Arkansas 2025 Regular Session

Arkansas House Bill HR1074 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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3	3	State of Arkansas 1
4	4	95th General Assembly 2
5	5	Regular Session, 2025 HR 1074 3
6	6	4
7	7	By: Representative Bentley 5
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9	9	7
10	10	HOUSE RESOLUTION 8
11	11	TO RECOGNIZE THE CONWAY KIWANIS BOOKCASE FOR EVERY 9
12	12	CHILD PROJECT FOR INCREASING LITERACY AND STUDENT 10
13	13	RETENTION RATES BY BUILDING PERSONALIZED BOOKCASES AS 11
14	14	GIFTS FOR CHILDREN ENROLLED IN THE FEDERAL HEAD START 12
15	15	PROGRAM. 13
16	16	14
17	17	15
18	18	Subtitle 16
19	19	TO RECOGNIZE THE CONWAY KIWANIS BOOKCASE 17
20	20	FOR EVERY CHILD PROJECT FOR INCREASING 18
21	21	LITERACY AND STUDENT RETENTION RATES BY 19
22	22	BUILDING PERSONALIZED BOOKCASES AS GIFTS 20
23	23	FOR CHILDREN ENROLLED IN THE FEDERAL 21
24	24	HEAD START PROGRAM. 22
25	25	23
26	26	WHEREAS, the Conway Kiwanis Bookcase for Every Child project works to 24
27	27	increase literacy and student retention in schools by building personalized 25
28	28	oak bookcases of good quality and giving these, along with a starter set of 26
29	29	gently used books, annually to fifty (50) children four (4) and five (5) 27
30	30	years of age who are enrolled in the federal Head Start program administered 28
31	31	by the Community Action Program for Central Arkansas; and 29
32	32	30
33	33	WHEREAS, since 2005, one thousand (1,000) children have received 31
34	34	bookcases through the Conway Kiwanis Bookcase for Every Child project; and 32
35	35	33
36	36	WHEREAS, Jim Davidson, author of several motivational books, is the 34
37	37	founder of the Conway Kiwanis Bookcase for Every Child project; and 35
38	38	36 HR1074
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41	41	WHEREAS, former Conway Police Chief Randall Aragon was highly 1
42	42	instrumental in starting the Conway Kiwanis Bookcase for Every Child project; 2
43	43	and 3
44	44	4
45	45	WHEREAS, Jim Davidson recalled that he asked a friend named Howard 5
46	46	Welch, who was a member of Davidson's Sunday school class and had a 6
47	47	woodworking shop at his home, to make a sample bookcase; and 7
48	48	8
49	49	WHEREAS, the Conway Kiwanis Bookcase for Every Child project began with 9
50	50	a plan to give a bookcase to each child in the local Head Start program, and 10
51	51	the director of the local Head Start program at that time was Phyllis Fry, 11
52	52	who was also a member of Jim Davidson's church; and 12
53	53	13
54	54	WHEREAS, the original members of the Conway Kiwanis Bookcase for Every 14
55	55	Child project committee were founder Jim Davidson, former Conway Police Chief 15
56	56	Randall Aragon, former local Head Start director Phyllis Fry, Hendrix College 16
57	57	head librarian Amanda Moore, publisher of the Log Cabin Democrat Scot 17
58	58	Morrissey, retired business executive and master craftsman Mickey Cox, 18
59	59	housewife Nina Russ, Faulkner County librarian Ruth Voss, pastor of 19
60	60	Cornerstone Bible Church Dr. Larry Pillow, businesswoman Linda Linn, retired 20
61	61	school teacher Nancy Mitchell, retired school counselor Linda Hammontree, and 21
62	62	executive director of the Conway Housing Authority Mary Boyd; and 22
63	63	23
64	64	WHEREAS, the first committee meeting for the Conway Kiwanis Bookcase 24
65	65	for Every Child project committee was held on June 9, 2005, at City Hall in 25
66	66	Conway; and 26
67	67	27
68	68	WHEREAS, the Conway Kiwanis Bookcase for Every Child project is focused 28
69	69	on helping preschool children who are being raised in low -income homes and 29
70	70	the need to serve these children took on even greater significance for Jim 30
71	71	Davidson when he learned that sixty -one percent (61%) of low -income families 31
72	72	in the nation had no books at all in their homes; and 32
73	73	33
74	74	WHEREAS, in early 2020, the Kiwanis Club of Conway assumed oversight of 34
75	75	the Conway Kiwanis Bookcase for Every Child project from Jim Davidson, who is 35
76	76	still active in the project; and 36 HR1074
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79	79	1
80	80	WHEREAS, Richard Plotkin is the chair of the Conway Kiwanis Bookcase 2
81	81	for Every Child project; and 3
82	82	4
83	83	WHEREAS, Richard Plotkin is part of the seven -person operating 5
84	84	committee, composed of executive director of University of Central Arkansas 6
85	85	Public Appearances Amanda Horton, Faulkner County Collector Sherry Koonce, 7
86	86	director of the Faulkner -Van Buren Regional Library John McGraw, University 8
87	87	of Central Arkansas Associate Professor Charlotte Rainey Parham, sixth -grade 9
88	88	literacy teacher Janie Walburn, and executive director of the Community 10
89	89	Action Program for Central Arkansas Jennifer Welter, that provides functional 11
90	90	oversight of the Conway Kiwanis Bookcase for Every Child project; and 12
91	91	13
92	92	WHEREAS, the ultimate goal of the Conway Kiwanis Bookcase for Every 14
93	93	Child project is to promote literacy at an early age, enhancing the potential 15
94	94	of participating children to excel at all levels of education and in their 16
95	95	eventual chosen professions; and 17
96	96	18
97	97	WHEREAS, the bookcases awarded in 2024 through the Conway Kiwanis 19
98	98	Bookcase for Every Child project were built by the Nabholz Construction 20
99	99	millwork shop in Conway, and Centennial Bank; and 21
100	100	22
101	101	WHEREAS, Conway Corp and Virco Inc., each agreed to donate one thousand 23
102	102	dollars ($1,000) beginning in 2024 for bookcase construction, and are 24
103	103	therefore considered "Sustaining Partners" of the project; and 25
104	104	26
105	105	WHEREAS, the Conway Kiwanis Bookcase for Every Child project bookcases 27
106	106	are personalized for each child with a nameplate created and donated by 28
107	107	Billy's Trophies & Awards of Conway; and 29
108	108	30
109	109	WHEREAS, each child who receives a bookcase via the Conway Kiwanis 31
110	110	Bookcase for Every Child project also receives a stuffed animal "reading 32
111	111	buddy" donated by project supporter Crystal Spellmann and a personalized 33
112	112	bookmark handcrafted by Carol Crockett, manager of the Faulkner County 34
113	113	Satellite Office of Child Care Aware of Northcentral Arkansas; and 35
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117	117	WHEREAS, the primary source of books for the Conway Kiwanis Bookcase 1
118	118	for Every Child project is the Faulkner County Library, which supplies the 2
119	119	project books it receives through community donations and supplements this 3
120	120	via numerous supporters including the Life 10 Sunday school class at Conway 4
121	121	First Baptist Church, which buys a children's Bible and a book of bedtime 5
122	122	Bible stories for each recipient, 6
123	123	7
124	124	NOW THEREFORE, 8
125	125	BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY -FIFTH GENERAL 9
126	126	ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 10
127	127	11
128	128	THAT the House of Representatives recognize the Conway Kiwanis Bookcase 12
129	129	for Every Child project for its work to increase literacy and student 13
130	130	retention rates by building personalized bookcases as gifts for children 14
131	131	enrolled in the federal Head Start program. 15
132	132	16
133	133	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that upon adoption, a copy of this resolution be 17
134	134	presented to Richard Plotkin by the Chief Clerk of the House of 18
135	135	Representatives. 19
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