Philanthropy & Service

Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation/Arkansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. Philanthropies & Service Projects

• 20th Century Club
• American Cancer Fund
• American Cancer Society
• American Heart Association
• American Red Cross
• AR Kids Read
• Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame
• Arkansas Arts Center
• Arkansas Children’s Hospital
• Arkansas Department of Emergency Management
• Arkansas Foodbank Network
• Arkansas Game & Fish Foundation
• Arkansas Hunger Relief
• Arkansas Rice Depot
• Arkansas Rural Teacher of the Year
• Benton High School Cheer
• Boy Scouts of America
• Bryant Boys and Girls Club
• CARTI Foundation
• Central Arkansas IAAP Chapter
• Children’s Protection Center
• Clark County Boys & Girls Club
• Cub Scouts
• First Tee
• For His Throne Ministries
• Habitat for Humanity
• Humane Society of Saline County
• Huntington’s Disease Society
• Junior Achievement Program
• Keep Arkansas Beautiful
• Kiwanis Activities
• Lambs List
• Lions Club
• Little Rock Animal Village
• Little Rock Roadrunners
• Make-A-Wish Foundation
• Maumelle Friends of the Animals
• NABMU
• National Park Service
• Newport Area Chamber of Commerce
• NRECA Glen English Foundation
• OAYO- Ozark Area Youth Organization
• P.A.R.K. Positive Atmosphere Reaches Kids Foundation
• Play Ball Little Rock Blackhawks
• Pulaski County Sheriff Reserve Association
• Razorback Foundation University of Arkansas at Fayetteville
• Red Wolves Foundation Arkansas State University
• Riley’s Warrior’s
• Saline County Striders
• Siloam Springs Children’s Center
• Summer Cereal Drive – Arkansas Foodbank
• Susan G. Komen “Race for the Cure
• Toys for Tots Campaign, Marine Corps Reserve
• University of Arkansas Community College at Hope Foundation
• VTN Studio
• Where Angels Run
• Winthrop P Rockefeller Cancer Institute Foundation
• Women Run Arkansas of Saline County
• Women’s Foundation of Arkansas

Arkansas Rural Teacher of the Year

Ouida Newton, a math teacher with the Poyen Public Schools, has been named as the 2014 Arkansas Rural Teacher of the Year by the by the Arkansas Rural Education Association and the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas, who sponsor the annual award.

A resident of Leola, she holds a Bachelor of Science degree in education from Henderson State University and a Master of library and informational science degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She has taught at the Poyen Public Schools since 1979.

“My responsibility as an educator is to prepare students to be able to flourish in their future,” she said. “Not only do I have to teach math skills, but I also must teach students how to be problem solvers and lifelong learners.”

According to Newton, community expectations are high in rural schools. Parents and other community members expect a student who attends a rural school to perform better than students who attend larger schools, she said.

“Whatever it takes to reach children is what educators do,” said Newton, a third-generation teacher. “A small school allows teachers to adjust instruction based on a student’s need. I believe that teachers can touch lives and communities for a lifetime.”

The Rural Teacher of the Year Award winner is selected based on the quality and depth of answers to questions in the following categories: professional biography, educational history, professional development, community involvement, teaching philosophy, education issues, and the teaching profession.

Previous Arkansas Rural Teacher of the Year Winners