FAYETTEVILLE - With the help of Life Styles, Inc., Andrea Sharp is pretty independent.
Sharp lives in a duplex with her husband, and despite being developmentally disabled, the 46-year-old has a job - two in fact. She works at Old Navy and Toys R Us and enjoys both jobs and the different responsibilities that come with them.
At Old Navy, “I check if anything is out of the ordinary, and put it back where it’s supposed to be,” Sharp explains. “They have different ways of folding, and however that one garment is folded, you have to fold it in that one direction.”
At Toys R Us, “I do maintenance, making sure the restrooms look good, sweep, mop, trash,” Sharp adds. “If I get done, I help put things up on shelves.”
Over the course of the last 20-plus years, Sharp has held many jobs in Northwest Arkansas, which have been arranged through partnerships with Life Styles. Founded by Carol Hart in 1976, the nonprofit organization operates under the philosophy that all members of society can make apositive impact and that, if given the chance, they can contribute to their communities. It was founded as an alternative to group homes and institutions that separated the disabled from the community.
During its history, Life Styles has partnered with companies in the retail, food and service industries throughout the region. Life Styles operates a car wash (3010 W. Walnut St. in Rogers), which provides steady employment for clients and revenue for the organization.
It also has long offeredsupported-living assistance, allowing clients to live independently. Many of them live alone in apartments, cook their meals, do their laundry, even manage their bank accounts.
“We all want our children to be independent,” says Sharp’s mother, Ann Fulton of Tontitown. “Andrea needs help, and [her husband] Paul does too, and I do certain things, but it’s not like she’s absolutely dependent on me for whatever she needs. Life Styles helps a lot.”
Fulton, a member of the Life Styles board of directors, has been involved with the organization since the late 1980s. During that time, she says, the organization’s core programs have stayed mostly the same - arranging workopportunities and training, and providing living assistance - but there are now a lot more activities for clients.
Art is a big part of that, created at places like Life Styles’ Blair Center, 5200 S. Thompson St. in Springdale. So are weekend activities, likethe recent day-long train ride from Springdale to Van Buren Andrea took with friends.
“I cannot imagine, really, what Andrea’s life would have been like or what my life would have been like without Life Styles,” Fulton says. “It would have been phenomenally different. … It’s an amazing organization. They squeeze a buck, to get the most out of it.”
Life Styles’ largest annual fundraiser, the 24th annual Polo in the Ozarks, will be Sept. 7 in Goshen. The organization says it is the oldest charitable event in Northwest Arkansas, as well as its only polo match.
It features dinner, drinks, dancing, and activities for children. There’s a “best hat” contest for women and “best bow tie” contest for men, and opportunities for spectators to stomp on divots left on the playing field, in true polo tradition.
Tickets to the match are $25 for adults and $10 for children, while tickets to the gala and match are $100 for adults, $25 for children, and $150 for a VIP ticket. All funds raised go toward Life Styles’ general operating fund.
“It’s really amazing to seeall those people that go out to it,” Fulton says. “It’s a really good event. People have a good time. We’ve had some phenomenal support.”
Sharp has served as aspokesman at Polo of the Ozarks in the past. One year, she gave a speech, and then led the crowd in the “Life Styles cheer,” imploring them to shout, “ L-I-F-E-S-T-Y-L-E-S!”
“That was pretty cool,” Sharp says.
For more information about Life Styles, Inc., call (479) 521-3581 or visit lifestylesinc.org.
Northwest Profile, Pages 108 on 08/25/2013