SPOTLIGHT THE JONES CENTER

Friends to golf at outing to benefit Jones Center

SPRINGDALE - Kelly Kemp-McLintock is a longtime supporter of The Jones Center and she thinks everyone else should be, too.

“My children have benef ited from The Jones Center,” she said. “They’ve attended summer camp, they’ve stayed in our onsite child care and they’ve literally grown up there.”

After Bernice Jones died in 2004, Kemp-McLintock became the center’s chief advancement officer and, with the help of others, formed the development council - a group of “goodwill ambassadors” to help plan fundraising events.

The seventh annual Friends of The Jones Center Golf Outing is one of only two fundraisers for the organization. This year it will be Sept. 30 at Springdale Country Club, where 46 corporate teams will spend a day team-building through golf, raffle prizes and a barbecue luncheon provided by Catering Unlimited and Tyson Foods.

The Jones Center provides recreation, fitness, education and development services through several programs, such as Camp War Eagle, Youth Strategies, Teens After School and Ozark Education, and through partnerships with Northwest Arkansas Community College, the American Red Cross, Northwest Technical Institute and more.

The broad nature of the center and the extent of its services allow it to cater to families of all walks of life.

“I feel a very strong connection to The Jones Center,” Kemp-McLintock said. “When it opened, I thought it was such a neat deal. After work, my son Gunner would stay in Kids Plusand I would go and work out in The Jones Center. I would walk around and think, ‘I can’t believe this is free. I feel like I need to give something back.’”

The staff at The Jones Center wants to continue improving and expanding services in time for the extension of the Razorback Regional Greenway trail system, which is making its way into downtown Springdale. The Springdale phase is expected to be complete by the end of the year, with the entire trail in line to be open by spring.

“We want to be a main destination stop on that trail,” Kemp-McLintock said. “Whether it’s a family [bike] riding in to spend an afternoon on the ice, or saying, ‘Hey, let’s go take a swim, let’s go have a smoothie,’ or ‘hey,you know what? The Jones Center is a great stop and [let’s] use the restroom and rest a bit’ and then get on the trail and head to Fayetteville.

“Whatever a family’s doing, we are a great center point.”

To be that focal point, TheJones Center will need help from the community.

After years of providing free services, The Jones Center began charging small fees to turn to a more sustainable business model for its operations, which require $3.65 million annually. One million is provided by the Jones Trust Board of Directors; another million comes from grants, gifts, daily fees, leasing space for programs and vending; and the remainder is raised by the community during the annual golf outing and the Big Night.

So far, community response is positive.

“Our fundraising is up,” Kemp-McLintock said. “I attribute that to … the legacy of Harvey and Bernice, what they stood for and the gift they left for the entire Northwest Arkansas community, the leadership of our Jones Trust Board and our amazing staff.”

To encourage community investment, The Jones Center plans to make this year’s golf outing bigger and better than ever before.

Golfers can look forward to incentives for the trickiest holes on the course: a Blakeman’s Rolex, a Mercedesand at one hole, University of Arkansas Lady Razorbacks will be available to play the hole for patrons. In addition to the barbecue lunch is luncheon speaker Duncan Mac Naughton, executive vice president of Wal-Mart. Core Brewing and Distillery will have a beer tasting on thegolf course.

“We want to continue to heighten the golfer’s experience out on the course and make it an incredible day,” Kemp-McLintock said.

The development council hopes the golf outing will yield $120,000 for programs.

“When you give a gift toThe Jones Center, when you reserve meeting space, when you come swim, whatever you’re doing, it’s perpetuating Bernice Jones’ gift. To be able to be tied to that is very special,” Kemp-McLintock said.

Information on The Jones Center is available online at thejonescenter.net.

Northwest Profile, Pages 37 on 09/22/2013

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