When he isn’t serving the University of Central Arkansas as athletic director, Teague can often be found piloting the skies on his way to regional hotspots like Dallas, Houston, New Orleans and even Orlando.

“Just being able to depart and arrive somewhere else in a short amount of time is really invigorating,” Teague said. “And then sightseeing. I like to get up and just fly around and see the different sights, especially [seeing how pretty] Arkansas is. You can see a lot of different lakes and mountain ranges really quickly right here from Conway.”

It’s no wonder Teague has picked up such a hobby–it’s in his blood, he said. His father and grandfather ran the Brookhaven, Mississippi, airport, and his uncles flew, too. When he took the role of athletic director at Delta State University in 2004, he decided to also take advantage of the aviation program at the Cleveland, Mississippi, school.

While there, he earned his private pilot license by completing 40 hours of training and later his commercial license and instrument rating. But that doesn’t mean he’s off to fly commercial airplanes. With his credentials, Teague can be hired to fly a single-engine plane in both cloudy and clear skies. He now has about 1,100 hours of experience under his belt.

“What I love about it is it’s aviation–it’s flying–but it’s also communicating, communicating with air traffic control. And then it’s navigating. You’ve got to know where you’re going and understand all the maps and different things,” he said. “I was a math major in college, so there’s a lot of calculations. I love maps and have always studied maps. So this really kind of hits everything that I like to do.”

His out-of-state trips are typically under two hours one way, and at most about four, and are done using his current favorite: the 1988 Beechcraft Bonanza that’s housed among other single-engine planes at the Conway Municipal Airport.

“This is one of the fastest single-engine, nonturbine airplanes, so it’s been a lot of fun to fly,” he said. “It has retractable gear, so once you take off, the gear folds up inside the plane, whereas [others] do not, so they’re slow. That contributes to the lack of speed because there’s a lot of drag being pulled along in the air with those.”

Despite what some may think, Teague said, flying is pretty easy; most challenges arise when landing a plane.

“A lot of your training is to mitigate emergencies or mitigate risks, so understanding what do you do in an emergency, and certainly, I hope I never have one,” he said.

Next on the list of Teague’s piloting goals is to earn his multiengine rating so that he can fly an aircraft that’s able to carry more weight and move faster.

“The fact that you can leave Conway, Arkansas, and be somewhere a long way away in a couple of hours is really, really interesting and really fun,” he said.

The University of Central Arkansas raised a total of $10,252,463 for 2017-18, making it the best fundraising year in the history of UCA.

“Our staff puts forth an amazing effort every day. They’re dedicated to providing meaningful engagement opportunities with alumni and community leaders in support of our students,” said Kale Gober, vice president for University Advancement.

The banner year in fundraising involved multiple milestones, including private scholarships awarded, Day of Giving funds raised and net asset totals. The BTÌìÌÃFoundation’s net assets are $50,461,693, making this the first time net assets have exceeded $50 million. The endowment is $27,877,726.

This fiscal year also marked the first time the university’s foundation awarded more than $1 million in private scholarships in a single academic year. The foundation awarded a total of $1,224,322, bringing the BTÌìÌÃFoundation’s total scholarships to more than $11 million since its inception.

One such scholarship is the H.M. Firestone Family Scholarship, which is based on financial need and academic performance. This year’s recipient is Claudy Sarpong, a junior biology major from Ghana. Sarpong’s journey to BTÌìÌÃwas inspired by BTÌìÌÃ2015 Distinguished Alumnus Dr. Kofi Boahene, professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland.

While attending high school at St. John’s School, Sekondi-Takoradi in Ghana, Sarpong lost his best friend to malaria. His loss created a deep desire to attend college, study biology and one day become a physician. What he didn’t know was where to attend college.

During an online search, Sarpong discovered a video featuring Boahene performing a medical procedure. Further research revealed Boahene was also from Ghana and had attended UCA. Sarpong knew then that he wanted to follow in Boahene’s footsteps.

“This scholarship is the foundation of my future. I want to become a physician and set up a clinic in my community. Without this scholarship, I can’t stay on campus, continue my studies and get to this point,” Sarpong said. “Dr. Boahene gave me the encouragement to do this. If he can do it, then I can do it, too.”

Day of Giving, an annual 24-hour fundraising campaign held in March, raised a record $434,526. Through increased fund selection options, donors were able to tailor their giving needs, providing a springboard to shatter the original goal of $50,000 by 947 percent.

“I’m especially proud of our student participation in the BTÌìÌÃDay of Giving. The event provided a great opportunity for students to be philanthropic and partner with our Advancement staff. They are thankful for the financial support they have received and want to do their part in providing for the needs of future students,” Gober said.
Of major impact on the year-end totals were four gifts of at least $1 million each, including a gift from Rick ’81 and Anne Massey to create the Arch Ford Endowed Scholarship Fund.

“Of all the historic figures in our state, very few achieved what Arch Ford did,” Rick said. “There’s a first-generation guy who changed the world. There’s no better example of what an education can do for somebody.”

The fund was established in honor of Arch Ford, a 1930 graduate and 1992 Distinguished Alumnus who spent his life as a pioneer and champion of education in the state of Arkansas. Ford served as commissioner of the Arkansas Department of Education from 1953-78. The endowed gift provides support for the retention of first-generation Arkansas college students through need-based scholarships.

Joe Ford, son of Arch Ford, and his wife, Jo Ellen Ford, donated an additional $250,000 to the fund.

“Our alumni and friends have a heart for giving,” said BTÌìÌÃPresident Houston Davis. “This is a wonderful example of the impact our alumni and donors can have on a student’s life and the world!”

Suleima Gomez, a sophomore from Belleville, Arkansas, is one of the first recipients of the Arch Ford scholarship and was recently admitted into UCA’s nursing program.

Gomez became interested in nursing when her little brother was born prematurely. She saw the difference caring nurses had on her brother and her family. “I’ve personally seen how nurses affect people and their lives,” Gomez said. “So, with that career I would be able to give back to the community.”

The Firestone and Ford scholarships are two of the 193 endowed scholarships benefiting students. Endowed gifts remain intact while the interest from the gift provides perpetual student support.

“Our donors and community partners have proven their commitment to UCA. They believe in UCA, and they believe in our students, faculty and staff,” Davis said. “They are engaged and ready for what comes next. Together we will build on this momentum to confirm and expand UCA’s role as a relevant and dynamic institution of higher learning in central Arkansas and across the state and region.”

Employees are seen as family by D.R. Horton, and that includes their children, too.

As founder and board chairman of D.R. Horton Inc., the Arlington, Texas-based company that has been the largest homebuilder in America since 2002, Horton takes pride in “taking care of our family.” One way he does that is by providing Camp Horton, an annual summer camp for children related to his employees.

In 2000, as Horton traveled to every division of his company, he often met the children of his employees and wondered what the kids did in the summer. After learning most didn’t have a summer vacation at all, he figured the least he could do was provide a free experience away from home.

“I told people that as hard as our people work and the way they look out for the company, it was the company’s responsibility to look out for them and their kids,” said Horton, who was named a University of Central Arkansas Distinguished Alumnus in 2004.

For nearly two decades, Camp Horton has taken place on his ranch land in Fort Stockton, Texas, providing activities like horseback riding, canoeing, four-wheeling, goat wrestling and indoor games for children ages 9 through 13 who are nominated by the company’s divisions.

Each summer, Camp Horton covers the cost for 360 kids–or 60 per week–to be flown in from their home state. Campers travel from Alabama, the Carolinas, Florida, Hawaii and other states across the country, and they can be children, nieces, grandchildren, younger siblings and foster children of company employees. Through attending the camp, Horton said he wants the children to learn the company cares about them, hone their manners and experience West Texas ranch life.

“One of the stipulations is they cannot have another summer camp because we want to make sure all the kids, all of our children, have a summer camp experience,” Horton said.

Horton’s emphasis on family stems from his upbringing in small town Marshall, Arkansas, population now 1,355, where everyone knew one another, he said. When he attended UCA, those experiences continued.

“When I went to UCA, I think it was 5 to 6,000 students, and you got to know a lot of those students,” he said. “You always felt like the people you saw all the time were just like family. I think the people, the teachers, the people that ran the dorms, they were all good solid family,” he said.

Carla Freitas, Horton’s executive assistant, said the camp provides children an opportunity to interact with their peers and learn a new way of life. Many, she said, have never seen a horse before.

“They meet new friends; they learn different ways; they learn manners,” Freitas said. “There’s not a lot of ‘Yes, sirs’ and ‘No, sirs’ in this world. It’s the little things that often get forgotten, and we remind them. It’s ranch life. They take away all their electronics, and they don’t seem to have a problem with it anymore.”

The camp also strengthens the confidence of its attendees: Children participate in recreational activities that many of them have never experienced, and they practice life skills such as respect, communication and teamwork.

Beau Edwards, a Dallas resident who attended Camp Horton for the third time this summer, said the camp provides fun in a safe environment.

“My confidence has gone up by riding horses because you’re all saddled down, and you are safe when you’re riding it, but you’re also having fun at the same time,” he said.

Katie Holcombe, camp counselor and horse counselor, said the children keep her grounded.

“You just never think of yourself as a role model until you come to a place like this, and you’re expected to be that role model, and you file into that role, and it’s a really humbling experience, just being that for these kids,” she said.

Camper Brian Guana from San Antonio, Texas, had never been to a camp until he attended Camp Horton this year. He had fun riding an all-terrain vehicle and made friends early on.

“I feel like I want to stay here for another two weeks,” he said.

Zeke McStay, a camper from Ghana, experienced his first visit to Camp Horton this past summer. He enjoyed the speed of the ATVs and had never ridden a horse until the camp.

“I love Camp Horton because you get to do fun things, and it’s a really nice place,” Zeke said.

Reagan Decker, who traveled from Pensacola, Florida, to attend the camp, said the environment of the camp was unlike what she has experienced.

“It’s gorgeous,” she said. “I’ve never seen cactus in person, so that was fun. It’s pretty, and the air is so good, because it’s so humid where I’m from. You can breathe; it’s nice and cool.”

Horton has witnessed the camp shape children’s lives. When visiting the camp in its early years, Horton sat down for a meal with the children and noticed one camper was eating with her hands.

“I grew up in a remote part of Arkansas, and I knew a lot of people that could have possibly eaten with their fingers, but at that point in time … that surprised me to see that in the 2000s,” Horton said. “We sat down with her, and we taught her how to eat with silverware, and I’ll never forget that.”

When Camp Horton concludes each year, Horton typically receives cards in the mail from children or their guardians thanking him for the experience. Over the years, Horton has also seen former campers become D.R. Horton Inc. employees.

This year, D.R. Horton Inc. set a new all-time annual record of about 53,000 closings. As the company continues to succeed, Camp Horton grows, too. It’s only a matter of time before the camp hosts 600 kids a year, Horton said, offering more children the opportunity to have a summer vacation they would not otherwise experience.

“I don’t know how you could not be proud of the kids,” Horton said.

One day each year, hundreds of University of Central Arkansas Bears extend a helping hand across the Conway community to say thank you in a big way.

The Big Event is a campus-community-wide day of service in which students, faculty, staff and alumni complete projects–from planting vegetables to cleaning out gutters and everything in between–requested by members of the Conway community. The Big Event started at Texas A&M University in 1982 and has been incorporated at several colleges and universities across the country. This year’s Big Event at BTÌìÌÃwas held March 10.

“We’ve always had a lot of people in this Conway community that either came to BTÌìÌÃor just have always loved UCA, and they give back in so many ways other than monetary. And the easiest way for students to give back who have very little money is to go out and say thank you and do these jobs for them,” said Hayley Harp ’18, the 2017-18 president of The Big Event, who holds an athletic training degree from UCA.

Here’s how The Big Event works: Around winter break, applications open for Conway residents to request jobs they need completed. The Big Event committee members sort through the requests to form job assignments and determine which tools are needed and how many. On the day of the event each spring, volunteers meet with their assigned groups at the Farris Center for an 8 a.m. kickoff, grab their equipment and head out to the community to serve.

This past year was one of milestones for The Big Event at UCA. It wrapped up its fifth year of service and marked its first as a Recognized Student Organization on campus. More than 600 volunteers came out to complete 112 jobs.

Plus, with more than $13,400 being donated to the cause this year, The Big Event also raised the most it ever has.

Student Rebecca Snider, who spent the day cleaning and organizing The Go Store on Court Street, said The Big Event gave her the opportunity to bond with her Sigma Kappa sisters.

“Sometimes we get put in different groups where it’s not with people we normally hang out with, and so then you get to know them in a different way and help someone,” she said during a break from vacuuming the store. “It’s always fun to come into a job and see the outcome at the end of it.”

Student Abdullah Asiri spent the morning raking leaves to beautify the grounds of the Bethlehem House homeless shelter. He said that in addition to providing service, The Big Event builds teamwork and new connections.

“I think it’s good for the reputation of the college,” he said. “For the students, I think [it helps] them get new relationships, like friendships, and also it’s good on your resume, too.”

Students were not the only volunteers onsite. Mike Lloyd ’89, UCA’s chief information officer, helped mulch vegetable beds at the Faulkner County Urban Farm Project that’s housed at the Faulkner County Library.

“It’s an awesome opportunity to get a good group of people to go out and help with the community, give back to the community,” he said.

Harp, who is completing a graduate assistantship with the University of Pittsburgh softball team, hopes that the campus community is still talking about The Big Event for years to come.

“To me, it’s important to realize the legwork I’m doing now is going to make that happen in 10 years from now,” she said. “Even if we’re only a piece of thread in the cloth that makes up the fabric that is the traditions of UCA, that’s good with me. I don’t need to be a whole section of the quilt, I just need to be a little bit of it.”

A couple of years into her tenure as director of Reynolds Performance Hall at the University of Central Arkansas, a mission struck Amanda Horton ’95: Expose more children to live performances.

While Reynolds Performance Hall was attracting a steady crowd from the BTÌìÌÃcommunity and surrounding area, Horton noted that children and their families weren’t regular patrons. So her team took to strategizing and launched the Main Stage EdUCAtion series in 2015.

The Main Stage EdUCAtion series introduces pre-K through 12th-grade students from across the state to live performing arts suited to their age range. Through being bused to campus field-trip style, Arkansas youth from as close as Conway and as far as Fox, Arkansas get access to productions based on history, math, science and books featuring characters they know and love.

“We’re really proud of the program because it was created not only for them to come and have a good time but also to be educated through the program,” Horton said.

In 2015, the series started with just three shows and has now grown to include twice as many. The 2018-19 season features “Diary of a Worm, a Spider and a Fly”; “The Science of Magic with Bill Blagg”; “Junie B. Jones in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells”; “Freedom Bound”; “Pete the Cat”; and “Erth’s Prehistoric Aquarium Adventure.”

Each show helps students build skills like critical thinking, communication and creativity, Horton said. For example, one past show challenged students to think about their lunchroom choices, while another encouraged them to yell answers to the characters onstage.

The series wouldn’t be what it is without classroom integration either. Shows are required to have an accompanying study guide and must be performed by a national touring company. That way, children have access to quality performances at a centrally located venue in the state. After all, according to arts advocacy organization Americans for the Arts, a student involved in the arts is four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement.

“We want all children to have access to the arts,” Horton said.

In order to offer low ticket prices for attendees–$5 for students and $10 for adults–Main Stage is supported through grants, sponsors and private donors. Special public performances, such as spring 2018’s “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story,” are also held as fundraisers for the program. This past Day of Giving, Main Stage raised more than $2,000, which will help cover students who cannot afford a Main Stage ticket.

“We don’t want there to be any limitations [because of] their socioeconomic status, their disability status [or] if they have developmental disabilities,” Horton said.

Main Stage is also an opportunity to give students a taste of BTÌìÌÃas a whole–some groups take campus tours and have access to the cafeteria–and for them to envision careers as actors, costume designers or writers.

“One thing it does is it gets these students on a college campus, where hopefully we might create future BTÌìÌÃBears out of them, get them used to being on our campus, get them excited about being here,” Horton said. “But it also creates future arts lovers, ticket-buyers and artists. Some of these kids come here, they’re exposed to live theater, and they think, ‘I can do that.'”

Horton would like the Main Stage EdUCAtion series to one day form an artist-in-residence program where artists could interact with area classrooms for a week before the show’s open. Horton’s vision includes artists teaching students about their cultures and performers working with choir and band classes.

In the meantime, the series will continue to ensure quality arts is accessible for Arkansas youth.

“There’s just something so special and magical about live theater,” Horton said. “There’s no other experience like that.”

Walking into Meadors Hall on the University of Central Arkansas campus was surreal for James Welch ’98.
He was a sophomore when he was first introduced to the Army ROTC program at UCA. Meadors Hall houses the program.

“I came in and inquired and went to basic camp that summer,” Welch said. “They caught me up on the first two years that I missed, and after that I was a full-time ROTC cadet.”

He graduated as a second lieutenant and began his military career. After posts in the United States and locations abroad, Welch returned to Meadors Hall in 2017. He did so with the rank of lieutenant colonel and to lead the very unit he was once a part of as chair of the Department of Military Science and Leadership.

Welch is one example of the more than 500 cadets who have come through Army ROTC at BTÌìÌÃover the last 50 years.

Named the Bayonet Battalion, Army ROTC at BTÌìÌÃwas announced in 1967 and the program began in fall 1968 under former university President Silas D. Snow.

Today, BTÌìÌÃis the host institution for the Bayonet Battalion, which also includes these partner schools: Arkansas Tech University, Central Baptist College, Hendrix College, Philander Smith College, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and University of the Ozarks.

ROTC students attend three one-hour physical trainings a week at 6 a.m. and take ROTC classes and labs. At least once a semester, students have a weekend field exercise at Camp Joseph T. Robinson in North Little Rock.

Archive issues of The Echo show images of ROTC students throughout the last five decades working with other student organizations on campus, presenting colors for campus events or scaling down the side of Old Main for training exercises.

ROTC student Brandon Lithlangsy has most enjoyed the personal growth and development.

“I am company commander, and I have to talk in front of people. I would never have pictured myself there, and I am there,” Lithlangsy said. “I think that I love ROTC so much because I see how it impacts me directly, and when I commission as a second lieutenant, I hope to continue seeing that growth in myself with Army values.”

Cadet Mercedes Bass sees the correlation between her ROTC and university experiences.

“The time we put into ROTC and school prepares us for the real world and not just the military. We learn time management and how to prioritize time wisely,” Bass said. “You learn how to be a leader and step out of your comfort zone.”

The Bayonet Battalion has received numerous forms of recognition from the university and community for its 50-year anniversary.

Arkansas Sen. Jason Rapert presented a Senate Citation to the battalion on the floor of the Arkansas Senate in February. Welch was joined by BTÌìÌÃPresident Houston Davis and Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Pine, senior military science instructor, for the honor.

The Bayonet Battalion was presented to the BTÌìÌÃBoard of Trustees at its October 2017 meeting as Bear CLAWS, which stands for Celebrating the Lofty Achievements of our Wonderful Students.

The unit started the BTÌìÌÃROTC Hall of Fame in fall 2017 to recognize accomplished graduates. The first two inductees were retired Maj. Gen. Walter Paulson ’70, who was a member of the first class of Bayonet Battalion graduates, and retired Col. John Edwards ’84, a former Arkansas legislator.

The Bayonet Battalion also partnered with the BTÌìÌÃCenter for Leadership Development to host Brig. Gen. Gregrey Bacon, deputy adjutant general of the Arkansas National Guard, as a speaker on “Leadership in the Military.”

The unit commissioned a sculpture by Bryan Massey, professor and chair of the Department of Art. The battalion planned several other events, including a major celebration as part of Veterans Day.

Maj. Joshua Powers is currently the chair of the Department of Military Science and Leadership, as Welch completed his time at BTÌìÌÃat the end of the spring semester. Welch now serves as battalion command at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama, and plans to return to help celebrate the 50-year anniversary.

“I really think us being centrally located in the state has helped, but I would say just the tremendous support that we get from the community and from our administration,” Welch said. “There’s just tremendous support for our cadets, for our program, and I think that helps.”

Mouaz Moustafa ’08 works until the early morning hours most days, meeting and communicating with leaders from all over the globe and finding few hours to sleep.

As executive director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF), he maintains this arduous schedule to support a mission.

“The simple goal of our work is to end the atrocities that are unfolding in a place that also happens to be the place where I was born,” he said. “Dealing with individuals in different time zones from the Middle East to Europe and the United States makes it difficult to have a normal schedule.”

After graduating from the University of Central Arkansas with a bachelor’s in international relations, Moustafa went to work in Washington, D.C., interning with former U.S. Rep. Vic Snyder and then as a staffer for former U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln. As the peaceful Syrian protests began in March 2011, Moustafa helped start the SETF.

“The reason I called this the Syrian Emergency Task Force is because I thought, ‘The whole conflict would only be for a couple of weeks, maybe a few months, and then it’ll be done,'” he said, adding that he never thought that years later he would still be doing this work.

With offices in Washington, D.C., Little Rock, Southern Turkey and Syria, the SETF has several areas of work: political advocacy, legal efforts, civil governance and humanitarian aid.

On the political front, he and his team regularly engage with leaders in the U.S. Congress, the Department of State, White House, the Department of Defense, United Nations and British Parliament, among other institutions and policymakers, as the group calls for the protection of civilians in Syria.

Its legal work is focused primarily on documenting and exposing war crimes. With documentation collected by a former Syrian military police photographer, the task force has started criminal court cases in Spain, Germany and France, and the organization continues to pursue other prosecutions.

“We are determined that we bring justice to the countless war crimes, and through pursuing justice, we hope to deter further atrocities,” Moustafa said.

The SETF also works with local councils in Syria to help promote democracy and counter extremism to ensure that warlords and terrorists do not take a foothold in liberated areas.

As part of its work, the SETF also operates the Arkansas-based Wisdom House Project. This initiative focuses on humanitarian work in Syria by sustaining the Wisdom House, a kindergarten for orphans, and Tomorrow’s Dawn women’s center, as well as a letter campaign called Letters of Hope for Syria.

Letters are collected from all over the world and then mailed to Little Rock, where they are scanned and documented before being packed and sent to Syria for distribution to displaced individuals every few months, Moustafa said.

“The reactions by Syrians receiving these letters of hope have been overwhelming. It is as if we gave them a million dollars,” he said. “We gave them hope and love, at least for that moment, because they knew that someone else out there knew and understood their suffering and cared for them.”

Moustafa makes his home in the Washington, D.C., area, but he travels extensively throughout the United States to continue raising awareness regarding Syria’s civil war. His travels include visits to Arkansas and UCA.

While a student, Moustafa said BTÌìÌÃprovided several opportunities to learn procedural aspects of the U.N., such as the Arkansas Model United Nations conference held at BTÌìÌÃeach year, which is coordinated by Mark Mullenbach, associate professor and director of the international studies program. He also gained increased knowledge of Middle Eastern politics in classes taught by Gizachew Tiruneh, associate professor and the International Studies Club faculty adviser.

Moustafa also credits his former professors from the Department of Political Science such as Gary Wekkin, John Passe-Smith and Clay Arnold as being major influencers on his career.

“If it wasn’t for UCA, if it wasn’t for the amazing instructors, experiences and education I received on campus, I wouldn’t have had the foundation that I needed to do what I do today,” Moustafa said.

The soft, fluffy texture of a teddy bear can soothe and calm children in high-stress situations involving police and their parents.

At least that is a main goal of Share-A-Bear, an annual community drive to collect teddy bears and “share” the bears with local law enforcement agencies.

“Police officers can be scary to a child on any call from a traffic stop to other more serious calls. The bears are a way for the officer to calm the child and connect with the child. We have seen very tense situations calmed by simply sharing a bear with a child,” said LaTresha Woodruff, public information officer for the Conway Police Department.

The Conway Police Department is one of four law enforcement agencies that partners with Share-A-Bear.

“Originally, the program started to collect bears for police departments so when they respond to domestic violence calls that involve children, it’s a way to comfort the child in a very negative situation,” said Sherry Lynn Skaggs, assistant professor of criminology at the University of Central Arkansas.

Skaggs came to BTÌìÌÃin 2014 and brought the idea of creating a teddy bear drive with her. Working with the university’s Sociology Club, Skaggs said the first drive collected roughly 600 bears. The first year’s success working with students and the community set the stage for Share-A-Bear’s future.

After seeing the positive reception from the community, Skaggs took the idea to one of her fall classes, Police and Society, with an expansion plan.

“I brought it from the club into my Police and Society class,” Skaggs said. “So that class is an experiential learning and a service-learning class at the university.”

In addition to the Conway Police Department, students partner with three other law enforcement agencies in Arkansas: Faulkner County Sheriff’s Department, BTÌìÌÃPolice Department and Arkansas State Police. Each agency is assigned a student liaison who works with Skaggs and the agency to coordinate experiential learning activities, ride-alongs, use-of-force and other trainings. The class is usually about 24 students with a select group of past students to serve as class leaders.

The students set up donation boxes at the police stations and throughout the community. The community responded with not just teddy bears but also school supplies, toys and winter coats.

After a semester of collections, class culminates with a December community event at the Boys and Girls Club of Faulkner County where donations are distributed. Parents and children can visit with Santa Claus, enjoy games and foods and interact with the police officers. Students from the police and society class help to organize the event and volunteer to assist families.

Skaggs estimated that the most recent event in December 2017 drew more than 600 attendees. BTÌìÌÃstudent Sydney Farquharson was stationed at the Santa Claus line and remembers the reaction of a little girl who received a toy from Santa.

“I just remember she was screaming and yelling and was so happy,” Farquharson said. The little girl also received school supplies and two winter coats.

After the event, the remaining bears and toys are given to the four law enforcement agencies to hand out to youngsters. BTÌìÌÃstudent Sydney McEwen was a student in the Police and Society class and an intern at the Conway Police Department. One of her office duties was making sure the bears were readily available for officers when they left the station.

“They go to a stop, and there’s a kid there. They can give them a stuffed animal, and they can make that connection with them, so I think that’s cool,” McEwen said.

Since Share-A-Bear began, it has collected at least 3,000 bears and stuffed animals that have been distributed to youth, but Skaggs said bears are sometimes given to adults, a move that also impacts the perception adults have regarding police.

She points to minor traffic violations in which police were able to issue a warning bear rather than a written warning.
“We had a lot of adults in the community get bears,” Skaggs said. “So now every bit of this is dedicated toward how we can improve and grow and strengthen and maintain a very positive police community relationship.”

In its mission statement, BTÌìÌÃAthletics states: “The university through its intercollegiate athletics program seeks to prepare student-athletes for productive, fulfilling and responsible lives.” Also: “The university … embraces the opportunity to enhance its outreach to the surrounding communities through positive impressions embodied in the efforts of student-athletes.”

“One of our main principles is the student-athlete experience,” said Brad Teague, director of Athletics. “What that means for us is to develop the whole student. Community service is a major, major part of that focus. Our department organizes many opportunities for giving back to the community each semester, and our teams always respond to the call.

“But what is truly impressive to me is that our teams seek out additional opportunities. Many have a consistent service project or philanthropy, or even several, year in and year out. These experiences serve a mutually beneficial role, and we are proud our student-athletes do it so well and so willingly.”

The 18 BTÌìÌÃAthletics teams have consistently totaled more than 2,000 cumulative hours of community service each school year encompassing all sports.

“Community service gives our players a chance to give back to our community, a community that supports them and encourages them,” said Jeremy Bishop, who is in his seventh season as head coach of UCA’s women’s soccer team.

“Service for others is a great way for our athletes to practice life skills that are very important for their development as they grow into future leaders in their communities. They get to advocate for groups that need help; they learn compassion and understanding.”

The women’s soccer team has one particular community service entity that hits closer to home than most. The annual Freezin for a Reason road race was established by former BTÌìÌÃsoccer player Amanda Copley Mulhearn and her husband, Travis, in honor of their two daughters, Charlotte Diane and Stella Rose, both of whom passed away from rare diseases in 2007 and 2012, respectively. Both were treated at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, which is the benefactor of the annual race.

“Over the years we have helped out with various events at several of the elementary schools here in Conway,” Bishop said. “We have helped out at several locations around Conway that provide services to those in our area that are less fortunate, and several other events organized by our Student Athlete Advisory Council. But one of our favorite events is always Freezin for a Reason.”

UCA’s student-athletes participate in a wide variety of community service projects, such as the Conway Kids Triathlon, Samaritan’s Feet and Operation Christmas Child.

“Not only are we serving and giving back to our community,” Teague said, “but we are teaching our student-athletes the value of service. We are instilling core values that will carry these young men and women into the future. That’s what being a student-athlete at Central Arkansas is all about.”

Arkansas Dream Center

The Arkansas Dream Center reaches out to those in need in communities across the state of Arkansas, serves their needs and restores their dreams!

Braves Baseball

Braves Baseball, a youth league program sponsored by Conway Parks and Recreation, provides boys and girls with special needs the opportunity to play baseball. The league plays at Conway Braves Field at Curtis Park, which is uniquely designed to provide players with special needs a robust baseball experience. Members of the BTÌìÌÃbaseball team serve as buddies for the Braves players.

Conway Cradle Care

Mission: “To help teens that become pregnant or have a child complete their education by supporting their academic and emotional needs as well as the developmental needs of their children.”

Conway Kids Triathlon

The First Security Conway Kids’ Triathlon is 
one of the country’s premier youth triathlons. 
It is a morning full of triathlon fun for kids of all abilities from ages 6-15.

Diabetes One Walk

JDRF One Walk has one goal: to create a world without type 1 diabetes (T1D).

Operation Christmas Child

Operation Christmas Child, the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind, delivers gift-filled shoeboxes to the hands of needy children.

Pine Street Backpack 
Program

The goal of this organization is to provide school supplies for children in grades K-12 from low-income families that live in the Pine Street community and surrounding areas of the city of Conway and Faulkner County.

Read to Succeed Program

The Read to Succeed Program was started by the BTÌìÌÃfootball team and involves student-athletes reading to Conway area elementary students on a regular basis throughout the season.

Samaritan’s Feet

Samaritan’s Feet serves and inspires hope in children by providing shoes as the foundation to a spiritual and healthy life resulting in the advancement of education and economic opportunities.

Soaring Wings Half Marathon

The Soaring Wings Half Marathon and 10k benefits Soaring Wings Ranch, a Christ-centered home for children providing long-term foster care for those who have been abused, neglected, orphaned or are otherwise in need of a chance to soar.

TOPSoccer

TOPSoccer is an adapted soccer program for children with special needs, ages 3-18. The program is designed to give everyone a chance to play and to foster the values of teamwork, pride and accomplishment within each player.

Tornado/Hurricane Relief

Student-athletes have raised funds and supplies for hurricane victims in Texas and Louisiana and performed community service work following tornadoes in the Conway area over the past few years.

Toys for Tots

Presently, the Marine Toys for Tots Program distributes an average of 18 million toys to 7 million less fortunate children annually.

United Way Stuff the Bus

The United Way of Central Arkansas “Stuff the Bus” is an annual school supply and toiletry drive. The initiative eases the financial burden on families with school-aged children who are struggling to make ends meet, giving a student who is in need the required supplies to promote learning, encourage self-esteem and help kids stay in school. It’s more than school supplies. It’s the first step to prepare students for a fulfilling, successful future.

Some years ago, when she was a freshman, a commercial caught Lillian McEntire’s ’18 eye. The spot centered on the Final Four basketball tournament, but it was the mention of one team’s participation in something called the Food Recovery Network that led McEntire to look up the organization’s website on the spot.

“I was like, ‘That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever heard,'” McEntire said of the Food Recovery Network, a national student-run organization that fights against food waste and hunger.

The Food Recovery Network began at the University of Maryland, College Park in 2011 and has since led to 230 chapters across the nation. After McEntire touched base with the organization through the web, she went through the process of implementing a chapter on the BTÌìÌÃcampus. In December 2015, UCA’s Food Recovery Network was up and running.

“I’m just really passionate about it because I feel like it’s so amazing that it can be an impact on hunger and food waste, which are two really different but also really connected problems,” she said.

Seven times a week, Food Recovery Network volunteers visit Einstein Bros. Bagels in the BTÌìÌÃStudent Center and Panera Bread in Conway to collect unused food items–mostly bread for now–weigh the collection and transport the items to partner shelters in Conway like the Bethlehem House, Soul Food Cafe, Last Chance Ministries and the Ministry Center. As of Aug. 2, the organization had recovered and donated more than 24,398 pounds of food.

In addition to recovering unused food, the Food Recovery Network is currently working to recover unused coffee grounds from local coffee shops to support composting at local gardens. The organization is also the reason why the Student Center Food Court has recycling bins.

It’s no wonder, then, that the Food Recovery Network won Outstanding Community Outreach by a Student Organization at the BTÌìÌÃStudent Involvement Awards for both the 2016-17 and 2017-18 school years.

“Just to feel like we are having that much of an impact is really amazing, and to be awarded among all the other organizations that are doing great things, it’s just a great feeling to be recognized for that,” McEntire said.

McEntire was recruiting her friends as volunteers in the organization’s early stages, but now more than 100 people are on its roster.

“Lillian was an amazing leader and president. She made sure to prepare us and give us time to ease into our future roles,” said sophomore Vincz Ong, the organization’s current president. “Lillian also has been really helpful in showing us how to follow through with ideas so that we have an idea for any future plans. All in all, she left FRN with stability and a great foundation for growth.”

Hannah Parks ’18 volunteered with the organization for two years. Through the group, she’s learned about the shelters and resources that exist in the Conway community.

“Maybe we’re not ending world hunger, but we are lowering the food waste in our community, and it’s a great thing to see this food go to people who actually need it,” Parks said.

Sophomore Nayeli Wilcox, vice president of UCA’s Food Recovery Network, said she was drawn to the organization because of its message and leadership opportunities.

“With FRN, even if you do just one recovery once a month, or maybe even once a semester, it’s a huge help, and you’re definitely contributing,” she said. “Food waste is a very, very big issue that we really need to give a better priority to.”

McEntire’s involvement as founder and president also helped her confidence. Social settings weren’t her forte until she took the reigns on calling potential partner restaurants and speaking to other organizations about the Food Recovery Network. She even became an ambassador for BTÌìÌÃand the Schedler Honors College. In 2016, she was named a Newman Civic Fellow.

“I feel like it built my personal and social interaction skills, and it helped me to meet a lot of people on campus that I wouldn’t have otherwise and just build connections, so it was a great opportunity,” she said.

McEntire is currently studying at the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis and aspires to use her optometry skills to help others while also supporting the Food Recovery Network or similar organizations.

“I feel like it’s just a really amazing organization that has the power to really impact some things that are affecting our communities and our environment,” she said.