Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Volunteer Program Targeting Students

Less than two years ago, in September 1997, the Arkansas Division of Volunteerism launched a statewide program to encourage youth, grades K-12, to volunteer in their communities.

The program, called Youth Service Arkansas, engages organized youth groups in projects that are beneficial to their cities and towns.

Endorsed by the Arkansas Municipal League, the program invited interested youth groups and their leaders to contract with their hometown mayor to pledge and fulfill their community service commitments by the end of March, in time to be recognized on National Youth Service Day, April 16.

Members of the Clark County Operational Clean-Up recently reported their community service activities to help fulfill a contract they signed with Gurdon Mayor Rick Smith.

The group completed a multifaceted project that included assisting elderly residents of their locality, picking up trash, conducting a community cook-out, holding a rummage sale and a holiday dance and working on drug prevention.

In all, 26 of Gurdon's young people contributed 1,239 hours and their eight adult leaders added 937 more hours to the many wonderful activities the group undertook. Delton Simpson is the group's adult leader.

The Arkansas Division of Volunteerism promotes and supports volunteerism in the private, nonprofit and government sectors as a means of solving problems for all Arkansans.

The division, housed in the Arkansas Department of Human Services, has offered technical assistance, information and training on all aspects of volunteer program management and recognition since 1974.

For more information about youth Service Arkansas or National Youth Service Day, call Jackie Stubblefield at the Arkansas Division of Volunteerism at 1-800-482-5850, extension 27540.