The Jones Center

Direct beneficiaries per year: Over 1 million guests visit every year.

Geographic areas served: Northwest Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma

Programs: As a cornerstone of this very diverse and multi-cultural region, our programs and services stress Youth Programming, Healthy Living, Education, Recreation, Senior Programming, Experiential Education, and Diversity and Inclusion. YOUTH PROGRAMMING - As a result of our emphasis on programs for youth, the Center was recognized as the "2010 PTA Business of the Year" by the Springdale City Council PTA. Our programs include: Summer Youth Academy Day Camp (SYA) - A 2008 Arkansas Governor's Task Force Report identified Springdale as the “highest need community in Arkansas for quality ‘out of school’ offerings”. Initiated in 2009, our SYA enrolled nearly 500 children during the inaugural year. An estimated 60% of the students enrolled were considered low income with some special needs children. Each week focused on structured and interactive activities, and the week topics included music, cooking, drama, sports and fitness, science and the environment. The 2nd SYA took place in the summer of 2010 and taught almost 700 children in the 8-12 year old age bracket. Most attendees received full or partial scholarships. Teen Center Programming -The Teen Center here is open every day offering a safe and supervised place for teenagers to go. Every Friday and Saturday night, The Jones Center offers engaging, safe and supervised recreation at no charge to teenagers. In 2009, 7,522 teens attended the 113 programs and 17,783 visited the Teen Center. Spring Break Week - The 7th annual Spring Break Week entitled "Learn, Play and Belong" took place in March, 2010, at no charge to the attendees. The week, aimed primarily at elementary school children and their families, immersed the children in science, interactive music activities, outdoor fun, fitness and innovative activities, and attracted over 10,000 attendees. School functions and competitions - In addition to accommodating many elementary and middle school field trips, the Center has the unique ability to host sizeable school functions such as the regional high school 'Academic Competition in Education' championships, regional History Day competition and DECA competitions, and graduation night parties.. HEALTHY LIIVING- Healthy Living classes and fitness activities are made available to diverse groups within the community and many are offered in English and Spanish. Instruction and presentations focus on self-care and wellness, exercise and water aerobics, nutrition, childbirth preparation, baby care, tobacco cessation, lifeguard certification, blood pressure and heart disease. In 2009, over 11,000 people participated in our health classes and fitness programs. In addition, an annual fall health fair with more than 100 booths serves an estimated 2,000 attendees from across NWA. The Jones Center is also an American Heart Association Training Center in NWA. The Center also houses the annual the Arkansas Health Dept. Mass Immunization Clinic where over 9,200 flu shots are given in one day at the site, and is considered the only location in Washington County able to both attract Caucasian, Latino and Marshallese populations and accommodate the crowds of people seeking the vaccinations. EDUCATION - A number of basic community development classes take place at The Center including Citizenship, English as a Second Language, and GED courses (in both English and Spanish). The Jones Center also offers basic and advanced computer courses in its newly renovated Computer Center. A number of other self-enrichment classes, ranging from Sewing to Judo for Kids, are taught as well. RECREATION - A central component of The Center is the opportunity for individuals and families to participate in physical recreational activities at low-or no cost ($2/participant to swim or skate). Every year, 100,000 guests skate in our ice rink, 75,000 swim in our two pools, and 87,000 work out in our gym and fitness center. The Center provides recreational opportunities to an audience that might not otherwise have access to these sorts of high quality, clean facilities, thus providing safe, fun and healthy outlets to a diverse community group. SENIOR PROGRAMMING – A number of social, recreational and entertainment programs are held at no charge at the Center for the community’s elderly population. A number of seniors also participate in the club meeting and activities held in the Center’s meeting rooms, as well as in the physical fitness programs. TEAM ADVENTURE CENTER –Through our ropes course, the Center works with a number of socially and economically high-risk youth in custom experiential programs designed to build teamwork, cooperation, communication, self esteem, creative thinking, problem solving and leadership skills, and positive morale. DIVERSITY & INCLUSION – With support provided by The Walton Family Foundation, our staff works extensively with the Marshallese and Hispanic immigrants to develop life-skills to be academically and socially successful in the USA. We offer programs and special events to broaden the cultural awareness of residents of NWA such as Juneteenth and Marshallese Constitution Day. The Naturalization Ceremony for NWA takes place at the Center. We collaborate with area non-profit agencies, municipalities, community organizations, and businesses to identify community issues that need to be addressed, to educate the public about those issues, and to determine actions to address them.