FYAN is a coalition of Arkansas organizations, families and caregivers that work in children’s behavioral health. The resource center’s goal is to provide information, resources and referrals to consumers while also working to establish advocacy and training networks throughout the state.

The FYAN resource center is a component of the Arkansas System of Care for children’s behavioral health care established by Arkansas Act 1593 in 2007. Initial funding for the center is provided by the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) through a Person Centered Planning grant from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Memmer met with FYAN representatives to build consensus amongst the various interests represented in the resource center’s mission. The goal was to create an agreed upon set of call-in and data tracking procedures that build community and track barriers to service while also respecting Arkansans’ right to privacy.

“John’s involvement in the project not only provided an objective outside  perspective essential to facilitating the resource center’s information collection and reporting process, but also devoted significant support to a primarily volunteer effort” said Dawn Zekis, DHS Director of Policy and Planning.

Memmer’s work will soon culminate in a draft form of policies and procedures for data intake at the FYAN resource center and will be accompanied by a report detailing future steps and recommendations based on themes that emerge during the consensus-building process. These reports will be released at a presentation for Arkansas DHS and FYAN representatives.

The work was Memmer’s Capstone project for his Master of Public Service degree from the Clinton School.

The graduates.

Twenty-six students graduated today from the Clinton School, where they earned Master of Public Service (MPS) degrees to prepare for careers in public service.

Out-going Clinton School associate dean Mike Hemphill served as the commencement speaker and charged the graduates to always remember their experiences in the Clinton School’s labor intensive program.

“No matter what happens in the future, we are going to draw on our experiences here at the Clinton School for the rest of our lives,” Hemphill said.

Hemphill will become the provost at Centenary College in Shreveport, La., this summer and used his speech to commemorate his five years with the Clinton School.

“I don’t want this moment to pass without letting all of you know how much the Clinton School family means to me,” he said.

The graduates hail from across the country and world, representing 10 states and five countries, including Brazil, Indonesia, Poland, Uganda and Ukraine.

Associate dean Mike Hemphill addresses the graduates.

The commencement ceremony was a culmination of two years of classroom study and three field service projects, which make up the MPS curriculum. Students completed team Practicum projects in local Arkansas communities, International Public Service Projects in locations throughout the world and final Capstone project in their particular areas of interest.

Class members completed projects on each of the world’s six inhabited continents, partnering with nonprofit organizations and NGOs to fight poverty, improve health care conditions, expand educational opportunities and combat hunger in the third world.

“In all aspects of your Clinton School experience you developed a strong fan base and there are many of those fans here today to celebrate your achievements,” Clinton School Dean Skip Rutherford told the graduates.

The Clinton School is the first school in the nation to offer an MPS degree, differing from the traditional schools of public policy, public affairs and public administration because of its unique approach to educating the next generation of public servants.

While learning valuable lessons in the classroom, Clinton School students earn 30 percent of their credits working in the field performing three hands-on public service projects for academic credit.

The graduates include:

Lindsey Barnett (Springdale, Ark.) – For her Practicum project, Barnett helped develop programming on hunger, poverty and environmental issues for Heifer International’s new education center. She completed her international project in Belize where she developed strategies for future water projects for Peacework’s clean water initiative. For her final Capstone, she worked with the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) to research strategies to improve senior citizen outreach for the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly the Food Stamp Program.) Barnett is a graduate of the University of Arkansas.

Beatrice Biira (Kasese District, Uganda) – Biira completed her Practicum project with the Arkansas Department of Human Services where she and her teammates helped identify policy initiatives to increase the capacity of Arkansas’s work force. She completed both her international and final Capstone projects in New York with the Millennium Promise School-to-School Initiative that promotes communication, understanding and cultural learning between children in Africa and partner schools in the United States. She helped develop and implement new partnerships between African and U.S. schools. Biira is a graduate of Connecticut College.

Sarah Clark (Little Rock, Ark.) – For her Practicum project, Clark and her teammates worked with the Arkansas Delta Rural Heritage Development Initiative to complete a feasibility study for a kitchen incubator facility for the food service industry in West Memphis, Ark. She did her international work on microenterprise development for Ayni RuWay, an NGO that supports prison inmates and their families in Bolivia. For her Capstone, Clark developed a strategic plan, marketing materials and a board of directors’ orientation packet for Green Valley Development, an organization focused on creating a business and technology cluster focused on sustainability. Clark will be the first student to complete the concurrent MBA/MPS program with the University of Arkansas Walton College of Business. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina.

Ashley Davis (Conifer, Colo.) – For her Practicum project, Davis helped develop programming on hunger, poverty and environmental issues for Heifer International’s new education center. She did her international project in Tallberg, Sweden, where she helped plan and implement workshops, presentations and group discussions for the 2009 Tallberg Forum, an annual gathering of 450 public- and private-sector leaders to address issues of global urgency. For her Capstone, she worked with the Clinton Foundation as part of a team developing an innovative energy efficiency program for low-income Arkansans which created the first employer-assisted energy benefit in the United States. Davis graduated from Boston University and studied abroad at Oxford.

Jonathan Dunkley (Kissimmee, Fla.) – For his Practicum, Dunkley and his teammates helped build sustainable fundraising efforts and programs on staff development, communication and constituency building for a Marvell, Ark., community center. He completed his international project with the Ministry of Youth & Sports in Belize City, Belize, where he implemented a sports and recreation program to address the lack of recreational activities available to youth during the summer months. For his Capstone, he worked with the Arkansas Minority Health Commission to develop a minority health resources website and a minority health conference. Dunkley completed his undergraduate work at Philander Smith College in Little Rock.

Julianne Dunn (San Diego, Calif.) – Dunn completed her Practicum project with the Arkansas Department of Human Services where she and her teammates helped identify policy initiatives to increase the capacity of Arkansas’ work force. She completed her international project with the Belize Family Life Council in Belize City, Belize, where she produced a policy report regarding the appropriate sexual health awareness methods for the Mayan and Garifuna communities of Southern Belize. Dunn is completing the concurrent MPS/MPH program with UAMS and will research the relationship between Planned Parenthood and Arkansas universities for her Capstone project.

Dimas Espinola (Lowell, Massachusetts) – Espinola completed his Practicum project with the Arkansas Department of Human Services where he and his teammates helped identify policy initiatives to increase the capacity of Arkansas’ work force. He completed his international project in Accra, Ghana, where he developed a patient database to track individuals who receive eye glasses from a Unite For Sight eye clinic. For his Capstone, he partnered with Arkansas Children’s Hospital to help with the third edition of Natural Wonders, a report which examines the state of children’s health in Arkansas. Espinola is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts and plans to attend medical school following graduation.

Kohl Fallin (Huntsville, Ala.) – For her Practicum project, Fallin and her teammates partnered with Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families to develop a “story bank” to raise awareness for child healthcare needs in the state. She completed her international project in Belize City, Belize, where she assisted with the implementation of an alternative and remedial education program with the Belize Ministry of Education. For her Capstone, she worked with Little Rock Preparatory Academy to develop recommendations for community outreach and build community support for the school’s mission. Fallin is a graduate of Hampton University in Hampton, Va.

Emily Fischer (Santa Monica, Calif.) – For her Practicum project, Fischer and her teammates worked with the Newport, Ark., Economic Development Commission to help lay the groundwork for the creation and implementation of a community arts center. She did her international work in Cochabamba, Bolivia, where she created an environmental education curriculum for La Colonia Ecologica, an environmentally conscious orphanage and after-school center. For her Capstone, she partnered with Central Arkansas Library System to gather stakeholder input, research best practices and write a grant for a new Children’s and Youth Library and Learning Center. Fischer is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley.

Nicholas Hall (Genoa, Ohio) – For his Practicum project, Hall helped plan, design and implement effective and sustainable evaluation methods to gauge the success of Arkansas DeltaMade, an economic development and marketing initiative promoting products made in the Arkansas Delta region. He did his international work in Cochabamba, Bolivia, where he evaluated the educational component of a solar stove delivery and installation program for a nonprofit that promotes economic and environmental sustainability. For his Capstone, Hall launched Volunteer to See, a nonprofit that links service a travel in Little Rock. Hall is a graduate of Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C.

Harvell Howard (Conway, Ark.) – For his Practicum Project, Howard worked with the Arkansas Delta Rural Heritage Development Initiative to complete a feasibility study for a kitchen incubator facility for the food service industry in West Memphis, Ark. He did his international work in Nairobi, Kenya, where he produced needs and best-practices assessments for FURSA-Opportunity, an organization that seeks to eradicate youth poverty in Kenya by closing the unemployment gap. For his Capstone, he helped the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to develop an African-American Male Initiative at UALR to improve the retention and graduation rates of African-American males. Howard is a graduate of Hendrix College in Conway.

Tezira Jamwa (Iyolwa, Uganada) – For her Practicum project, Jamwa helped develop programming on hunger, poverty and environmental issues for Heifer International’s new education center. She did her international work with the UN Development Programme in New York where she worked on initiatives to promote gender equality in politics, public administration and law. For her Capstone, she worked with the Arkansas Coalition Against Domestic Violence to develop a best-practice manual to improve the effectiveness of service delivery by shelters and other service providers. Jamwa is a graduate of Uganda Christian University and a former country representative in the Parliament of Uganda.

Joanna Klak (Srem, Poland) – For her Practicum project, Klak and her teammates worked with the Newport, Ark., Economic Development Commission to help lay the groundwork for the creation and implementation of a community arts center. She completed her international project in Singapore City, Singapore, where she conducted focus groups, interviews and online surveys to produce a needs assessment for Dreams @ Kolam Ayer, a youth development program. For her Capstone, she worked with the Clinton School Center on Community Philanthropy to foster collaboration between nonprofits and private donors to help community-based organizations leverage funds from the private sector. Klak holds a master’s degree from the School of Humanities and Journalism in Poznan, Poland.

John Memmer (Houston, Texas) – For his Practicum project, Memmer helped develop programming on hunger, poverty and environmental issues for Heifer International’s new education center. He did his international work in San Miguel, Argentina, where he developed a sustainability plan for La Casita del Quirquincho, an after-school program and soup kitchen in the small village of San Miguel. For his Capstone, he partnered with Arkansas Department of Human Services, Family and Youth Assistance Network (FYAN) to help build networks of families seeking assistance and determine barriers to service. Memmer is a graduate of the University of Houston.

Todd Moore (Junction City, Kansas) – For his Practicum project, Moore and his teammates worked with the Newport, Ark., Economic Development Commission to help lay the groundwork for the creation and implementation of a community arts center. He completed his international project in Shanghai, China, where he developed a set of guidelines for corporate service initiatives for members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai. For his Capstone, he developed a standards evaluation plan to audit the operations of the Kansas Volunteer Commission. Moore is a graduate of the University of Kansas.

Yuriy Nesterov (Kyiv, Ukraine) – For his Practicum project, Nesterov helped develop programming on hunger, poverty and environmental issues for Heifer International’s new education center. He completed his international work with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome, Italy, where he facilitated implementation of a Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources as part of FAO’s Animal Production Service team. He continued his work with UNFAO for his final Capstone project, supporting the creation and operation of national Animal Genetic Resources. Nesterov is a graduate of National Agriculture University in Kyiv, Ukraine, and holds a master’s degree from Ohio University.

Adam Penman (Pottsville, Ark.) – Penman completed his Practicum project with the Arkansas Department of Human Services where he and his teammates helped identify policy initiatives to increase the capacity of Arkansas’ work force. For his international project, he assisted the Czech Development Agency in Prague with strategic planning for its international aid to the Balkan nation of Serbia, one of eight priority countries listed under the agency’s current mandate. For his Capstone, he worked with the Little Rock Sister Cities Commission to prepare itineraries and budgets for a visit of a delegation from Pachuca, Mexico, and developed a how-to manual for the commission to use when hosting delegations in the future. Penman is a graduate of Lyon College in Batesville, Ark.

Lisa Porterfield-Thompson (Atlanta, Texas) – Porterfield-Thompson completed her Practicum project with the Arkansas Department of Human Services where she and her teammates helped identify policy initiatives to increase the capacity of Arkansas’ work force. She did her international work with the Belize Family Life Association in Belize City, Belize, where she developed a community outreach initiative with a curriculum specifically geared for those who suffer from sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies. For her Capstone, she worked with the Atlanta, Texas, Chamber of Commerce to conduct a needs assessment on community perceptions of the chamber and created a comprehensive marketing campaign. Porterfield-Thompson is a graduate of the University of Central Arkansas.

Viviane Rossi (Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerias, Brazil) – For her Practicum project, Rossi worked with the Arkansas Delta Rural Heritage Development Initiative to complete a feasibility study for a kitchen incubator facility for the food service industry in West Memphis, Ark. She completed her international project with READ (Rural Education and Development) in Kathmandu, Nepal, where she conducted marketing and communication training for staff of the initiative which empowers rural communities through community development. For her Capstone, she helped develop an expansion plan for Bahia Street, a Brazilian non-profit that provides educational opportunities for impoverished young women and girls. Rossi holds bachelor’s degrees from two Brazilian universities.

Josh Stokes (Huntsville, Ala.) – Stokes completed his Practicum project with the Arkansas Department of Human Services where he and his teammates helped identify policy initiatives to increase the capacity of Arkansas’ work force. He completed his international work in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, where he developed a best practices model of aide delivery for 1Well, an NGO that provides basic access to sanitation, clean water, sustainable lighting and village safety for impoverished areas in India. For his Capstone, he coordinated health screenings, attained media attention and secured funding for HEARTS, a program that provides cardiac screenings for at-risk youth in Houston, Texas. Stokes is a graduate of the University of Alabama.

Spirit Trickey (Little Rock, Ark.) – For her Practicum, Trickey and her teammates helped build sustainable fundraising efforts and programs on staff development, communication and constituency building for a Marvell, Ark., community center. She did her international project with the South African Education and Environment Project in Cape Town, South Africa, where she developed an oral history project to chronicle the stories of pre-school principals and students from historically disadvantaged townships. For her Capstone, she worked with the Little Rock Central High National Historic Site to develop a sustainability plan, curriculum and step-by-step manual for its youth leadership pilot program. Trickey is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Alison Turro (Rutland, Vt.) – Turro completed her Practicum project with the Arkansas Department of Human Services where she and her teammates helped identify policy initiatives to increase the capacity of Arkansas’ work force. She did her international work with the Nyaka AIDS Orphans School in Nyakagyezi, Uganda, where she developed an organizational model and project expansion initiatives for educational services for the children there. For her Capstone, she partnered with the Little Rock Preparatory Academy to develop a service-learning resource guide and design a series of parent engagement communication tools. Turro is a graduate of Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Faisal Umar (Banda Aceh, Indonesia) – Umar completed his Practicum project with the Arkansas Department of Human Services where he and his teammates helped identify policy initiatives to increase the capacity of Arkansas’ work force. He completed his international work with the San Antonio (Texas) Housing Authority where he determined best practices for a program that equips low-income families with skills and experiences to gain employment and earn a living wage. For his Capstone, he worked with the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department to conduct a user survey of a series of local parks. Umar is a graduate of the University of Indonesia.

Regina Wilkerson (Little Rock, Ark.) – For her Practicum project, Wilkerson helped plan, design and implement effective and sustainable evaluation methods to gauge the success of Arkansas DeltaMade, an economic development and marketing initiative promoting products made in the Arkansas Delta region. She completed her international project in Zanzibar, Tanzania, where she worked with Creative Solutions Resource Systems, a sustainable development and poverty reduction organization, to evaluate its services for citizens and educational programs for students in the Mangapwani Village. For her Capstone, she created an audit reporting system for the Arkansas Minority Health Commission. Wilkerson is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

Chad Williamson (Tampa, Fla.) – For his Practicum project, Williamson and his teammates partnered with Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families to develop a “story bank” to raise awareness for child healthcare needs in the state. He completed his international project in Mayange, Rwanda, where he worked with Federation Rwanda de Basketball to revitalize a youth basketball program through the development of resources and the establishment of a summer basketball camp. For his Capstone, he worked with the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute in Arkansas to develop a template to apply to the recruitment of national conferences and worked to increase the visibility of the institute in the state. Williamson is a former member of the U.S. Air Force.

Olivia Wilmot (Memphis, Tenn.) – For her Practicum project, Wilmot helped plan, design and implement effective and sustainable evaluation methods to gauge the success of Arkansas DeltaMade, an economic development and marketing initiative promoting products made in the Arkansas Delta region. She did her  international work with Youth Business Trust Belize, a sustainable business and economic development organization in Belize City, Belize, where she evaluated services and worked to improve recruitment efforts. For her Capstone, she designed a method to document and track the impact of Project Green Fork, which works with restaurants to implement sustainable practices in Memphis, Tenn. Wilmot is a graduate of the University of Memphis.

The students adapted methodology, developed research tools, and collected opinions from hundreds of citizens and teachers who are most likely to benefit from the new facility. The information was analyzed and summarized under the guidance of Dr. Al Bavon, Associate Professor at the Clinton School.

The recommendations contained in the report not only demonstrate overwhelming public support for Heifer Village, but also address the practical needs for educators and the general public, providing an outline for how to better serve future visitors.

“The recommendations in the report have provided us with several avenues to pursue and we are looking forward to working with teachers in Arkansas to expand Heifer International’s reach into high school classrooms,” said Mya Sandi Aung, Manager of School Programs for Heifer Village at Heifer International.

Marie is the Clinton School’s director of field service education. The dedication and grand opening of Heifer Villiage is Friday, June 5, starting at 10:00 a.m. on 1 World Avenue.

How to Help:

- Visit www.redcross.org
- Call 1-800-REDCROSS
- Mail: American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013 (Checks payable to the American Red Cross, Memo Section: National Disaster Relief Fund)

Here are some good FAQs from the Red Cross:

I would like to donate clothes, cars or other items to charity. Does American Red Cross accept in-kind donations?
The American Red Cross does not accept or solicit small, individual donations of items for emergency relief purposes. Small items such as collections of food, used clothing, and shoes often must be cleaned, sorted, and repackaged which impedes the valuable resources of money, time, and personnel that are needed for other aspects of our relief operation. The Red Cross, in partnership with other agencies, suggests that the best use for those types of donations is to support needy agencies within donors’ local communities. The best way to help a disaster victim is through a financial donation to the American Red Cross. Financial contributions allow the Red Cross to purchase exactly what is needed for the disaster relief operation. Monetary donations also enable the Red Cross to purchase relief supplies close to the disaster site which avoids delays and transportation costs in getting basic necessities to disaster victims. Because the affected community has generally experienced significant economic loss, purchasing relief supplies in or close to the disaster site also helps to stimulate the weakened local economy.(Note from John: Many local chapters accept vehicle donations though a United Way partnership, so if this comes up we might be able to connect them to the right people)

I want to help raise money for a specific family who was affected by disaster. Can I make my gift through the Red cross? We applaud your desire to help a family at a difficult time, but unfortunately gifts for a specific family or person cannot be made through the The American Red Cross. We are committed to helping every family in need recover from emergencies by providing food, clothing, shelter and other essential services and supplies based on need. Special contributions for a specific families violate our principles of providing help equally to all who need it.

Why do you require a donation amount of $10?
Like any other online credit card processing system we are charged by credit card companies. We don’t want donors’ well-intended gift to be offset by processing fees.

CLICK HERE for other donation FAQs.

Thanks to Clinton School students Ashley Davis and John Memmer for gathering this info.

March 8 at 1:15 p.m. vs. Angry Penguins
March 15 at 12:00 p.m. vs. Totally Buzzed
March 22 at 7:30 p.m. vs. Comp & Long Beach
March 29 at 2:30 p.m. vs. Orthoballs
April 5 at 2:30 p.m. vs. Skeet Throwers
April 19 at 5:00 p.m. vs. Playaz Klub
April 26 at 3:45 p.m. vs. Chemically Dependent
May 3 at 12:00 p.m. vs. Poo Chicka Wah Wah
May 3 at 2:30p.m. vs. Where My Pitches At?

Students work at the North Little Rock Boys and Girls Club baseball field.

Students paint offices at the Boys and Girls Club.

It may have taken us a while to beat the iphones, blackberrys and seasoned trivia bowlers but we finally did it!

I have committed to assist in the area of poverty alleviation by partnering with Our House, a non-profit organization here in Little Rock, Arkansas that assists working homeless individuals and their families with job training, job placement, and permanent housing. Our House residents are in need of clothing for the winter season, and I want to assist them as well as satisfy my personal commitment for CGI U. The “Clinton School Coat Drive” is asking Arkansas residents to drop by our school between 9am – 5pm and donate coats, sweaters, and any other clothing items for children or adults. As the winter season approaches this is a practical and effective way to assist the needy in our community. For more information about CGI U or Our House visit their websites www.clintonglobalinitiative.org, and www.ourhouseshelter.org.

Participants: Josh Stokes, Ali Turro, Julianne Dunn, Emily Fischer, Adam Penman, Lindsey Barnett, Spirit Trickey-Rowan, Lisa Porterfield-Thompson, Alejandro Aviles, Dimas Espinola, Sarah Clark, Regina Wilkerson, James Szehner, John Memmer, Tezira Jamwa, Tina Tian, Beatrice Biira, Joanna Klak, Ashley Davis, Nicholas Hall, Vivianne Rossi, and her husband Flavio and daughter Raquel.

Please visit www.arkansasjustcommunities.org for more information about JCCA.