Photography by Jamison Mosley
Champions of Hope
Karen Thomas | Andrew Carroll
Champions of Hope is a unique program that provides young men an opportunity to serve as stewards of Centers for Youth & Families and develop civic leadership skills. The curriculum addresses timely social issues – including depression, suicide prevention and human trafficking – and offers high school junior + senior boys ways to better advocate and change the conversation surrounding mental health. Karen Thomas shares, “One thing I love so much about volunteering is the feeling of helping someone else feel better. It may be for just a moment, or it may be something that sticks with them forever, but you never know which way it’s going to be.”
EAST at Nettleton
Sandra Taylor | Anthony Pan | Kate Golden
“Within our school community, a culture of giving and serving has developed and can be seen on all levels: teachers, administrators, clubs and organizations, and many other students give their time, energy, ideas, and financial resources to help others. I help foster the belief that we owe something to our community.” – Sandra Taylor
Arts Take Action
Brooklyn Courtney-Moore | Sydney Crary
Arts Take Action is a fundraising performance organized by students for students across the state. This friendly competition awards funding to high school art departments; proceeds support Immerse Arkansas. Brooklyn Courtney-Moore elaborates, “ I witnessed my grandmother and my mother have great joy for service, which I think has certainly been a huge source of inspiration throughout crafting Arts Take Action and the fun I have with it. Now, we have a team of 10 high school students from around Central Arkansas passionate about this combination of Immerse Arkansas’ mission and the arts for Arts Take Action’s annual event. I think many young people have the misconception that philanthropy is reserved for older, wealthy people, but with a passion for helping others and some creativity, anyone can really make a difference in their community. Passion is incredibly motivating, and the more fun you can have with philanthropy, the better!”
