FORT SMITH -- River Valley residents came together online to learn more about the impact local nonprofit organizations have in their community.
The University of Arkansas-Fort Smith held a panel discussion via Zoom on Monday with the leaders of three nonprofit groups in the area. This included Tami Kuhns, executive director of the Community Services Clearinghouse; Joey Potts, program director of the Sebastian County Five West Crisis Stabilization Unit; and Bente Eriksen, executive director of the Literacy Council of Western Arkansas.
It was the first event the university will hold this week as part of its annual effort to celebrate and honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The theme of the discussion, along with the other events, is, "Living the Maladjusted Life: Always Putting Others First." It is inspired by a speech King gave Dec. 18, 1963, according to a university news release.
Monday's discussion was moderated by Mayor George McGill. His questions for the panelists largely centered around the roles their respective organizations play in the River Valley area and how residents can help them.
One of McGill's questions was how these organizations make Fort Smith and the surrounding region better.
The Crisis Stabilization Unit, which was established in 2018 at the Guidance Center, is used to divert those with mental illnesses from jail to treatment in Sebastian, Crawford, Franklin, Logan, Scott and Polk counties. Potts said it also takes referrals from elsewhere and even provides services to those who don't have insurance.
Potts said she believes the unit has provided immediate emergency treatment for many people in the community so people don't have to wait as long in local emergency rooms to be placed in psychiatric facilities. In addition, prior to the unit's opening, law enforcement officers who encountered somebody needing treatment for a mental health issue would at times have to stay in the emergency room for hours, giving them less time to carry out their other responsibilities.
"Our goal when we originally opened was that an officer would not be here more than 30 minutes," Potts said. "Within the first month or so, I figured out I could get them out of here in 15 minutes. Now I can get them out in five."
The Crisis Stabilization Unit can also make its services available to local organizations with which it partners, according to Potts. She noted the unit was the first of its kind to open in Arkansas.
Kuhns said in addition to having a food pantry program for cancer patients, the elderly and those with disabilities, the Community Services Clearinghouse provides food to about 2,300 to 2,400 children in the region every week through its Backpack Meals for Kids program.
Kuhns responded to McGill's question by saying being able to meet the needs of children in the community by providing them food gives them more of an advantage than they would've had otherwise.
"When they miss weekend meals, they lose 35% of their education," Kuhns said. "That puts them so far behind. It takes breakfast and lunch on Monday and Tuesday for them to be able to get back in the classroom and start focusing, so without this, a need that's met for them, that puts them so far behind. That puts them behind when they graduate, when they try to go to college."
In a similar vein, being able to meet the needs for people on a daily basis who may not be able to have dinner on a particular night helps them mentally, physically and financially, Kuhns said.
McGill also asked the panelists to share some success stories their organizations brought about.
Among the services the Literacy Council of Western Arkansas provides are tutoring sessions in the fields of adult basic education, English as a second language and U.S. citizenship preparation, according to its website.
Eriksen recounted having a student who wanted to become a U.S. citizen who started coming to the Literacy Council in November. Eriksen said the student told her during a Literacy Council potluck although she had lived in Fort Smith for five years up to that point, her attendance at the council was the first time she felt like she was a part of the community.
"She actually felt like she had somewhere she belonged to, and she is such an amazing, intelligent woman, and being able to hear from her that we did a difference in her life is amazing," Eriksen said.
More than 80 people tuned in to Monday's event.
Upcoming MLK Week Events
The University of Arkansas-Fort Smith will hold a Zoom-based fireside chat with Bente Eriksen at noon Wednesday. It will host another with Joey Potts at noon Friday.
Source: University of Arkansas-Fort Smith