Wish Lists

"It's not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving." -- Mother Teresa

As we do every year, NWA Media has invited the nonprofit organizations that help our community all year to ask for help in return.

heir wish lists wrap up in the Our Town section on Jan. 1.

Elizabeth Richardson Center

What: The Elizabeth Richardson Center has been serving children and adults with disabilities in Northwest Arkansas for more than 50 years. Five child development centers provide a preschool program and speech, occupational and physical therapies to children who have been diagnosed with developmental delays or disabilities such as autism, Down syndrome or cerebral palsy. The adult programs give hope, independence and opportunity to adults with special needs while providing the support they need to truly live as part of their community, rather than apart from their community.

Where: Find it online at ercinc.org.

Contact: Kate Lunsford, 872-1800 ext 209, or [email protected].

Wish List for children: Baby wipes, diapers of all sizes, children's winter hats and gloves, children's underwear (boys and girls), Parent's Choice formula Advanced with Iron, baby and children's body wash and baby lotion, towels and wash cloths, jars of baby food (Stage 2: veggies and meat mixed), Cosy Coupe ride-on toys, clear crawling tunnel, forks and spoons in toddler and adult sizes, small fleece throw blankets, hanging art racks, climbing toys for playground, long-sleeve art smocks for children, wall cabinets or shelves, scooters for inside play, high chair, wind up cars, wooden holder for markers, indoor games such as Electronic Hot Potato, kid's music CDs, new or gently used infant and preschool toys, board books for babies, books for ages 3-5, balls of all sizes for indoor and outdoor play and large plastic construction trucks for outside play.

Wish List for Residential Facilities: Wall artwork, mirrors and clocks, table centerpieces, family friendly movies on DVD, construction paper, coloring books, markers, paint sets, sketching paper, beads and beading string, men's and women's winter gloves and stocking caps, ladies' hair products, small boom box with CD player and mp3 compatibility.

Wish List for the Life Skills Program: Wii gaming systems, flat screen television for Wii activity area, dance and exercise games for the Wii, DVDs (exercise, educational, sign language, karaoke, etc.), kitchen pots and pans, microwave, wheelchairs, picnic tables for outside area, wooden puzzles with pegs, board games, playing cards, construction paper, finger paints, markers.

First Tee

What: The First Tee of Northwest Arkansas is a youth development nonprofit that utilizes the game of golf as a vehicle to teach important life skills, core values and healthy habits. The organization works with ages 7 to 17 from all over Northwest Arkansas. The 2014 season finished with just under 900 participants who attended golf and life skills lessons, summer golf camps, league play, mentorship programs and many other First Tee activities and programs.

Where: 715 E. Monroe Ave. in Lowell. Find it online at thefirstteeNWAr.org.

Contact: Elizabeth Prenger, (501) 804-6662.

Wish List: New or used golfing equipment, monetary donations for the First Tee Scholarship program which offers free membership to TFT as well as access to classes and summer camps ($300), and monetary donations to support the First Tee Field Day Program, through which the center partners with local schools to give fourth-grade students a fun, energy-filled day of education at the Tyson First Tee Learning Center ($1,500).

Bella Vista Recycle Center

What: The center, founded nearly 40 years ago, is staffed almost entirely by volunteers, most of whom are seniors living in Bella Vista. It accepts most consumer based recyclables, sells those products to the highest bidder and then donates all net proceeds to local nonprofits. It has donated more than $200,000 per year for each of the past 5 years ($217,000 last year) and processed/sold more than 5 million pounds of recyclables each of the past five years (5.6 million pounds last year), thus reducing landfill waste accordingly. Each volunteer selects from some 25 local nonprofits and credits his hours worked to whichever he chooses.

Where: 400 Pinion Bluff Dr. in Bella Vista.

Contact: Lou Stirek at 295-5340 or Paul Poulides at 855-9171.

Wish List: Volunteers. Volunteers can work as many or as few hours as they wish, on any schedule they choose, and do a variety of tasks, such as loading/unloading, operating equipment, sorting materials, helping the public or doing pickups using the recycling center's trucks and trailers.