Fort Smith Area Community Foundation
Plaza Suites at Central Mall, Room 502
5111 Rogers Avenue
Ft. Smith, AR 72903
479-484-5150 • fortsmitharea@arcf.org

Sherry Toliver, Executive Director

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Fort Smith Area Community Foundation was established in 1988 to address unmet community needs and build the philanthropic capacity of our community. We recently made $17,775.00 in grants to 12 local non-profit organizations through our signature Giving Tree program. Giving Tree Grants were awarded to:  The Crisis Intervention Center; Community Rescue Mission; Girls Shelter; Fort Smith Symphony; STEPS, Inc.; St. John's Sack Lunch program; Literacy Council of Western Arkansas; The Hope Chest; Fort Smith Little Theater; Fort Smith Christian Women's Job Corp.; Fort Smith Historical Society and the River Valley Regional Food Bank. The Women's Foundation of Arkansas was also awarded a grant to help sponsor 100 8th grade girls in Sebastian County's very first Girls of Promise Conference to be held in April at UAFS.

Judge William R. "Bud" Harper Memorial

Endowment Established

Fort Smith Area Community Foundation announced an endowment fund last year; established by the local Board to memorialize former Judge W.R. “Bud” Harper. The Harper family has given their blessing on this fund as a wonderful way to keep the spirit of our former Judge alive and well long after his death on March 28, 2012. This donor advised Fund will benefit Fort Smith Area Community Foundation’s operating endowment, ensuring support for educational opportunities and those causes that Bud Harper held near to his heart- projects that improve the quality of life in Fort Smith.

Judge Bud Harper served two terms on the Sebastian County Quorum Court, and was elected to the post of County Judge in 1983. He was also the Director of the Department of Emergency Management Services under Gov. Mike Huckabee. Fort Smith City Administrator Ray Gosack credits Harper with greatly improving the city’s emergency action plans.

Bud Harper was a member of the Fort Smith Area Community Foundation Board when he passed and the Board unanimously approved forming this fund in his honor, to benefit the city he loved and worked so hard for. Board Chairman David Craig said, “There is no better way to honor Bud than to put this fund in place to make sure the causes he cared about receive the support they deserve. He was a man of courage, a husband, a father, a mentor, and Judge: Bud positively affected the lives of thousands. We hope that this fund will do the same, year after year.”