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Junior Auxiliary Meets Needs of Children Through Grant
How $5 Can Last a Lifetime

                            Endowment Foundation of Greene County
                    An Arkansas Community Foundation Local Office

Agape House
This grant provided the curriculum utilized, which is mandatory for all Agape house clients, and which includes an overcomers class video series, 40 workbooks and miscellaneous educational materials. Agape House is a Christian transitional home for women coming out of addition.

Kelley Huffman, EFGC board member, presents a $1,340 check to Agape House. This grant will be used to provide the curriculum utilized, which is mandatory for all Agape House clients.  Agape House is a Christian transitional home for women coming out of addiction.

Calvary Care Center

Funds from this grant will help fund an after-school program for underpriviledged children.

CASA of the 2^nd Judicial District

Funds for these grants were used to recruit, train and retain volunteers to serve abused/neglected child victims in Greene County.

Center for Fathers and Families of Arkansas  

These grants will enhance a program for unemployed and underemployed men to gain better employment so that they can provide for their families without governmental assistance through providing a TV/VCR/DVD for training, supplemental training tapes and funds for personal items, as well as provide curriculum to Agape House residents.

Collins Theatre Foundation

Monies for these grants were used to repair the roof of the building and purchase new carpet for the lobby of this historic landmark building in Greene County, as well as new seat covers in the theatre.

Crowley’s Ridge Red Cross

A grant provided the equipment and materials for lifesaving training for the public so that they might prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.

Crowley’s Ridge Rural Health Coalition

The CRRHC bought a computer and a copier, fax and printer, which helped establish a Medicine Assistance Program to provide low-income residents of Greene County with a means to access prescription drugs with assistance from this grant.

East Side Baptist Church Child Development Center


Eastern Arkansas Ballet

This grant was used to assist in creating the set for the "Nutcracker" production.

Focus Adult Development Program 

Funds were used to repair worn carpet with tile flooring in a building which services individuals that use wheelchairs/walkers, or who are unstable on their feet. The second grant went toward providng a sensory stimulation center. Focus has been serving adults with developmental disabilities in Greene County since April 1998.

Girl Scouts of Crowley's Ridge Council 

Funds provide Girl Scouting to underpriviledged girls and adults in Greene County by offering scholarships for Girl Scout membership, pins and handbooks, allowing inclusion of those who wuld otherwise not be able to participate.

Greene County Courthouse Preservation Society

Money from this grant was used to customize a room in the upstairs portion of the old courthouse.

Greene County Museum of Paragould, Inc. 

This grant went toward replacing the existingcentral heat and air system in the museum. The monies in 2007 helped to purchase a new copier.

Greene County Rescue Squad

Grants were used to update and expand the capabilities and services that the squad provides. They have purchased a Res-Q-Jack Stabilization System, a Heavy Duty Rescue Impact Gun, a radio, 25E speedway blades for their Amkus hydraulic cutter, two rescue baskets, and a new laptop computer and software.

Greene County Scholarship Committee

This grant was used to purchase 75 chairs for seating of scholarship recipients, family, donors, presenters, and committee members for the scholarship presentation program held annually.

Greene County Single Parent Scholarship Foundation

Scholarships are provided to single parents obtaining a college education through a grant made to this organization.

Kelley Huffman  

This individual was awarded a grant to provide boxes and blankets to give to mothers who have lost a baby so that they will not have to leave the hospital with empty arms.

Habitat for Humanity

Funds are utilized to build simple, decent and affordable homes in partnership with those in need.

Junior Auxiliary

In 2002, this grant assisted with the Pediatric Partners Program, assisting kids during their stay at the Arkansas Methodist Medical Center. In 2004, the grant was used for medical assistance to needy children.

LifeHouse Ministries

Two of these grants have provided gently worn professional business clothing and image coaching for women in transition for their Care-er Closet. One provided funds for a mentoring program. In 2001, the grant was used to provide 9 car seats to clients of the Parenting Education Program. In 2007, the grant provided a Women's Resource Center for the Life Skills Program.

Main Street Paragould

Grants given to MSP help fund the Property Improvement Mini-Grant Program that provides financial and design assistance to downtown Paragould business and property owners that encourages them to make improvements to their buildings. The latest grant was used to landscape downtown areas.

Marmaduke Fire Department 

This grant was used to purchase an Automatic External Defibillator to enhance the equipment of the Marmaduke Fire Department.

Marmaduke Police Department 

This grant was used to purchase a Nibers computer for the patrol office.

Mission Outreach

The first grant funded a Children’s Program that enhanced emotional growth and social development of children. The second grant provided a mission clinic for Mission Outreach residents. The third helped purchase a computer for the Mission Outreach Charitable Clinic Pharmacy.

PAWS-Paragould Animal Welfare Society 

These grants have helped with four projects: the Spay/Neuter project, the Senior Citizen project, the Humane Education project, and the PAWS Up for LEARNING! Project.

Paragould Light Water & Cable

This grant helped fund American Heart Association "CPR Anytime" kit to teach area middle school students and their families CPR.

Senior BEES

Funds from this grant were used to provide assistance to the Meals on Wheels program, providing home delivery for elderly and disabled residents of Greene County.

Area 1 Special Olympics 

This grant will assist the Special Olympics program, allowing them to provide medals, meals and t-shirts to participants.

Upstage Repertory Theatre, Inc.

This grant allowed the theatre to produce and stage two dinner theatres in collaboration with the Greene County Senior BEES as a fund-raiser for their Meals on Wheels program.

JA MEETS NEEDS OF CHILDREN THROUGH GRANT

During her child’s visit to the hospital, a mother saw a need for the children that were admitted there. She then went about meeting that need. That need changed into a service that enlisted the help of a group of people and has already helped make the stay of a few hundred kids in the hospital a little easier. 

The need was discovered when a Junior Auxiliary provisional member’s child was admitted to the Arkansas Methodist Medical Center (AMMC). While her child stayed at the hospital, she realized there were no special activities for children or ways to help pass the time. As a result, the nine-member class voted to enact Pediatric Partners to supply VCRs, children’s videos and carepackets to make the hospital stay more fun for the children, said Allison Luter, Junior Auxiliary member.

Since its beginning, providing care packets has turned in to supplying VCRs, television carts, children’s videos, socks and sippy cups for the children to take home, said Luter. She estimates that the Junior Auxiliary has put together more than 450 care packets for the children. The nurses in the pediatric unit have pitched in to what one nurse called “a much-needed” program. The nurses automatically give a care packet to each child as they become admitted.  The VCRs and videos are always available for anyone who wants to use them.

“The reason we wanted to do it was because they didn’t have anything for children or their siblings. Parents can’t leave to get things (for their children). That led to the idea of gift packs instead of (the children) sitting in bed all day,” said Lora Laubach, Junior Auxiliary member.

The Junior Auxiliary raised money to supply the project and received donations from civic groups, businesses and private individuals. The group also won a grant from the Endowment Foundation of Greene County to begin the program.  All items were purchased and donated to AMMC, said Laubach.

 HOW $5 CAN LAST A LIFETIME

 When Hannah got some money from her Papa, most of it went toward the typical four-year-old Barbie paraphernalia and a pair of hot pink shorts, but $5 of it was set aside for a bigger purpose.  Hannah’s mommy gave the $5 to the Endowment Foundation of Greene County and put it into the grant endowment that her twin sister, Kelley, picked out for the purpose. The money was given close to Kelley’s St. Patrick’s Day birthday in honor of her unborn son, Noah Wayne, Hannah’s first cousin and the first boy to be born into the family in two generations. Hannah doesn’t understand endowments yet and can’t even say the word “philanthropy,” but she’s already honoring her little cousin, whom she delights in thinking about and can’t wait until he “chases her around with a worm in his hand.”

Kelley picked out the grant endowment because she liked the thought that the money would be going to organizations in Greene County in the form of grants. Since it was put into an endowment, that $5 is permanent and will continue to grow long into Noah’s lifetime, longer even than the time lasts where he chases his very feminine cousin around with his fist around his latest treasure found from digging in the yard.

Gifts given to endowments are a wonderful way to commemorate an occasion, honor a family member or friend, or just to surprise someone by giving to their favorite scholarship or charity. Any person can give any amount to any fund or endowment for any occasion, even a four-year-old giving to a baby she hasn’t even seen yet.