South Shore Board Backs Friends of North Fork and White River Public Education Campaign
July 2007

Funding for Friends of North Fork and White Rivers A grant of $8,446 from South Shore Foundation of Flippin, represented in the photo by John Dyess, was recently awarded to Friends of the North Fork and White Rivers. Secretary Gay Vekovius is pleased that the full amount requested was granted. The group will undertake a public information campaign with the funds to inform and engage citizens in caring for our watershed, she said.

At its recent quarterly meeting, the South Shore Foundation Board approved a grant of $8,446 to the Friends of the North Fork and White Rivers, Inc. The funding will be used to prepare and disseminate watershed education (WE) public information materials.

According to Gay Vekovius of Flippin, secretary of Friends of the North Fork and White Rivers, the watershed includes portions of Marion, Baxter, Izard, Stone, Independence, and Fulton counties with a total population of 120,000. She said the organization believes the public needs more information about the importance of the watershed to the region.

“The health, safety, quality of life, and economic prosperity of the region is intimately related to the declining health of the watershed,” the group stated in its grant application. Further,  they said, “If significant environmental degradation continues, this area becomes less desirable and valuable dollars go elsewhere.”

Among the expenditures for the watershed education program are brochures, an improved website, and a strategy of public education including advertising, public service announcements, and presentations at public events with a tabletop display.

South Shore Foundation Board Member Pat Bailey made a motion to fund the project in full, which was seconded by John Dyess, and agreed to by the board with member, Steve N. Wilson, abstaining. He is also vice president of the requesting organization.

South Shore Foundation is the charitable arm of Northern Arkansas Telephone Company of Flippin, an independent, family owned telecommunications company serving six exchanges: Flippin, Bull Shoals, Diamond City, Lead Hill, Omaha, and Pyatt. To contact the South Shore Foundation, call 1-800-775-6682 for more information or a grant application.