Improving the Quality of Life | About CADC | CADC community action agency services & programs fight war on poverty in Arkansas

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Introduction | Board of Directors | Improving Quality of Life

Since 1965, CADC has invested in the families and communities of Arkansas. Our goal is to empower persons to self-sufficiency through a sharing of resources and assets. That goal is accomplished through partnerships with the very individuals and communities we serve, including:

Jennifer Donnor, a Single Parent Scholarship Fund Recipient, and Son

Jennifer Donnor
Jennifer Donnor is a 25-year-old mother of one child. Jennifer graduated Benton High School in Saline County in 1994. Shortly thereafter, she was diagnosed with a neuro-muscular disease, losing the ability to walk, talk or to do anything for herself. This was only the first of many medical difficulties. Jennifer eventually got on long-term disability, but through determination of the spirit, Jennifer decided she would pursue her educational goals. She enrolled in school at Ouachita Technical College, in Malvern, in January 2000. Jennifer received a scholarship from the Saline County Single Parent Scholarship Fund in August 2000 and again in 2001, enabling her to pursue her educational goals. In the meantime, her medical problems continued, having her gall bladder removed in 2001 between summer semesters. In spite of that, Jennifer graduated OTC in December 2001 with a 4.0 GPA. She graduated with the highest honors and was named a 2001 Outstanding Student of the Year, the 2001 New Century Scholar and was nominated for the 2002 All-USA Academic Team. Jennifer states:
"The Single Parent Scholarship Fund is the only scholarship I have ever been awarded that recognizes everyday expenses, such as gas and car repairs, as legitimate uses of scholarship funds. Yet, these very expenses are the ones that hinder us most often. I've seen single parents forced to drop out of college because they cannot afford the gas to get to class. Because of CADC's contribution to this program, I am not among the many in that situation."
Currently Jennifer is in nursing school. We applaud Jennifer's efforts as she emulates CADC's goal that Low-income people will become more self sufficient.

The Kerr Community group received a $25,000 grant.

Representatives of Kerr Community Accept Check for Community Park

The Kerr Community in Lonoke County is accomplishing their goals gradually with technical assistance from CADC. The community has obtained 2 fire hydrants on Highway 70 in the community. They are now in the process of establishing a Martin Loop Fun Park after trying for 3 years to get a grant. Land for the Martin Loop Fun Park was donated by Booker T. Martin. The community received a $25,000 grant from the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, which was presented to the group by Governor Mike Huckabee. The grant will be used to provide recreation equipment for the Fun Park. In addition to their Fun Park, a ½ court basketball court and a 10-car parking lot has already been installed with a handicap space. The group will also have a pavilion and a fence around the fish pond for the safety of the children. The fish pond on the park site has been stocked by the Lonoke Fish Hatchery with a total of 4700 fish. In the future, the Kerr Community will have a new fire station on Highway 70 for the Volunteer Fire Department. The land for this was donated by Aljavan Martin. The group has many more plans and goals to accomplish. In the words of Joe Hood, a member of the Kerr Community Group,
     "We achieved success in the Kerr Community because we worked together. We had the right tools from CADC and the motivation within ourselves to get the job done."
     CADC applauds the efforts of the Kerr Community Group, which exemplifies CADC's goal that low-income people will own a stake in their communities.

Volunteers provide the foundation for success in CADC's programs and services. Volunteers touch all of us, providing programmatic support that enables CADC to focus funds on direct services. The volunteer involvement of our Board of Directors ensures that persons in the local communities have their voices heard. The importance of Volunteer Support is key in strengthening the impact of CADC. No where is that more apparent than with Ms. Bobbie Lovett, a resident of the Strong Community in Union County, Arkansas. Ms. Lovett is a member of the CADC Board of Directors and a founder of the Curry Chapel Food Pantry. The pantry is a part of the Commodity Distribution Program, which is run out of her local church, Curry Chapel A.M.E. in Strong. The food pantry serves Strong and the surrounding communities, helping more than 80 families every year. In the words of Ms. Lovett,
     "Our partnership with CADC is making the agency more visible to the people in our communities. The distribution program helps people to be more self-sufficient, focusing on meeting needs. Volunteering makes a difference in the community. People know that I'm on the Board of Directors of CADC. That involvement tells people that they can approach me and share their concerns in the community. I'm proud of my involvement with the agency."
     CADC applauds the volunteers of the Curry Chapel Food Pantry: Ms. Lou Ellen Green, Ms. Ella Mae Bridges, Ms. Coradine Morgan, Ms. Catherine Ford, and Ms. Bobbie Lovett, whose work exemplifies the goal that CADC will increase its capacity to achieve results.