LITTLE ROCK — Aptly named Evolve is all about change and growth. Going from broken to whole. Present to future.
Or, an innocuous open space to a hall bedecked with dragons and Chinese lanterns.
Evolve is the main fundraiser for The Centers for Youth and Families, a nonprofit organization whose mission, according to marketing and public relations coordinator Mandy Richardson, is “to build healthy children, families, communities.” Their services include outpatient and school counseling, and for children who need more care than they would get in a traditional foster care system, there’s a therapeutic foster care program. There’s also a wide range of parenting classes and programs to help equip parents to deal with issues including learning difficulties, attention-deficit (hyperactivity) disorder and blended families.
This is the second year for Evolve, which spun off from a Centers fundraiser called Splatters. That event was paired with a golf tournament and took place in the fall. The golf tournament still exists, but the ball Jan. 31 is now the group’s chief fundraiser. Evolve chairman Joyce Wood explains, “We wanted to separate from the golf tournament, and there are so many events that are in October that we wanted to change it and make it different and at a different time.”
This year, the colorful theme is Chinese New Year: Tail of the Dragon. It will be dramatic and, as Wood says, “The drama starts at the front when they get ready to come in.”
Candace Weekley, development coordinator for the Centers, explains, “At events I’ve been to there in the past, there’s no definitive entrance. That’s one of the things we wanted to do was make sure that you know where the entrance is.”
“There will be no doubt,” Wood laughs.
Inside, guests will be hit with what Wood calls “an ‘Ahh’ factor.” The goal within the event is to whisk guests out of Little Rock to a place of fantasy and fun. But the next morning, of course, the goal is to leave guests a lasting impression of the mental-health services Centers provides its clients.
“We really want this to be a celebration of that evolution from our past to our present,” says Weekley.
19TH-CENTURY CENTERS
In the case of the Centers, that past is a long one.
The Centers began in 1884, and although it has gone through numerous name changes and program alterations , it’s the oldest continuously operating nonprofit in Arkansas. “We’ve always been focused on children and helping to grow healthy families,” Richardson says.
“I think there’s a misconception as far as what the Centers does sometimes,” Wood says. “There’s a lot of people who don’t realize all the programs they do have.”
Their three main areas of focus are “Prevention. Intervention. Treatment.” Parenting classes and teen mother programs constitute prevention efforts. Outpatient therapy, school-based therapy and a day school for children who need a specialized school setting fall under the intervention umbrella. There’s also a therapeutic foster care program that recruits and trains foster parents for emotionally and behaviorally disturbed children. For treatment, there are residential treatment centers in Little Rock and Monticello for young people whose problems can’t be treated through outpatient care.
“I think the thing that sets us apart is that, obviously, we’re pediatric-focused,” Richardson says. “We work just with children, with the exception of our prevention services, which is family focused. And then that prevention key is different from what a lot of the organizations in Little Rock do.”
Wood has been involved with the Centers for years, and she has particularly focused on the therapeutic foster care program.
“About 12 years ago, I had this thought in my head that wouldn’t go away, that I needed to do something for the foster care,” she explains. “I raised my children by myself. We didn’t have a lot but they had me. When you think about a foster child, they don’t have anybody before they get a foster parent.”
IT’S THE CHINESE NEW YEAR
While the event is fanciful, it is not fancy.
“You don’t have to put on a formal or a tie,” Wood says. “It’s a laid-back event.”
They’ve planned a variety of activities and chances to win prizes. There’s also a silent auction with a New Orleans getaway, private dance lessons and a stay in a Hawaii condo on the list.
Lisa Fischer and Jeff Matthews of radio station B98.5 will serve as masters of ceremonies and will lead the live auction, where guests can bid on jewelry, a Peter Brave-catered dinner cruise,and a vacation to Tuscany in Italy.
Also, Richardson adds, “There will be some interactive things we’ve never had before.”
That will include Funda-Need, a special raffle specifically for the therapeutic foster care program. Tickets are $20 for one or $100 for six and each ticket not only enters you in the raffle for a pair of Kenneth Edwards earrings, it also gives you the right to take a turn at the Spin the Dragon’s Tail prize wheel, where rewards include additional tickets in the raffle, or swag. The important thing is to get people to spend money and to learn about the mission.
“Every penny will affect a child in one way or another,” Wood says.
“We’ve got liquor, food, entertainment and it’s a good cause for the kids. Why wouldn’t you want to come?”
Evolve: A Modern Day Charity Ball is 6:30-9:30 p.m. Jan. 31 at Next Level Events, 1400 W. Markham St. Tickets are $100. Call (501) 666-9436 or visitcentersforyouthandfamilies.org.
High Profile, Pages 35 on 01/20/2013