45. The registration cost on the day of the race is $25 and t-shirts will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. The race will begin promptly at 8:00a.m.

The organizers of the race also encourage team competition as an added dimension of the event. Some of the guidelines for team competition include designating a Team Leader who recruits walkers and challenges each member to raise at least $25 with a team goal of at least $250. Corporate Team awards include the team with the most walkers at the race, team with the best t-shirt, and the team raising the most money. Corporate team winners will also be recognized in The Sun. All corporate team participants raising at least $15 will receive a goody bag, and those who raise $25 or more will receive a Gary Schuchardt 5K T-Shirt. The corporate team member who raises the most money will receive a $100 gift card to Gearhead Outfitters. More information about corporate teams is also available at the website.

Thanks to the generosity of the race sponsors, every dollar raised from the race will help United Way of Northeast Arkansas to further increase its reach and impact on the community through the 26 programs it supports in Clay, Craighead, Cross, Greene, Jackson, Lawrence, Poinsett and Randolph counties. The proceeds from the race also fund the Gary Schuchardt Memorial Scholarship, which is awarded annually by the Metro Rotary Club. All of this is done in the memory of a community leader whose life was cut short, but whose legacy will carry on.

United Way of Northeast Arkansas is located at 407 Union in Jonesboro, where it is working to advance the common good by focusing on education, income and health. These are the building blocks of a good life – a quality education that leads to a stable job, enough income to support a family through retirement, and good health. Its goal is to create long-lasting changes that prevent problems from happening in the first place. Together, we can inspire hope and create opportunities for a better tomorrow. That is what it means to LIVE UNITED.

For more information, contact Daniel Robinson at 870-933-3137 or Paula Robertson at 870-935-3658, or visit www.uwnea.org .