The recent blast of ice and snow that rocked Northwest Arkansas led to a blizzard of postponements and cancellations, including many events that had been intended as fundraisers for various charities and other worthy causes.
Among them was the Jingle Mingle, an annual event by the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas. Jingle Mingle, held annually for at least 15 years, brings donors together with scholarship winners, said Jody Dilday, executive director. Many donors take the opportunity to make a gift to the organization.
At A Glance
White Christmas?
The probability of a white Christmas for Northwest Arkansas in any given year is somewhere between 5 percent and 10 percent, according to the National Climatic Data Center. The last time Northwest Arkansas had a white Christmas — defined as at least 1 inch of snow on the ground on Christmas morning — was in 1990. Fayetteville’s record high temperature for Christmas is 72 degrees, set in 1955. The record low is minus 8, set in 1983.
Source: National Weather Service
The charity, which raises about $350,000 per year for scholarships, typically raises between $15,000 and $20,000 during the event, Dilday said. This year’s Jingle Mingle had been planned for Dec. 5, the day the storm began.
“We’re still seeing contributions coming in the mail,” she said. “The disappointing part is the time and effort that went into planning, and it’s the highlight of our year to celebrate with our supporters and like-minded people.”
The event will not be rescheduled. More than 250 people had planned to attend, Dilday said.
The Arts Center of the Ozarks in Springdale was forced to reschedule its Breakfast with Santa from Dec. 7 to Saturday. The postponement didn’t affect turnout; only a few people had to cancel, and the event still sold out, said Erin West, the arts center’s director of operations.
But rearranging the event was a major task. At least 40 calls had to be made to notify sponsors and volunteers involved, West said. The new date for Breakfast with Santa also posed complications because it fell between Friday night’s and Saturday night’s showings of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.” That would make setting up for the event a challenge, West said Wednesday.
“It will be a lot of work, but a lot of fun as well,” she said. Proceeds from the event benefit the arts center’s children’s programming throughout the year.
The weather forced smaller groups to change plans, too.
Nineteen University of Arkansas childhood education graduate students had to cancel a bake sale they had planned for Dec. 7. The proceeds would have gone toward buying school supplies for teachers in Joplin, Mo., who are moving into a new elementary school built after a devastating tornado destroyed their school in May 2011. It was part of a larger service-learning project the students are doing with the Joplin teachers.
“The students have taken the initiative to plan this,” said Angela Elsass, a clinical assistant professor of childhood education. “They were all going to bake and package and work the bake sale themselves. They were very disappointed it had to be canceled.”
Weather also took a toll on the J.B. Children’s Christmas Train, hosted annually by the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad. The train ride went ahead as planned on Dec. 7, but the snow and ice kept many people from attending.
The Children’s Safety Center in Springdale is one of the groups that receives money from the Christmas Train.
“We’re not going to get as much money from it this year,” said Emily Rappe, the center’s development director. “It’s a real bummer that not many people were able to come out.”
The Ugly Sweater Run, a 5-kilometer race associated with the Christmas Train, had to be canceled.
Among those hurt most by the weather was the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, which was closed for a week.
“Our donations were affected because we couldn’t put our trucks out on the road,” said Carrie Harlow, office manager. “Our agencies couldn’t come in to pick up food, so they had to cancel their food pantries.”
Some area food drives that would have benefited the food bank were canceled by the weather as well, she said. The food bank serves Benton, Washington, Madison and Carroll counties. It distributed 6.4 million pounds of food last year. This year, the food bank passed that number at the end of November.
“We have a short window before Christmas to get as many food drives and donations out that we can. There’s been increased demand this year,” Harlow said.
The weather didn’t disrupt everyone’s plans. The Mercy Health Foundation Charity Ball went as scheduled Dec. 7, one day after the storm left the region. About 1,400 people turned out, according to Jessica Eldred, a Mercy spokeswoman.
“In the middle of ice and snow, with their fancy dresses and tuxes in tow,” Eldred said. “It ended up being a wonderful time.”
The 20th annual event, held at the John Q. Hammons Center in Rogers, raised more than $900,000 for the foundation. Singer and songwriter Jewel flew into Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport and performed about eight songs at the ball.
“She did an a cappella version of ‘O Night Divine.’ It was amazing,” Eldred said.
One of the latest big events to be canceled by weather was the Bentonville Christmas Parade, which had been set for Saturday morning. Parade organizers and officials announced the decision Friday after reviewing current and predicted weather conditions, according to a news release from Downtown Bentonville Inc. The parade will not be rescheduled.