Companies Help Students Through Partnership Program

SPRINGDALE— Karen Whitley said she feels like the community cares about her because of the church that contributes to her and her classmates at school.

Companies and organizations in Northwest Arkansas can partner with schools in Springdale through the Partners In Education program, said Chris Stecklein, executive director of the Springdale Public Schools Education Foundation.

The program is part of the foundation and helps organizations partner with schools to help students. The partnering organizations pay the cost for anything they do to help the schools, he said.

At A Glance

Partners

Some Companies and Organizations Partnered With Springdale Schools. There are about 150 partnerships. Not all companies and organizations are listed.

• First United Methodist Church

• Zaxby’s

• First Tee of Northwest Arkansas

• Legacy National Bank

• Cross Pointe Church

• J.V. Manufacturing

• Ronald McDonald Care Mobile

• Walton Arts Center

• Schlotzsky’s

• University of Arkansas Early Childhood Classes

• Tyson Foods

• Arvest Bank

• Harps Food Stores

• Multi-Craft Contractors

• Cox Communications

• First Security Bank

• Horace Mann Insurance

Source: Staff Report

“It’s not about money,” he said. “It’s about time. It’s all about the people.”

Cross Pointe Church helped George Elementary School during Christmas this year by donating stockings and stocking stuffers to students, said Jayme Kain, music teacher at George. Every student in the school got a stocking, she said.

This was important for the kids who don’t have much, said fourth-grader Karen Whitley.

“It feels like people really care about our school,” she said.

The partnerships that involve mentoring help students by giving them someone consistently there for them, said Ruth Thomas, Cross Pointe Church liaison for George. Thomas spent time one-on-one with three boys at George this year by reading with them, she said.

Three companies were awarded for their partnerships at a banquet Thursday. Zaxby’s won the partner of the year for its work mentoring fifth-grade boys at Elmdale Elementary School, Stecklein said. First United Methodist Church won community partner of the year for hosting a back-to-school party and giving backpacks of school supplies to students, he said.

The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile won district partner of the year for its mobile dental office that helped kids at seven schools, Stecklein said. The Care Mobile donated $175,000 in services to students in Springdale this year, he said.

“What matters is that these are our kids and our partners are willing to go out of their way to serve our kids,” he said.

Harps has been a partner since the program began six years ago, said Frank Ray, vice president of human resources. The program would be better if more companies and organizations became partners, he said.

“The more businesses, the more people, we get involved the better it will be,” he said.

About 150 companies and organizations are partnered with schools in Springdale through the program, Stecklein said.

The program will be improved by implementing project-based partnerships during the 2013-2014 school year, said Mark Cloud, co-founder of the program. This will allow companies and organizations to help schools complete projects, he said.

Harp Elementary School's staff might take advantage of the project-based partnerships to help with the school’s community garden, said Allison Strange, principal.

“The only thing that’s going to make this partnership better is to grow it,” she said.

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