Kendrick Fincher

WhyteSpyder, a Fayetteville marketing agency, recently made a contribution to Kendrick Fincher Hydration for Life in Rogers.

The gift of $1,500 was raised at WhyteSpyder's BAGGO & Brisket benefit. The event had more than 70 participants in the tournament and more than 250 in attendance.

Fly Tyers Club

The Bella Vista Fly Tyers Club contributed $9,250 to the Bella Vista Property Owners Association for improvements to and management of the association's lakes. Over the years, the 140-member club has made similar financial and volunteer contributions to be good stewards of the lakes. The money is earned by volunteer members working at the AARP recycling center. The financial contribution will be used to complement the work efforts of POA lake staff, stocking 19,000 crappie fish in Bella Vista lakes and improve lake amenities.

In addition to the financial contribution, members volunteer hundreds of hours each year working with local elementary schools in teaching students the skill of fishing and give fly tying instruction to local high schools students as part of their environmental education curriculum. Each year the club gives thousands of dollars in scholarships to high school senior academic achievers living in Benton County who will be pursuing studies in the fields of Wildlife Conservation and Earth Sciences.

Rogers Humane Society

Katie Cook, a senior at Rogers High School, decided to make the holiday season a special one for the animals at the Humane Society in Rogers by starting a "Christmas 4 Canines" fundraiser during the month of December. She has been volunteering with the Humane Society at pet adoption events at local retailers for the past three years. She decided to bake homemade, all-natural dog treats and sold them to family, friends and neighbors. She also collected donations of blankets, towels, bleach, cleaning supplies and cash.

Cook presented Humane Society director Clay Morgan with a check for $474 along with totes filled with blankets, towels and cleaning supplies. She followed up with an additional $30 raised between Christmas and New Year's bringing total cash donations to more than $500.

Circle of Life Hospice

Mavis and Doug Dobbyn recently presented a $1,500 check on behalf of the University City Chapter 495 of the Eastern Star to Mary McKinney of Circle of Life Hospice.

Circle of Life Hospice

Mary McKinney, chief executive of Circle of Life Hospice, accepted two checks totaling $9,500 from the members of the Heartbeat of the Ozarks Classic Car Club and the Bikes, Blues & BBQ Car Show staff. The funds were raised at the Heartbeat's charity car show and by the group's work at the BBBQ car show.

Every year, Heartbeat of the Ozarks hosts a charity car event as a way of giving back to the local community. In addition to its 2013 gift, the group raised and donated $12,000 to Circle of Life in 2012.

Women's Shelter

St. Bernard of Clairvaux Catholic Church in Bella Vista holds bingo sessions on the first and third Monday of every month, and all monies earned go to local charities. On Jan. 16, a $2,000 check was presented to Eva Laurin, development director of the Northwest Arkansas Women's Shelter. Presenting the check were representatives Fran Olsen from the women's club, Don Parish from the men's club and Ken DeBauche from the Knights of Columbus.

Havenwood

Members of the Arvest Bank of Benton County's loan department presented Rachel Cox, Havenwood director of development, with a check representing a $1,000 donation to the Bentonville-based nonprofit that provides a safe, structured living environment while connecting single parent families with the resources and guidance they need. Assisting with the presentation were Jennifer Harris, Arvest credit analyst; John Wolfe, Arvest mortgage lender; and Laura Holland, Arvest loan assistant.

Willard Walker Hospice Home

The Attic, a Fayetteville charitable organization, provided $2,238.50 recently to Washington Regional Hospice to purchase additional bed linens for patient and family areas at the Willard Walker Hospice Home.

With funds raised by its thrift store, the Attic provides support to hospice and home health projects and scholarships to area nursing students who provide care to older adults. The Attic, which has since 1956 provided funding for a variety of community healthcare needs, accepts donations of gently used clothing and household items at the thrift store, located at 1306 U.S. 71 south in Fayetteville.

SnackPacks for Kids

Panera Bread in Northwest Arkansas kicked off its SnackPacks for Kids fundraiser Feb. 14. Every second Friday, Panera Bread in Bentonville and Fayetteville highlights a variety of menu items and donates a portion of the proceeds to the Samaritan Community Center's SnackPacks for Kids program.

Samaritan Center

The Bentonville-Bella Vista Rotary Club donated 1 million pennies recently to the Samaritan Community Center for use in the SnackPacks For Kids program.

Local Charities

Arvest Bank associates in Northwest Arkansas raised $65,614.55 through participation in "Jeans Days" in 2013 for various Northwest Arkansas charities.

Arvest Bank branches participate in the "Jeans Days" program, either regularly each week or periodically throughout the year. Each associate gives a donation, usually between $2 and $5, to wear jeans to work on the designated days. Those funds are collected and donated throughout the year to more than 40 charities.

Among the many local charities receiving donations for 2013 were Hope Cancer Resources, EOA Children's House, 7hills Homeless Center, Prairie Grove Senior Center, Manna Center and Jones Elementary School's Angel Tree.

United Way

Arvest Bank and its associates in Northwest Arkansas donated more than $146,000 to the United Way to help serve individuals and organizations across the region.

The area Arvest banks raised a total of $146,466, almost $40,000 more than the $107,731.77 raised in 2012, as part of the United Way of Northwest Arkansas' 2013 work force campaign. The money represents a combination of Arvest employee contributions and corporate donations.

Emergency Outreach

Tyson Foods recently presented a $25,000 donation to Cooperative Emergency Outreach, a volunteer group made up of churches that assist residents in the Northwest Arkansas community during emergency situations. In 2013, the outreach assisted more than 12,000 people and distributed $162,000 for rent, utilities, gasoline, clothing, medicine and other needs.

Senior Center

The J.B. Hunt Senior Activity Center has received a General Improvement Funds grant for $100,000 through the Arkansas State Senate. The funds will be used to purchase kitchen equipment to prepare meals on site at the center.

Circle of Life Hospice

Mary McKinney, chief executive officer for Circle of Life Hospice, announced that the Northwest Arkansas Economic Development District has approved a General Improvement Fund grant to Circle of Life in the amount of $85,000. The grant is a community development grant to help fund the Circle of Life Hospice homes for inpatient care in Benton and Washington counties.

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