Gift to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock September Fund will help children of Arkansas first responders

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 28 Feb 2019 20:26:23 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has received a $19,000 donation to help children of first responders in Arkansas afford a college education while carrying on the memory of first responders who tragically lost their lives on 9/11. The donation will benefit the September Fund Endowed Scholarship in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock College of Social Sciences and Communication and will provide assistance for any education-related expenses for the children of Arkansas first responders, including law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians. “This donation is a wonderful gift that will benefit many students over the years. It will double the endowment and provide stability for the scholarship,” said Dr. Julien Mirivel, interim dean of the College of Social Sciences and Communication. “This is also a special scholarship that helps the children of our first responders who sacrificed so much for others. It matches the college’s mission to make a difference in the lives of our students.” The September Fund emerged in 2003 after Jake Goheen, an attorney and graduate of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law, answered a call from his favorite talk radio show, “The Corey and Jay Show” (now ), in 2002. “Corey and Jay put out a call for attorneys to help them start a project honoring first responders of 9/11,” said Goheen, head of the September Fund Board. “A while later, I realized no one called in. Not a lot of attorneys listen to alternative rock stations. That’s the first and only time I’ve called in to a radio talk show. We formed a wonderful board and had a great 15-year run.” Goheen joined forces with John Beck, a local law enforcement officer, and his wife, Laura Beck, who previously worked at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. In addition to helping with the law enforcement and educational portions of the scholarship, the Becks sold barbecue sauce and salsa to help fund the scholarship as well as created an annual chili cook-off event. “The September Fund has been a lot of fun, and we’ve had some faithful friends that have stayed with us over the years,” John Beck said. “This effort came from the heart. I remember exactly where I was on 9/11. A lot of good people gave up their lives that day. It’s our duty to never forget them.” Others who were instrumental in helping the September Fund over the years include board members Corey Deitz, Patrick Beam, and Matt Cruz, on-air talent at 100.3. In the past, others have given countless hours of their time and donated their skills and money to the cause. Matt Brumley, an emergency medical technician and director of MEDTRAN Ambulance Service of Saline Memorial Hospital, helped spread the word in the early years, as well as the Saline County Sheriff’s Department and accountants Michael Glenn and Michael Storey.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock honors friends of the College of Social Sciences and Communication during a basketball game at the Jack Stephens Center. Those pictured (L to R) include: Chasse Conque, Dr. Julien Mirivel, Jake Goheen Ashley Gore, Tom Bailey, Miguel Lopez, Summer Khairi, Nancy Rowen, Tre’ Day Rowan and son, and Mike Blain. Photo by Benjamin Krain.

Now that the scholarship is housed at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, they hope the scholarship will carry on forever. “At this point, the kids that are getting the scholarship do not remember 9/11. We don’t want there to ever be another 9/11, but we don’t want people to forget what happened that day,” Goheen said. “We want this to be a permanent fund that lives on forever to honor the first responders who are out there dealing with fires, accidents, medical emergencies, and tragedies. The first responders are still on the ground every day, and their children still need an education.” Preference will be given to students majoring in a department or school in the College of Social Sciences and Communication. These include applied communication, criminal justice, psychology, rhetoric and writing, mass communication, public affairs, and sociology and anthropology. Academic accomplishments and financial need will be strongly considered. “Many of us remember life before 9/11, but the students who receive this scholarship will have no concept of that previous life,” said Christian O’Neal, vice chancellor of university advancement. “We had so many local heroes that participated in the heroic efforts of that day, and this scholarship keeps the memory of their sacrifices alive.” In the upper right photo, Dr. Julien Mirivel, interim dean of the College of Social Sciences and Communication (right), Christian O’Neal, vice chancellor of university advancement (middle), and Jake Goheen (right) sign papers signifying a $19,000 donation to the September Fund Endowed Scholarship Fund. Photo by Benjamin Krain.

��Vlog��ýLR hosts law enforcement seminar about effective crisis leadership

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 24 Aug 2016 19:41:37 +0000

Law enforcement officers from throughout Arkansas have the chance to hear from a police official who led the officer response to the 2014 protests in Ferguson, Missouri, during an Aug. 29 workshop at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. The law enforcement workshop, “Effective Leadership in a Crisis Situation,” will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 29, at the ��Vlog��ýLR Donaghey Student Center. The main speakers include Jon Belmar, chief of the St. Louis County Police Department, and Brig. Gen. Gregrey Bacon, deputy adjutant general of the Arkansas National Guard. ��Vlog��ýLR Chief of Police Regina Wade-Carter, U.S. Attorney Chris Thyer of the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Little Rock Black Police Officers Association President Melvin Vester will give opening remarks. The workshop will cover the socioeconomic conditions leading to unrest in Ferguson, the lack of training and department readiness in a crisis situation, and the role of politicians in high-profile situations. On Aug. 9, 2014, Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was shot and killed by Darren Wilson, a white police officer, in, a suburb of St. Louis. The shooting prompted protests that lasted for weeks. On Nov. 24, the St. Louis County prosecutor announced that a grand jury decided not to indict Wilson. The decision set off another wave of protests. In addition, the speakers will discuss the lack of training and department readiness in a crisis situation, and the role of politicians in high-profile situations, the role and negative effects of media and social media in a crisis situation, the behavior of officers during a crisis, and strategies to evaluate physical and emotional effects on officers. The ��Vlog��ýLR Department of Public Safety, the Little Rock Black Police Officers Association, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Arkansas are co-hosting the event. Law enforcement officers may register for the workshop at the. For more information, contact Paulette Chappelle, law enforcement coordinator specialist for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Arkansas at 501.340.2677 or paulette.chappelle@usdoj.gov. More information about Chief Belmar: Belmar was appointed chief of police Jan. 31, 2014. The St. Louis County Police Department serves a population of more than 1 million, employs nearly 1,100 people, and has budget of more than $113 million.

Chief Jon Belmar

He earned a bachelor’s degree in criminology from Arkansas State University. Belmar attended the FBI’s Hazardous Device School at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, where he was certified as a bomb technician in 1997. Belmar began his career in the Affton Southwest Precinct in 1986 as a patrolman. He also served in the South County Precinct and the Tactical Operations Unit before his promotion to sergeant in 1995. As a sergeant, he served in the West County Precinct as a watch supervisor, until he was selected to run the department’s Arson and Explosives Unit in 1996. In 1998, he was promoted to lieutenant and remained within the Division of Criminal Investigation as the commander of the Bureau of Crimes Against Persons. He was promoted to captain in 2004, when he became the commander of the Affton Southwest Precinct and later a captain in special operations. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 2013 and named the commanding officer of the Division of Special Operations. More information about Brig. Gen. Bacon: Bacon was named the deputy adjutant general of the Arkansas National Guard in May 2016. He serves as the principal staff assistant and advisor to the adjutant general. Bacon, a native of Pine Bluff, enlisted in the Arkansas National Guard in 1985. He received his commission in 1990 after attending Officer Candidate School at Camp Joseph T. Robinson in North Little Rock, where he received the Honor Graduate and Distinguished Honor Graduate awards. He has over 25 years of military service in field artillery, including deployments during Operation Enduring Freedom in 2007 and 2008. Bacon has held various assignments in the Arkansas National Guard, including aerial recon officer, battery commander, force integration and readiness officer, recruiting and retention commander, and army chief of staff for the Arkansas Army National Guard.

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

Gift to ����Vlog��ý Little Rock September Fund will help children of Arkansas first responders

����Vlog��ýLR hosts law enforcement seminar about effective crisis leadership

- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Gift to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock September Fund will help children of Arkansas first responders

��Vlog��ýLR hosts law enforcement seminar about effective crisis leadership