leverage over $480 million in outside funding and donations annually. Last year, the City of Jonesboro received a $106,400 grant from the Corporation for National Community Service to place 16 part-time Ameri-Corps service members to serve 900 hours each. These members are provid-ing direct services to the community via The North Jonesboro Neighborhood Initiative. AmeriCorps members do not receive a salary for their service, however, a modest living allowance is provided.

In addition to the 13 mem-bers working through the North Jonesboro Initiative,

On Tuesday, April 9th, you are invited to join Mayor Harold Perrin as he recog-nizes 23 Jonesboro Ameri-Corps members for their service to the Jonesboro community.. The cere-mony will be held on the lawn of City Hall, 519 W. Washington, at 10:00 a.m.

Since 1990, AmeriCorps

has engaged more than 75,000 members each year at 15,000 locations across the country. These 75,000 members mobilize over 4 million volunteers and

there are 13 other Ameri-Corps members serving in various positions through-out the region: Valley View Schools, the His-panic Community Services Center, Legal Aid of Ar-kansas, Garden Core mem-bers in Jonesboro and Har-risburg, and the Tucker-man Arkansas Literacy Council, The mayor will also recognize four Foster Grandparents are members of Senior Corps. Dr. Clint Relyea, Associate Professor of Management and Coordinator of the ASU Internal Business Program and Chairman of the Arkansas Service Com-mission, will assist Mayor Perrin in recognition of the members.

M ayors Day of R ecognit ion

Special points of interest:

> Mayor Perrin to recognize AmeriCorps members

> NJNI forming new classes

> Meet the NJNI AmeriCorps members

> Highlights from monthly meet-ings

> Cooking Matters Class draws to a close

Inside this issue:

NJNI AmeriCorps 2

Meeting Highlights 2

2013 Community Fair 3

Cooking Matters 3

Board of Directors 4

Community Calendar 4

April 5, 2013 Volume 2, Issue 9

Would you like to get fit — physically and financially? NJNI is accepting registrations for Financial Literacy classes and Health & Fitness Classes. Financial Literacy classes will begin on Wednesday, April 10th from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at Marshall Place computer lab. The classes is taught by Caryl Steele of BancorpSouth and AmeriCorps M:ember Valencia Cash is the class facilitator. AmeriCorps Member Tawauna will conduct a health and wellness program at the E. Boone Watson Community Center from 5:30 to 6:30. the program will include peer group discussions, group exercise, and personal training, if desired.. If you are inter-ested in either of these classes, please call Emma Agnew at 870-336-7210, or send an email to eagnew@jonesboro.org.

Financial Literacy and Health & Wellness Classes Forming

made to host some of the meet-ings in the community room at neighborhood housing com-plexes.

MFBNJ—Thursday, March 21tst at the E. Boone Watson Center—Ministers planned their United Fifth Sunday service, which was held at Jonesboro First Assem-bly where Rev. Keith Grandberry was the speaker.

MARCH COMMUNITY MEETINGM Thursday, March 28th at the E. Boone Watson Center. Featured presenters were Gina Gomez, Executive Director of the His-panic Services Center, and

There was a lively discussion on ways to increase the engage-ment of north Jonesboro resi-dents in the community meet-ings. A great suggestion was

BOARD MEETING—Thursday, March 21st at the E. Boone Wat-son Center. The Board adopted by-laws and approved an up-dated Strategic Plan for 2013.

PROGRAM COMMITTEE—Met in the CDBG conference room on March 28th. Planning for the 2013 National Night Out/Community Fair are well under way.

wellness classes, food service, and land and facility rehabilita-tion Members are not paid a salary, but receive a modest living allowance. Upon comple-tion of their service, members may be eligible to receive an educational award to be used toward tuition and or student loans at approved schools

Above Left-to-right:

Front row: Siera Vail, Tawauna Hooper, Teri Spill-man, Allison Hudgins. Back row: John Bolding, Logan Sheets, Angela Simmons, Jane Toledo, Lori Watson, Sarah Worley, Valencia Cash and Emit Grimes.

NJNI is blessed to have a won-derful, dedicated group of AmeriCorps members serving in various capacities throughout the City of Jonesboro. Members provide a variety of human ser-vices at ASU CARE; tutoring services at Magnet Schools, life skills for Habitat for Humanity and other locations, exercise and

Page 2 North Jonesboro Neighborhood Initiative

Caption describing picture or graphic.

C o o k i n g M a t t e r s

M eeting H ighl ights

NJNI AmeriC orps M embers

Members

are not paid

a salary but

receive a

modest

living

allowance .

The Program Committee and board volunteers are busy plan-ning for the 2013 National Night Out Community Fair to be held on October 1, 2013 at University Lions (Northside) Park.

Last year’s event was a Huge success with over 500 residents and supporters in attendance. There was music, lots of door prizes, over 30 resource booths and plenty of food, thanks to the Jonesboro Police Department, FSCIA, and Sysco Foods.

The Program Committee is aim-ing for bigger and better this year. This promises to be a fun events and we encourage your support, input, and attendance. The community fair provides a great opportunity for residents to get to know their neighbors.

If you would like to be a part of the 2013 Community Fair, please contact me, Emma Agnew at 336-7210 or eagnew@jonesboro.org. Or you may contact a member of the program Committee to vol-

unteer, sponsor, donate a door prize, or setup a resource booth.

Program Committee Members: Jeanette Dotson, Chairman jdotson@eaaaa.org 970-972-5980 Amy Hutson, Event Chairman savedamy1971@yahoo.com Melody Robinson mdrobinson@suddenlink.net 870-972-0859

and a lesson n purchasing fresh produce. After the tour, partici-pants will shop for ingredients to prepare a healthy dish for their family. The Cooking Matters Class has been an exciting and rewarding experience as partici-pants learn teamwork and learn to prepare and sample dishes and foods unfamiliar to them. Share Our Strengths cooking .

A special thank you to Debbie DeRos-sitte, County Extension Agent for agreeing to serve as instruction for the class; and her volunteer home-makers for assisting with setup and cleanup.

We are currently accepting registra-tions for the second installment of three Cooking Matters Classes. Class size is limited to 15 and is first come-first serve.

Next week, the class will meet at the grocery store where they will receive a tour of the store

As we prepare to wrap up our first Cooking Matters class, participants get ready for the grocery store tour.

The class has been a great experi-ence for participants. Monday, April 8th will be the fifth week of the six weeks class. Participants have learned how to read labels, portion control, and kitchen safety.

After a 45 minute to 1 hour lecture on nutrition, the group adjoins to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Three workstations, already setup by volunteers, contains a recipe, ingre-dients, and the necessary equip-ment. For preparation.

Each team prepares the recipe on the table. After all the recipes are complete, everyone joins in sam-pling what has been prepared.

At the end of each class, partici-pants receive a package of grocer-ies to take home for duplicating one of the recipes they learned in class

Page 3 Volume 2, Issue 9

C ooking M atters

National N ight O ut/C ommunity Fa ir

“We are currently

accepting

registrations for the

second installment

of three Cooking

Matters Classes.”

2012 Community Fair

Matters is a program of the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alli-ance and is funded by the Walmart Foundation and the

April 8—Health & Wellness Classes

April 9—National Mayors Day of Recognition

April 10—Financial Literacy Classes

April 15—Cooking Matters Graduation

April 18—MFBNJ

April 18—NJNI Board Meeting

April 25—Communitty Meeting

September 14—NJNI 5K

October 1—NJNI National Night Out & Community Fair

C ommunity C alendar

Caption describing picture or graphic.

City of Jonesboro North Jonesboro Neighborhood Initiative P.O. Box 1845 519 W. Washington Ave. Jonesboro, AR 72401-1845

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

WILLIAM CASH-Entrepreneur, Vice Chairman

CHARLES COLEMAN-Retired, ASU

JEANETTE DOTSON-East AR Area Agency on Aging

DAISY FREEMAN-Retired, St. Bernards, Secretary

JANICE GRIFFIN –Craighead County DHS

AMY HUTSON-Frito Lay

BLAKE JOHNSON-Liberty Bank

JANE MCDANIEL–Retired, St. Bernards

M.G. MEYERING-Habitat for Humanity

JOHN MIXON–STUCK & ASSOCIATES

BEN OWENS, Retired-St. Bernards, Chairman

Emma Agnew, Editor and NJNI Coordinator

870-336-7210

eagnew@jonesboro.org