Keeping it Up Front

The Heifer Foundation Names New Leadership

As reported by Arkansas Business.com The Heifer Foundation board of trustees said Thursday that it has appointed Ardyth Neill as president of the nonprofit organization, which is dedicated to helping end hunger and poverty through planned charitable giving.
Neill has been in the dual role of chief financial officer and interim president and CEO twice during her time at the foundation, according to Marcia Williams, chair of Heifer Foundation board of trustees.
"Having worked with Ardyth for years, I am thrilled that she has been named to and accepted this most important role at Heifer Foundation," Williams said. "She weaves her professionalism, ethics and dedication to the cause and many skills into service to the foundation.
Neill had been with Heifer since 2001.
"My goal is to strengthen our collaborative efforts, creating a solid foundation of support for families helping themselves out of the cycle of poverty," Neill said in a news release. "In doing so, we carry on the example given us by Heifer International founder, Dan West, while providing a model for future generations to build upon as we maintain a deep commitment to helping the poor, hungry and those in the margin of the world."
Heifer Foundation was established in 1991 to oversee and grow the endowment that supports Heifer International. The two are separate nonprofit charitable organizations.

Juneteenth Mixes It up with Sesquicentennial


Juneteenth celebration and living history events are scheduled during June by the Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission. According to Karen Martin's The Play Blog there will a host of activities and historical reinactments for history buffs such as myself. The Blog offers a complete listing of sesquicentennial activities and additional information on the activities listed below can be found by clicking here.

Among the Civil War sesquicentennial events during June are:

• Invasion, Jayhawking, Starvation, Refugees, Abandonment, a lecture by James Johnston in cooperation with the Buffalo National River, will be held Tuesday (June 5) at the Boone County Library in Harrison; for more information call (870) 741-5913.
• Wittsburg Civil War Sesquicentennial Historical Marker Dedication will be held Wednesday (June 6) at Wittsburg.
• Big Guns of the Civil War, a living history program featuring Civil War artillery, will be held June 9 at Fort Smith National Historic Site; call (479) 783-3961.
• Civil War Arkansas, 1863-1865, the ACWSC’s traveling exhibit, will be at the Springdale Public Library June 11-24; call (479) 750-8180.
• Professional Development Workshop, sponsored by Arkansas State University and providing six hours of in-service credit for Arkansas teachers, will be held at and near Lakeport Plantation in Chicot County June 13; call (870) 972-2803 or email rachel.miller@smail.astate.edu for more information.
• Join the Cavalry and Make a Courageous Friend, a living history program on Civil War cavalry, will be held June 16 at Fort Smith National Historic Site; call (479) 783-3961.
• Plight of Soldier and Civilian, a presentation by author Nancy Dane, will be held at the Springdale Public Library June 16; call (479) 750-8180.
• Juneteenth 2012, commemorating the oldest-known celebration of the end of slavery in the United States, will be held June 16 at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center in Little Rock; call (501) 683-3620.
• Roles of Women During the Civil War, a living history presentation on female civilians in the Civil War, will be held at the Springdale Public Library June 17; call (479) 750-8180.
• The Civil War in 1862 in Saline County, a presentation by local historian Anthony Rushing, will be held at the Bob Herzfeld Memorial Library in Benton on May 14; call (501) 778-4766.
• A Civil War Re-enactment with the Washington County Historical Society will be held at the Springdale Public Library June 21; call (479) 750-8180.
• Big Guns of the Civil War, a living history program featuring Civil War artillery, will be held June 23 at Fort Smith National Historic Site; call (479) 783-3961.
• Civil War Roundtable of Arkansas will host a lecture on The Battle of Pine Bluff by Mark K. Christ of the Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission at Second Presbyterian Church in Little Rock on June 26.
• General John Porter McCown Civil War Sesquicentennial Historical Marker Dedication will be held June 30 at Magnolia City Cemetery in Magnolia; call (870) 234-5969 for more information.
• Portraits in Gray: A Civil War Photography Exhibition will be on display at the Rogers Historical Museum during June; call (479) 621-1154.
• Washington 1861: A Community Decides exhibit will continue at Historic Washington State Park during June; call (870) 983-2684.
• The Civil War in Arkansas, an exhibit at Little Rock’s Historic Arkansas Museum featuring artifacts from its collection, will be on display during June; call (501) 324-9351.
• Battle Colors of Arkansas, highlighting the museum’s battle flag collection, will be on display at the Old State House Museum in Little Rock during June; call (501) 324-9685.