- University News Archive - 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock /news-archive/tag/homeless/ 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Mon, 30 Apr 2018 16:00:49 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock gospel choir spreads love to the homeless /news-archive/2018/04/30/ua-little-rock-gospel-choir-spreads-love-homeless/ Mon, 30 Apr 2018 16:00:49 +0000 /news/?p=70343 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock gospel choir spreads love to the homeless]]> Members of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock L. O. V. E. Gospel Choir are excited about the future and longevity of the organization thanks to the foundational structure set in place by its founders and staff advisor. The L. O. V. E. Gospel Choir, or Lifting Our Voices Everywhere, started as an idea several years ago that sparked from conversations amongst graduating student Aliyah Joseph and 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock alumni Kennion Gulley and Jeremy Metcalf. 鈥淭he three of us grew up in the church and we wanted to create a safe space where we could worship God and provide ministry opportunities through singing for other students, so we often talked about making the choir official, and eventually, gave it a try.鈥 In 2014, the group began the process of formalizing the organization under university standards, but were faced with many setbacks. 鈥淎 lot of people gave us reasons why we couldn鈥檛 do it, so it just didn鈥檛 work out the way we wanted it to or when we wanted it to,鈥 Joseph said. Mia Phillips, communications and special projects coordinator in the Office of the Chancellor, caught wind of what the students were trying to do and hopped on board. She played a major role in helping the students to make the choir 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock official. The L. O. V. E. Gospel Choir now has 20 members and meets weekly for rehearsals to prepare for performances at area churches and on-campus events. The group also prepares for its own concerts, which are hosted each spring. To help finance their concerts and travel costs, the students host numerous fundraisers throughout the year. On March 28, they hosted the L. O. V. E. Fest in the Donaghey Student Center, selling chili dogs, chips, and other snacks. The students didn鈥檛 meet their financial goal during the two-hour event, but they didn鈥檛 let that deter them from spreading their love. A postal service employee suggested they give the extra food to the homeless instead of throwing it out. Without hesitation, the students packed up the food while the group鈥檚 graphic designer ran to the library to print out notes with messages of encouragement to place in the bags. After loading up the goods, the students drove around and passed out the sacks of food to the needy around the university and in downtown Little Rock. 鈥淚t was such a humbling experience,鈥 said choir vice president Niambi Talley. 鈥淲e鈥檙e so blessed that we don鈥檛 even realize that we take so much for granted. To me it was just a hot dog, but they were so happy just to have that.鈥 Joseph, the choir president, will graduate this semester, and although she will bid the group farewell, she will leave behind a lasting legacy. During the choir鈥檚 annual spring concert on April 21, Phillips informed both Joseph and Gulley that she would institute the Joseph-Gulley book scholarship for two outstanding choir members each year. Keifran Melvin and Camille Davis were the first recipients of the award. For more information about the L. O. V. E. Gospel Choir, email lovechoir16@gmail.com.]]> 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock staffer uses extreme couponing skills to help others /news-archive/2017/06/21/extreme-couponing/ Wed, 21 Jun 2017 17:59:19 +0000 /news/?p=67335 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock staffer uses extreme couponing skills to help others]]> In order to get the best deals, she buys plenty of newspapers every week, has her mom and several friends on the lookout for the best coupons, surfs couponing websites, and will sometimes even look to recycling bins and trash cans in her search for elusive coupons. Henry-Saorrono, the senior recruitment and outreach coordinator in the University of Arkansas at Little Rock鈥檚 George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology, uses her skills to help her family and friends and to buy work supplies. Now, Henry-Saorrono is putting her skills to work by helping the less fortunate. She is a member of the, a political action committee with a grassroots outreach effort to tackle hunger in the community. The group鈥檚 most recent project is creating care kits that members give to homeless people who are asking for donations. 鈥淚f you see a homeless person on the street asking for help, you can鈥檛 always instantaneously help them,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 carry cash, but now I can just roll down my window, and I always have something to help them.鈥 The care kits have water bottles, crackers, fruit snacks, granola bars, applesauce, pudding, Kleenex, and hand sanitizers. Each kit also contains a list of resources, including the addresses of local food pantries.
Ashley Henry-Saorrono purchased these supplies for car care kits for the homeless using her extreme couponing skills.

Ashley Henry-Saorrono purchased these supplies for car care kits for the homeless using her extreme couponing skills.

A group of 10 Saline County Progressives members met recently to assemble 200 kits. Henry-Saorrono donated many items she purchased using coupons, while other donations came from the 4-year-old daughter of a member, who asked for donations for the care kits in lieu of birthday presents. In addition to the care kits, the organization supplies food to a mini-food pantry, essentially a wooden box set up in front of Benton First United Methodist Church. Just like the 鈥淏orrow a Book鈥 stands, people are able to take and leave food, water, and other essentials at any time. A second mini-food pantry is set to go up July 1. Henry-Saorrono stops by the mini-pantry three times a week to donate food and other essentials that she gets a discount on through extreme couponing. 鈥淓verything I put in there is always gone fast,鈥 she said. ]]> 糖心Vlog传媒LR Bowen law student organizations donate to Lucie鈥檚 Place /news-archive/2016/10/24/ualr-bowen-law-student-organizations-donate-to-lucis-place/ Mon, 24 Oct 2016 14:25:12 +0000 /news/?p=65547 ... 糖心Vlog传媒LR Bowen law student organizations donate to Lucie鈥檚 Place]]> The law school鈥檚 student division of Arkansas Association of Women Lawyers, in partnership with Lambda Legal Society, made a donation of $2,500 worth of appliances and furnishings to聽聽to help the organization open the first transitional living shelter for homeless LGBTQ youth in Arkansas. Lucie鈥檚 Place is a local nonprofit organization that provides homeless LGBTQ young adults in central Arkansas with safe living environments, job training, and counseling services in order to ensure lifelong stability and success. Additionally, the organization works to promote equality and acceptance for these young adults. 鈥淭here is such a need in Arkansas for a shelter of this kind that we decided this was the best use of our funds,鈥 said Lauren Reiche, president of Bowen鈥檚 student division of Arkansas Association of Women Lawyers. The appliances have been installed in the shelter鈥檚 kitchen. The items donated included a stove, dishwasher, microwave, oven, and a couch. Last week, the first resident moved into the shelter and will be able to make use of the donations. To raise funds for the project, both organizations held a silent auction at the Barrister鈥檚 Ball in April, as well as a baggo tournament earlier this semester. 鈥淲e really strive to make the biggest impact that we can,鈥 said Reiche. 鈥淭his is the first time that we have donated this semester, but we hope to do even more as the year goes on.鈥 The mission of the Arkansas Association of Women Lawyers is to honor, promote, and support women in the legal profession. It is a service-based organization that encourages community involvement. Bowen鈥檚 student chapter performs a service project every fall. The organization will be holding a Fall Festival for Women and Children First in October with the Hillary Clinton Children鈥檚 Library, as well as sponsoring a team for Race for the Cure.]]>