Groups mark milestones

The men of Xi Chapter of Kappa Sigma celebrated 125 years on the University of Arkansas campus with three days of events April 23-26 in Fayetteville.

Some 650 alumni, members and friends attended the celebration dinner April 25 at the Fayetteville Town Center.

Those celebrating a century and a quarter included Gene and Jerry Jones, Cathy and Sen. John Boozman, Cappy and Charlie Whitehead, Frank Fletcher, John Whiteside, Martin Swope, Ed Bethune, Dustin McDaniel, Philip Anderson, Angie and Jordan Johnson, Phil Schoettlin, Jim Counce, Connor McNair and Malcolm McNair.

LifeSource International's 22nd annual Hands of Compassion Gala on April 28, also at the Fayetteville Town Center, helped raise some $60,000 for the nonprofit organization.

Proceeds will help support Northwest Arkansas families in need. LifeSource serves more than 55,000 Northwest Arkansans each year through programs that include Kids Life summer day camp, after-school tutoring for kindergarten through fifth-graders, adult education, counseling, clothing closet, food pantry, community outreach meals, medical referral and senior citizen services.

Jimmy Dykes, University of Arkansas women's basketball head coach, provided the evening's keynote address.

Among those helping extend hands of compassion were Petra and Dudley Dawson, Eva Madison, Brenda and Randy Laney, Scott Berna, Teri and Ernie Conduff, Blake Woolsey, John Threet and Jimmie Conduff.

Credit Counseling of Arkansas celebrated its 20th anniversary with a crowd of more than 300 supporters at a luncheon April 29 at the Holiday Inn Northwest Arkansas.

Rosalind Brewer, Sam's Club president and chief executive officer, delivered the luncheon's keynote address, saying that while the organization does help in times of financial stress, "CCOA goes beyond crisis intervention."

The nonprofit organization guides individuals and families having financial problems through education, seminars, assistance with budgets and credit counseling. Other services include bankruptcy and housing, mortgage delinquency, reverse mortgage counseling and education and credit report reviews.

She said the group also works with area women's shelters, rehabilitation centers, drug and youth transitional programs to teach basic financial skills.

Susan Keating, president and chief executive officer of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, issued a "call to action to think a little bit differently about who the new face of poverty is right now ... Main Street, America, is what we believe is the new face of poverty." She said those faces now include "millennials moving home with their parents, veterans, female heads of household and struggling baby boomers who have no savings to retire."

Mike Robards, CCOA executive director, told us the group is working to complete an online education program to be available for their financial literacy students "24/7" because work and family schedules do not always accommodate time to attend classes.

He said the next regional and national financial challenges we face are increasing student loan debt -- now $1.3 trillion nationally -- low-income elderly who are having to work longer and/or move in with their children and caring for our veterans.

Among those marking the milestone with CCOA were Mauricio Herrera, Tom Jensen, William Bailey, Danny Lewis, Mark Dutton, Al Lopez, Bootsie Ackerman, Scott Van Laningham, , Kathryn Gough, Jonathan Boldebuck, Shelle Summers, Krista Khone, Kelli Gemmell and Scott Hancock.

For more event photos -- nwadg.com/photos/society

Columnist Carin Schoppmeyer can be reached by email at [email protected].

NAN Profiles on 05/10/2015