ROGERS — For Alex Cornet’s family, having a place like the Jones Center for Families made moving to Northwest Arkansas much easier.
After Cornet was transferred to the area in 1995, his four children became regulars at the Springdalebased Jones Center. Cornet learned of the center’s existence shortly after his move, and his family quickly wound up going there all the time, for everything from athletic activities to birthday parties.
“My love affair with the Jones Center started very personally,” says Cornet, who lives in Fayetteville and is a field sales director with General Mills. “It meant a lot. Back in 1995, the market wasn’t nearly as developed as it is now, and so it was a very attractive offering for my family. The Jones Center was vital for us.”
More than a decade after his move, Cornet was asked to be on the Jones Center’s development council, on behalf of General Mills. He eagerly said yes, and has been on the council for four years.
Many of the peopleCornet works with moved to the area from other sections of the country, and he is quick to recommend they stop by the Jones Center. The 220,000-square-foot facility has several amenities that aren’t easy to find in Northwest Arkansas - things that make the transition to a new home smoother.
“It has things you wouldn’t think about - like the ice-skating rink, for example,” Cornet says. “Our corporate offices are in Minneapolis, and guess what? There’s a lot of ice in Minneapolis, a lot of skat-ing opportunities. There’s not so many skating opportunities in Northwest Arkansas. There’s a couple folks on our team that are part of a hockey league that is hosted by the Jones Center on their rink.”
The nonprofit Jones Center opened in 1995, when the late Bernice Jones launched it following the sale of Jones Truck Lines. In addition to the ice rink, it has a swimming pool, gymnasium, computer center, classrooms and conference rooms.
Nearly all of its services were free of charge until fees were instituted in 2008. In recent years, financial difficulties have forced the center to cut services and eliminate staff members, but its operating body, the Jones Trust, hopes that a series of moveswill have it on more solid footing in the future.
Former Bentonville/Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce director Ed Clifford took over as the trust’s executive director in July. The center will be kicking off a membership drive Oct. 1, with family memberships costing $300 annually, and there are scholarships available to assist with costs.
The center has also replaced terminated programs by working with collaborative partners, such as coordinating with the Red Cross to teach first aid.
“Things are going very well,” says Kelly Kemp-McLintock, the center’s chief advancement officer. “Ed brings greater visibility, wonderful leadership and connections to the center.”
The same day the membership drive is launched, Springdale Country Club will be home to the sixth annual Friends of the Jones Center Golf Outing. Ron Brophy, also of General Mills, is the chairman of the event for the second consecutive year.
The golf outing has been sold out for months and has already surpassed its fundraising goal of $100,000, which will go toward the Jones Center’s annual $3 million operating budget. Kemp-McLintock credits the surge in interest to the involvement of event host Scott Huff, a Wal-Mart executive, which has brought in added corporate support.
“The recognition [Huff] brings has really brought a greater level of awareness for the Jones Center,” Kemp-McLintock says.
For more information about the Jones Ce.nter, call (479) 756-8090 or visit
thejonescenter.net
.
Northwest Profile, Pages 35 on 09/23/2012