In spite of a three-week delay, the April 25 event sold out for the first time in history, selling more than 1,060 tickets and drawing a record crowd. Additionally, the event raised more than $145,000 for student scholarships, the most in Taste of Little Rock history.

The event is also a celebration of the university鈥檚 annual Giving Day. The university broke its goal of raising half a million dollars during this year鈥檚 Giving Day, including securing a gift from every county in Arkansas and every state in the nation.

鈥淭his year鈥檚 event was a huge success, thanks to our dedicated board members and co-chairs, Loris Fullerton and Stephanie Caruthers, as well as the entire 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock alumni and development staff,鈥� said Heide Harrell, president of the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Alumni Board of Directors. 鈥淚t was wonderful to have so many community leaders and university supporters come together to raise money for the Alumni Association Scholarship Fund and honor the infamous James Bobo.鈥�

The event honored James Bobo as the night鈥檚 honoree. Bobo, who retired from Entergy in 2017, has a passion for his alma mater and has given back to support higher education in Arkansas. He served two terms on the Alumni Board of Directors and as a past president. He now serves on the Centennial Campaign Cabinet, helping to lead the university鈥檚 largest fundraising effort to raise $250 million by 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 centennial anniversary in 2027.

鈥淚t is awesome, wonderful, and breathtaking to see so many people come out for food, fun, fellowship, and a great time,鈥� Bobo said. 鈥淚 truly appreciate everyone who has come out to support the university and our students. What excites me the most is the money we are raising for scholarships for our students. That is what is near and dear to my heart, helping others, and especially our wonderful students who are working so hard to earn their college degrees.鈥�

Taste of Little Rock, originally scheduled for April 4, was delayed three weeks due to the destructive EF3 tornado that hit Central Arkansas on March 31 and impacted so many people in the community. In light of this, the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock community was more determined to support students in need than ever before.

“After we had to postpone because of the devastating tornado, it is a true blessing to be able to raise money for our student scholarships,鈥� said Loris Fullerton, co-chair of the Taste of Little Rock Committee. 鈥淥ur sponsors have been wonderful. We have a great crowd, and we are thrilled with tonight鈥檚 event. We are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support and generosity from our community.”

Taste of Little Rock, 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 highly anticipated culinary and social event, raises funds for the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Alumni Scholarship Fund, which provides thousands of scholarship dollars every year to deserving 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students. And Giving Day raises funds to support the Centennial Campaign pillars, which include scholarships, program excellence, student support, and the living and learning environments.

鈥淩aising money for student scholarships is what this event is all about,鈥� said Alfred Williams, co-chair of the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Centennial Campaign Committee. 鈥淭he whole Centennial Campaign is all about providing the best education and future possible for our students.鈥�

Taste of Little Rock is an incredible gathering that showcases the diverse and delectable cuisine of the city’s most talented and innovative restaurant owners. This event provides an opportunity for the community to come together and savor the best flavors Little Rock has to offer while supporting an important cause.

The culinary extravaganza featured a wide variety of restaurants and caterers with selections to fill every palate. They included Afrobites, Andy鈥檚, Blue Cloud, Blue Coast Burrito, Burge鈥檚, Cantina Laredo, Chuy鈥檚, Chicken Salad Chick, Community Bakery, Delicious Temptations, Fazoli鈥檚, Kemuri, Happy鈥檚 Energy and Nutrition, Kreative Expressionz Catering, Kris and Sam鈥檚, Le Pops, Loblolly Ice Cream, Lost Forty Brewing, Mockingbird Bar and Tacos, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Rivera Italian Restaurant, Sauced Bar and Oven, SAP鈥檚 Creole Cuisine, Southern Glazer鈥檚, Red Moon Tavern, Smackey鈥檚, Taj Mahal, Whole Hog, Wright鈥檚 BBQ, and Zin Wine Bar.

鈥淚 think this event and the food variety is amazing,鈥� said Taste of Little Rock attendee Carson Vogelpohl. 鈥淚 am excited to try all the different kinds of delicious food. It鈥檚 really fabulous how many choices are available. You can see Little Rock with a fork.鈥�

Taste of Little Rock would not have been a success without the event鈥檚 dedicated sponsors. Gold Sponsors include Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Entergy, and Natural State Private Wealth Group. The night鈥檚 silver sponsors include Arkansas Scholarship Lottery, Garver, HoganTaylor, Loris and Jay Fullerton, Simmons Bank, Glazer鈥檚 Beer and Beverage, Stephanie and Brooks Caruthers, and USAble Life.

Rebecca Weaver, a senior human resources business partner with Southern Glazer鈥檚, said her company has been an avid supporter of Taste of Little Rock for more years than she could remember.

鈥淲e鈥檝e supported 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock for a long time,鈥� Weaver said. 鈥淲e love to see how our donations go to support student scholarships and help grow a great workforce for Arkansas. We hope 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 students will gain a great education and come work for us in the future.鈥�

Every gift made to the university through December 2026 will be a part of the Centennial Campaign, the university鈥檚 largest fundraising campaign in history.

To learn more or give, visit /giving/product/centennial-campaign/.

The post 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Holds Most Popular Taste of Little Rock to Date, Breaks Giving Day Goals appeared first on News.

To achieve that goal, the university鈥檚 Office of Alumni and Development is working to increase the number and amount of gifts from alumni, faculty and staff, in addition to securing a gift from every county in Arkansas and every state in the nation.

鈥淭he professional success of our alumni has taken them nationwide but, thankfully, so many have a wonderful heart for supporting their alma mater,鈥� said Kristi Smith, associate vice chancellor for alumni and development. 鈥淥ur goal is to always keep our alumni and friends informed about the great work that is taking place on campus and, this year, we hope that good news inspires them to give even more.鈥�

So far, donors from 60 of Arkansas鈥檚 75 counties and 41 states have made donations that will contribute to the goal for Giving Day. The farthest gift from the continental U.S. came from a donor in Washington state, and the gift farthest by miles overall was from Hawaii.

Dr. Sherri L. Wallace, professor and interim associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Louisville, shared why she supports her university.

鈥淚 owe much of my success in my professional academic year to the mentoring and support I received from my professors at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock,鈥� said Dr. Wallace. 鈥淏ecause of that, I believe it is my duty to give back, connect with current students and create pathways for generations to come. There is nothing in life that can level the playing field like having access to higher education.鈥�

Proceeds from the university鈥檚 annual 鈥淭aste of Little Rock鈥� event, which takes place on 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 Giving Day, will also be factored into the total amount raised. Every dollar from ticket sales for Taste of Little Rock benefits general student scholarships that are awarded through the university鈥檚 alumni association.

Smith said one reason for the aggressive goal is because the university is working to exceed its goal for the recently-announced Centennial Campaign. In October, 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock launched the Centennial Campaign, announcing its plans to raise $250 million by its centennial year in 2027.

Every gift made to the university through December 2027 counts toward the Centennial Campaign. The priorities of the campaign are scholarships, program excellence, student support, and the living and learning environments.

Every donation made through April 25, 2023, counts toward Giving Day, and every gift made through 2027 is considered a campaign contribution. To learn more or give, visit /giving/product/centennial-campaign/.

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鈥淲hile we are saddened to postpone, we know many in our community right now are impacted,鈥� said Kristi Smith, associate vice chancellor of alumni and development. 鈥淲e could not in good conscience move forward with such a celebratory event with a number of our community, including our students, being uprooted due to such a catastrophic event.鈥�

The event, originally scheduled for Tuesday, April 4, is designed to raise funds for the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock alumni scholarship fund, which provides thousands of scholarship dollars annually to students. Taste of Little Rock is a celebration of the success of the university鈥檚 annual giving day, and this year the university set an ambitious goal of raising $500,000 during 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Giving Day 2023.

The Taste of Little Rock committee is already working to find a new date for both Taste of Little Rock and 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Giving Day 2023. New dates for both events will be announced soon.

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