SPRINGDALE -- Two men plan to create an organization based in the city that will help with gang prevention and intervention.
Marcus Carruthers, a minister, and Randall Godinet, who moved to Springdale in 2013, plan to ask for nonprofit status for the organization, called 1NWA.
Upcoming event
1NWA is also planning an event called Unity Fest. It will take place at Luther George Grove Street Park at noon July 18. There will be live music, games, food and contests.
Source: Staff report
Carruthers does volunteer work with youth at the Washington County Juvenile Detention Center and the Boys & Girls Club of Fayetteville, he said. Godinet was executive director at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Oceanside, Calif., and worked with gangs in that area from the mid 1990s to early 2000s, he said.
The group will move into an office at Springdale Municipal Airport as soon as renovations are complete. The City Council approved spending $9,950 to finish construction on the interior of an office at the airport to accommodate the group. The Springdale Airport Commission has agreed to allow the city to use the office for 2½ years rent-free.
Wyman Morgan, city director of finance and administration, said his best guess is it will be four to six weeks to finish the office.
Recent violence
The airport's runway sits just east of the locations of two homicides police said at the time were gang-related.
A shooting April 11 at 609 Savage St. killed Jimmy Rodriguez, 20, and led to the arrest of four people. Then on March 13, two people were injured and Fabian Rodriguez, 18, was fatally shot at 32 Applegate Drive. A 17-year-old who was charged as an adult was arrested.
On Thursday, a 14-year-old boy was injured in a drive-by shooting near Crawford and Marylyn streets, but a police spokesman said investigators don't know if it was gang-related.
The basis of the 1NWA program is gang prevention and intervention, Carruthers said. It will target youth ages 8 through 18, and it will be free to those who participate.
Mayor Doug Sprouse said Carruthers contacted him last year about the possibility of starting the program. After the violence this spring, Sprouse said he contacted Carruthers and began speaking with him again about the idea.
Officials will sign an agreement between the city and the group before the organization moves into the office, Sprouse said. It will outline what the group will provide for the city, and the group will report regularly to Sprouse.
Planned programming
One element of the program will be called "character camp," Carruthers said. It will use games and activities to teach lessons about ethics, leadership, respect, teamwork, communication and handling anger, he said.
Another part of the program, "leader labs," will focus on participants age 13 to 18 years old who will get opportunities to lead activities.
Participants also will have what Carruthers called "life maps," he said. A map will define a child's or teenager's passion and plot a course for them to achieve their goal. For example, Carruthers said, if a high school sophomore wants to become a teacher, he would identify the obstacles and threats to that goal, such as using drugs and going to jail. The map will help participants visualize their future, he said.
Springdale police Capt. Mike Peters said he spoke to Carruthers and Godinet a few weeks ago about the new program. Peters will become acting police chief Wednesday after the retirement of Chief Kathy O'Kelley.
Peters said he thinks the two men have some great ideas. The department is more than willing to work with the program, but Peters said he doesn't know yet what the department's role will be. He also said he's hopeful the program can make a big difference in the community.
Carruthers said he has spoken with other community leaders, such as Jim Rollins, superintendent of the Springdale School District. Rollins said he's been in several meetings with Carruthers and Godinet and thinks their efforts can help the community.
It's important to help young people make good decisions and have positive activities to be involved in, Rollins said. He also said it's important to have a caring adult associated with every child.
Parents and community
The organization plans to involve parents in its programs, Carruthers said. They will participate in activities and be engaged in discussions about parental expectations of children and how they can support their children. There will also be online seminars available to the parents.
About 21 people already have committed to being volunteers for the program, and Carruthers said he will seek volunteer teams from Tyson, J.B. Hunt, Wal-Mart and the University of Arkansas.
Volunteers will act as mentors for those in the program, Carruthers said. He said he plans for there to be a ratio of three young people to each mentor. The young people will be able to call their mentors when they need advice.
The program also will have partners in the community such as Ozark Guidance and Cross Church, Carruthers said. Some young people in the program will be referred to these resources. The group will create a computer database to share information about the youth in the program with the partners.
Carruthers said he also is working with leaders in the Marshallese and Hispanic communities.
The program will use the airport office on a daily basis, but will use other locations when it needs more space, Carruthers said. That will include local schools, Springdale Youth Center and The Jones Center.
Carruthers said participants will be identified through schools and the juvenile court systems.
Participants will be encouraged to stay in the program until they are 18 years old, Carruthers said. Once a participant is 18 years old, he or she will be encouraged to help with the program as a volunteer.
The program will begin with a focus on Washington County, Carruthers said. Its organizers hope to expand that focus to Benton County before the end of the year.
NW News on 06/29/2015