BEVERLY RECEIVES CORPORATE HUMANITARIAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
Beverly Enterprises is honored by KARK–TV, the Arkansas Division of Volunteerism and the Office of the Governor for being involved in volunteerism.
Beverly Enterprises recently received the 1999 Corporate Humanitarian Award for businesses employing more than 100 people. The winners were selected by a panel of Arkansans who are active in volunteerism and represent every area of the state.
The awards are a joint undertaking by KARK–TV, the Arkansas Division of Volunteerism and the Office of the Governor, a partnership that, for 22 years, has been recognizing citizen volunteers and businesses who have distinguished themselves through outstanding service to their communities.
Accepting the award for Beverly Enterprises were Chairman and CEO David Banks, along with Senior Director of Resident Accounting Teresa Keller, 1998 Beverly Associate Volunteer of the Year; and Jill Mabry, 1998 Beverly Spouse Volunteer of the Year, whose husband John is a Vice President in Beverly’s Information Technology Department.
"I have the honor of accepting this award on the behalf of all our Beverly associates and their spouses who actually earned this recognition," noted Banks. "They believe in giving back to their communities. I’ve also seen how they respond to crises — whether it’s an entire town ravaged by a tornado or a single child in need of some comfort and encouragement. They are caring, compassionate and sharing people."
Throughout 1998, Beverly Enterprises made major contributions to Fort Smith, other areas in Arkansas and nationally. The company supported Beverly associates who played leadership roles by serving as board members for nonprofit organizations and chairpersons or volunteers in virtually every charitable activity.
Among the organizations in which Beverly associates were actively involved in 1998 were the United Way, the Alzheimer’s Association and community organizations throughout the state.
Summary of volunteer activities
As a Pacesetter for the Fort Smith Area United Way, Beverly associates pledged and, with matching corporate funds, contributed $232,409. Last March following the shooting at the school in Jonesboro, AR, Beverly associates raised $17,426 to assist Westside Schools of Jonesboro, other charitable organizations in Jonesboro and the corporate disaster fund for future emergencies.
Beverly Enterprises chose the Alzheimer’s Association’s Memory Walk as its 1998 national fund-raiser. Beverly Healthcare facilities across the nation, as well as the corporate office, participated by getting involved, collecting contributions and walking. A total of $81,746 was raised nationally by associates, with Beverly matching the funds for a total of $163,492. Over $14,000 was raised by Beverly corporate walkers in Fort Smith and, with matching funds, $28,000 went to the Western Arkansas Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.
During Thanksgiving week, Beverly corporate associates fed over 1,000 local families using the Thanksgiving Tree concept. A tree was decorated with leaves marked with words like "corn" or "gravy" on them. Associates took leaves from the tree and returned with those food items. When all the leaves "fell," the goal was reached. Associates then delivered baskets of food to needy families identified by the community. They felt the families helped were not the only ones blessed by the Thanksgiving Tree.
Beverly associates continued to be a Partner in Education, providing one-on-one tutoring and educational material duplicating services. Every third-grader at Fairview Elementary School has a Beverly pen pal. The children send letters every other week and Beverly associates respond in between. At the end of the year, the associates met their pen pals, had lunch with them and their photos taken. In addition, four associates went through Fort Smith Public School training to be mentors to children-in-need.
Approximately 100 of Beverly’s used computers were donated to the Wrightsville Unit School in Wrightsville, AR. The principal of the school wrote, "The computers have made a huge difference in both the attitude of our students and the ability of our teachers to deal with students who need specialized help."
Renewing its commitment to the Fort Smith community, a groundbreaking ceremony for Beverly’s new corporate office building was held June 26, 1998. The building is scheduled for completion in October and will accommodate 1,200 people within a 318,000-square-foot facility.
Continuing that commitment, Beverly purchased land in the 200 block of Garrison Avenue in downtown Fort Smith, removed the tornado-ravaged building that had been there, leveled the lot and presented it to the City of Fort Smith for development.