Good News

Sunday, Jan. 2, 2011

INSIDE: PULSE OF CONWAY: Local information source offers myriad of uses, page 3.

BOOK WORMS: Faulkner County students give to less fortunate this holiday season, page 4.

‘To bring a smile to your face by sharing good news.’

Area bikers spread holiday spirit

By COLLEEN HOLT

Santa and his elf lead the parade of motorcycles during the Conway Regional Toy Run on Dec. 18. Riders from around the area donated and collected new, unwrapped toys for pediatric patients at Conway Regional Medical Center during the 10th annual event. The ride began at Toad Suck Harley-Davidson and ended with the presentation of gifts to children at Conway Regional. STEPHANIE FISCHER PHOTO

“If you don’t dream dreams, your dreams will never come true.”

— Unknown

A veritable mountain of toys was donated Dec. 18 during the 10th annual Conway Regional Toy Run. Sponsored by a combination of motorcycle enthusiasts and businesses around the area, the effort collected more than 400 toys for pediatric patients.

David Hawks, one of the event’s organizers, said the 2010 run was the biggest they’ve had as far as the number of bikers. With the cooperation of the community, businesses, the Christian Motorcyclists Association (CMA) and Arkansas Bikers Aiming Towards Education ABATE), it has been easy to grow the Toy Run, Hawks said.

“Bikers are always ready to help,” he said. “Anything we can do to help the kids and the hospital itself, we’ll do it.

see TOYS n page 2

SUNDAY, JAN. 2, 2011 It’s good to 1 TOYS from page just be a part of it.”

Hospital officials are very appreciative of the efforts.

“We receive a tremendous amount of support from the motorcycle enthusiasts,” said Lori Ross, marketing and foundation director at the medical center. “Now we will have toys that will last all year for our pediatric patients who stay overnight.”

The Toy Run was started 10 years ago by the “First Five”: Vicki and Ross Scalise, Mike and Roxanne Ford and Steve “Painter” Polk. This year, participants rode from Toad Suck Harley Davidson to the medical center to deliver the new, unwrapped toys.

Donation spots had been placed around town to allow the public an opportunity to donate toys. On the morning of Dec. 18, the toys were all brought to the Harley dealership, where they were loaded on a sleigh for delivery.

“There were 200 motorcycles and a lot of cars and trucks included this year,” Ross said. “Overall there were 300 people involved, … and Santa came in on a sleigh.”

Ross said this is by far the most toys the run has ever produced. “We were all so excited and we look forward to everyone coming back again next year,” she said. “They brought all these new toys in and started standing them up by the tree in our lobby. It looked like they were halfway up the tree – like a mountain of toys. These are such good people.”

Hawks thanked the Conway Police for “making us a good, safe route” for the procession to the hospital. He also thanked the dealership for opening up space for the toys. He said the owners “have really opened up their arms to anything the biker community has wanted to do.

And, it’s not all Harley riders. It’s not about the bike you ride, it’s about the fact that you ride.”

Also this year, U.S. Bank donated three Nintendo Wii systems on carts that can be moved from room to room.

“We can use them in the emergency room or even for our stroke patients,” Ross said.

For the patients who receive the toys, they can bring “a little shot of sunshine” into a scary, unfamiliar situation.

“The toys give them something familiar, something fun to focus on and maybe something to calm them,” Ross said.

“A hospital is a place where children have to go and they don’t always understand,” Hawks said. “We want to give them some comfort, and sometimes comfort comes in the size of a toy. It helps knowing we’ve been able to do something to help a child.”

Hawks said plans for the 2011 run have already begun.

The run is normally held the weekend before Christmas.

“We already have some ideas on how it can grow next year,” he said. “We’re going to try to take this a little bigger.”

Ross said the Toy Run is a great example of how “our community can come together.” The sincerity of the donations to this project is apparent in one story she related.

“One man I talked to, he and his wife had bought dolls to donate,” Ross said. “Before they donated them, he and his wife held hands and also held the dolls’ hands. They blessed those dolls and asked for blessings on those who would receive them.”

PAGE 2

Santa and David Hawks, of the Gap Riders chapter of the Christian Motorcycle Association, check out the hundreds of toys delivered for this year’s Conway Regional Toy Run. In its 10th anniversary, bikers delivered more toys to the hospital than ever before. Hawks and Steve “Painter” Polk helped organize the run.

Jim Lovell of Conway, Santa, visits one of several young patients at the hospital. He is shown with Amanda Johnson, RN.

Pulse of Conway offers myriad of data

By COLLEEN HOLT Roger Lewis of Conway has transformed his annual Faulkner County economic report into a viable web site that offers all sorts of data for a myriad of uses.

For the past 15 years, Lewis has presented the annual economic report to the Rotary Club. The report has been given for 59 years – first by Thomas Wilson; next by Morris Lamberson; and now by Lewis.

Lewis is director of Institutional Research -- a “number cruncher” -- at the University of Central Arkansas, and the owner of PulseofConway.com.

Over the years, Lewis had many requests for copies of his annual report, which he distributed in paper form and later as a PDF by e-mail. Most recently, this translated into the necessity for a web site, which can not only present the annual report but also offer up-to-date statistics on local and state levels.

Included on PulseofConway. com are business data pages (such as building permits, sales tax collection figures, lottery sales, bank deposits and hotel, restaurant and real estate sales); information on organizations and agencies; and community resources pages.

Lewis built his web site himself from the ground up.

His first site “was not flexible enough” for him to post infor-

Rogers Lewis has a monthly feature and statistics published in the Faulkner County Business Journal.

mation monthly, so he took a course to learn html coding.

His current site is a joint effort with a neighbor, Vineet Sanie, who is a developer at Acxiom Corp. “He has given me assistance with the design, and now the changes can be done easier and better.”

PulseofConway.com is getting about 1,000 views each month, Lewis said. By using Google Analytics, he can see that “hits” on the site come

from every state.

Lewis said that when he started preparing the annual report, he would have to either visit state and local officials or call them and have them send him the statistics he needed.

Now, he can find most of the date online or call the official and have the information emailed. This information can be placed online to keep Faulkner County’s residents up to date.

“There is so much data

out there – data pollution,” Lewis said. “Data is much more plentiful. Over the years I’ve developed sources and am now able to put usable information in one place.”

Ways to use Lewis’ data are myriad. “People looking to open a restaurant, they need to look at this,” he said. “Companies looking at moving here can look at building permits for marketing and sales use. Realtors can use the information

Do you have good news?

Have you seen someone doing good?

Or just want to share some good news?

to give to out-of-town people moving here.”

The site also contains information about “all kinds” of groups and services offered – churches, non-profits, etc.

“This is really a community resource. It links all resources and gives data on the economy,” Lewis said.

The site is a great resource for college students needing help with term papers and budding entrepreneurs attempting to write a business plans.

Lewis also sells ads on the web site to local businesses to help pay the costs of the web hosting. He also buys ads on Google to advertise the site to people who may want to learn more about Conway.

A monthly newsletter is also posted on the site and is sent to more than 800 subscribers.

The newsletter includes a “verbal analysis of some of the data I see out there,” Lewis said.

“The Conway economy has been a little flat this year, but not as much as some other communities,” Lewis said. “We have a diverse economy in this town.” He said the sales tax collections “are only a little bit down” from last year, and the three colleges provide “a great stabilizing factor.”

Lewis said the natural gas industry is a good asset here, as it supplied jobs for some of the people who were laid off with the bus company and shoe factory closings.

e-mail:

conwaygoodnews@gmail.com and we will share your news in the upcoming paper

www.arkansasgoodnews.com

PAGE 3

SUNDAY, JAN. 2, 2011

‘Book Worms’ contribute to less fortunate

By COLLEEN HOLT Faulkner County’s school children donated 4,569 books for the 18th annual Book Worm Christmas Project.

County librarian Ruth Voss said all elementary schools in the county participated in the collection of new or gently used books. Many of the books came from the “personal collections” of the school children.

Collection boxes were set up at all the county’s elementary schools and libraries.

“The number of books collected is just amazing, considering this is mainly a project for the school children,” Voss said.

The books were given to families receiving food baskets from the Community Action Program for Central Arkansas (CAPCA) at True Holiness Saints Center on Dec. 17.

Members of the Faulkner County Library Board had sorted the books by gender, by subject (such as princesses and dragons, Voss said) and by grade level. She was impressed at the quality of the books donated, which even included some from the Harry Potter series.

Voss said it was wonderful to be able to see the recipients’ “eyes light up” when they were choosing their books. “Because we had such a nice collection, we were able to give three or four books to each child,” she said. “If you have a child who wants a Thomas the Train Engine toy, when you can find him a Thomas book, it makes it even better.”

Also helping with sorting and distributing the books were many library volunteers, including some University of Central Arkansas students.

“It was fun watching the UCA students looking through the books and saying, ‘Hey, it’s

Joyce Fiddler, center, facilitates the collection of books for the Book Work Christmas Project, as Ida Burns students Madi Paquette and Weston English load a collection box held by Naomi Young and Justin Arman. The Book Worm Christmas Project, which gives opportunity for Faulkner County students to donate to other children, is in its 18th year. COURTNEY SPRADLIN PHOTO

Curious George! He’s from my childhood’,” she said.

It has been found that reading is fundamental to being a successful, productive adult.

Projects such as this, Voss said, are essential for children to succeed.

“This project is like sewing a seed. You never know who you’re going to influence, you don’t know when someone’s education is going to take a turn for the better,” she said.

“In our society, you are truly disabled if you can’t read or can’t read well.”

“This project is like sewing a seed. You never know who you’re going to influence, you don’t know when someone’s education is going to take a turn for the better.”

— Ruth Voss, county librarian Voss said she is a “bookaholic,” and encourages the use of books, no matter their medium. “I listen to books, I

read books, I encourage any format you can get a book in,” she said.

Not only do the recipients

benefit from the Book Worm Christmas Project, but the donors also learn an important lesson. “Joyce Fiddler, our Friends of the Library president, puts it this way: ‘The project is important because the children who have things need to learn to give back’.”

“This project is so much fun,” Voss added. “It is work, and sometimes I say ‘what in the world would make me do another project’. But when I see them pick out their books for Christmas, for me it’s a wonderful feeling.”