Foundation Announces Four ‘Wall’ Honorees

— Four people have been selected by the Rogers Public Education Foundation to be added to its Wall of Distinction this spring.

Chosen were Joye Kelley, Cpl. Aaron Mankin, David Matthews and Virginia Mocivnik.

The four will be honored at a fundraiser March 14 at the Embassy Suites, according to a news release. Tickets are $100 and will be available at Arvest branch locations starting Feb. 14. Tickets will be offered at a discount for current or retired Rogers teachers and staff.

Proceeds will help the foundation continue its mission to promote and enhance the quality of education in the community by raising money and distributing grants to teachers for additional materials or special classroom needs, according to the news release.

The names of those honored and their accomplishment will be mounted on the Wall of Distinction at Rogers High School and Rogers Heritage High School.

Kelley recently retired from the Rogers School Board after serving for 29 years, 20 as board president. During Kelley’s tenure, the Rogers School District built 14 schools, including a high school. She was an elementary teacher for 10 years, including three in the Rogers School District at Westside Elementary.

Mankin was a 2000 honors graduate of Rogers High School. While serving as a combat correspondent in Iraq, he was severely wounded when a bomb destroyed the amphibious assault vehicle in which he was riding. In 2006, he became the first patient in UCLA’s Operation Mend, a pioneering program that pairs military’s resources with the skills of UCLA Health System to heal military personnel wounded and disfigured in Iraq and Afghanistan. Mankin is a spokesman for Operation Mend and the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.

Matthews, a 1969 graduate of Rogers High School, is a partner in the law firm of Matthews, Campbell, Rhoads, McClure and Thompson. In 2001, Matthews served on the Arkansas Blue Ribbon Commission on Public Education. He also led the Rogers School District in its legal efforts to establish adequate funding for schools. Matthews received the Charles L. Carpenter Memorial Award from the Arkansas Bar Association in 1992, and the following year was named Outstanding Lawyer Citizen by the Arkansas Bar Foundation.

Mocivnik and her husband, John, arrived in Northwest Arkansas in the 1960s. They established Kedzie Transmissions, which is still in operation today, and Virginia Mocivnik became involved in philanthropic endeavors. Mocivnik was an early advocate for sports activities for girls in Rogers, creating leagues and training coaches herself. She was a founding member on the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport Authority Board of Directors and also worked to establish NorthWest Arkansas Community College. Mocivnik’s service inspired the Center for Non-Profits at St. Mary’s to name its lobby “Ginnie’s Place” in her honor.

For more information, contact Angie Tucker-Ridley at 479-381-0633 or [email protected].

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