Volunteerism effort earns state plaudits
Little Rock has been named one of the state's 12 "Volunteer Communities of the Year."
The Arkansas Municipal League, governor's office and Department of Human Services' Division of Community Service and Nonprofit Support gave the award.
Little Rock reported 20,087 volunteers and 1.6 million volunteer hours in 2016, according to a news release.
"These residents performed volunteer duties ranging from serving on City of Little Rock boards and commissions to volunteering in the Little Rock School District through the City's Love Your School program, knitting for Arkansas Children's Hospital, helping those experiencing homelessness and tutoring with the Arkansas Literary Council," the release said.
The other winners were: Benton, Bentonville, Cherokee Village, Clarkridge, Fayetteville, Greenbrier, Heber Springs, Maumelle, McNeil, Mountain Home and Van Buren.
Free police classes to teach residents
A free, eight-week Citizens Police Academy will start at the end of this month.
This academy, which is meant to teach Little Rock residents about law enforcement, will take place from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. every Tuesday from Jan. 31 to March 21 at the Hillary Rodham Clinton Children's Library and Learning Center, 4800 W. 10th St. It will be led by officer Michelle Hill.
The class will cover personal awareness, public safety, victim assistance and crime scene investigations.
"We take a very interactive approach to these classes," Hill said. "Residents come away from this experience with first-hand knowledge of what we do as a police department, and equally important to us, build strong and lasting bonds with our staff and other participants."
Anyone interested in participating can contact Hill at [email protected] or at (501) 918-5369.
Metro on 01/19/2017