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Civitan expands membership |
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Tuesday, 03 March 2009 |
The Civitan Services Board of Directors has expanded its membership.
New members are Debbie Benn-ett of Little Rock, Carolyn Carley Buckner of Benton and Laryssa Calley of Bryant.
“We are excited to hear the ideas these amazing women bring to the table,” board President Tom Morrow said.
Bennett brings a unique prospective to the board room as a mother of a special needs child. Civitan assists individuals with special needs, from children to adults.
“I can tell them what I would want for my child and the kinds of questions I have about a program,” she said.
She and her husband, Dr. Keith Bennett, have four sons: Josh, 23, of El Paso, Texas; Kyle, 20, who attends Southern Methodist Uni-versity in Dallas; Alex, 19, who attends the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville; and Zach, 16, who is in high school in Little Rock.
Debbie Bennett is an active volunteer in the community and her sons’ schools.
“I always volunteered at each of my sons’ schools as well as my church, Junior League and more recently, Make-a-Wish,” she said.
She is also the past president of the Medical Alliance, a group of doctors’ wives who help recruit and speak on behalf of their respective health organizations.
“I am happy to help fill a need in this growing organization as well as learn more about the options out there for adults with disabilities.”
Carolyn Buckner is no stranger to Civitan Services.
She was the first community development director, a position now held by Leigha Jones.
Buckner is the communications director for Fellowship Bible Church. She also writes for Saline County Lifestyles magazine and has volunteered for Civitan several times since leaving her staff position.
She is married to KTHV meteorologist Ed Buckner and she has three children: Grant, 22, who is in the armed forces; Ashton, 19, a freshman in college; and Kristan, 13.
As a board member, Carolyn Buckner said she is excited to now have the opportunity to give her talents and skills to help grow the NOAH project which she helped develop years ago.
The NOAH project, a biblical reference, is the board’s commitment to find funding sources outside the government, Jones said. About every year, funding gets cut, she said, which affects organizations like Civitan.
“I like knowing that the work we do at Civitan Services makes a difference in others’ lives,” she said.
Laryssa Calley and her husband, Paul, are active members of the Bryant community.
She is a Shelter Insurance agent in Bryant and her husband is the head football coach at Bryant High School. They have two children; Kenzee, 17, who attends Bryant High School; and Kurt, 13, who is in Benton Middle School.
Fellow Shelter agent and Civitan Board President Tom Morrow first introduced Laryssa Calley to Civitan Services and helped her learn of the mission and programs offered in Saline County.
“Paul and I both feel it is important to give back to our community and do our part to help serve. This organization provides an important service to our community and I hope I can help raise awareness and get more members of our community involved,” she said.
She is also on the board of directors for the Bryant Boys and Girls Club. The Calleys are also active in their children’s schools as well as their church.
“We’ve always been involved in supporting the teams Paul has coached,” she said. “At Civitan Services I hope to take an active role in helping to find new ways to help finance the programs. We just don’t know how much longer Medicaid funding will be here.”
The three new members join Dr. Jerry Dixon, Jim Futrell, Allen Middlebrooks and JoAnn Standfill on the board of directors.
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