Friends Forever

A decades-long partnership between JLLR and Camp Aldersgate makes Kota Camp a community favorite

by: Mary Hargraves

Going to summer camp growing up was the highlight of the year. You spend months counting down to being reunited with friends, s’mores, the camp dance, and lots of friendship bracelet making. The Junior League of Little Rock is fortunate to get to play a role in Kota Camp each summer and fall. Kota Camp is one of those Junior League placements that once you serve on it, it sucks you in. Lots of members request to be on it multiple times and even end up volunteering at Camp Aldersgate throughout the year.

A JLLR sustainer helped start the joint service project between JLLR and Camp Aldersgate a little over 20 years ago. Kota Camp allows individuals ages 6 to 26 with special needs and/or medical conditions to attend a fully accessible traditional summer camp. Kota Camp is unique in that it allows for an inclusive camp experience where the camper is accompanied by their sibling or friend. Activities including fishing, canoeing, archery, and arts and crafts are designed to allow every camper the opportunity to participate, face challenges, and succeed.

We are proud to have a tangible reminder of what the Junior League can accomplish. Just this year, Camp Aldersgate received the Eleanor P. Eells Award for Program Excellence from the American Camp Association for the Kota Camp program. Here’s to 20 more years of Kota Camp!

Across the Board

Boardwalk gives JLLR members hands-on leadership training with nonprofit organizations across the city

by: Stephanie Maxwell Newton

The Boardwalk committee offers League members the valuable opportunity to gain experience on a nonprofit board. “Partnerships between JLLR and local nonprofits is important to the League as it provides our members the chance to act in a board role without all of the requirements that board members typically have,” says Mary Walter, current Boardwalk chair, referring to the financial obligation waived for Boardwalk members. Some Boardwalk partners, such as Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Arkansas and Volunteers in Public Schools, overlap with JLLR’s impact areas of school preparedness and nutrition and wellness for community children. The League’s most recent Boardwalk partner is Well Fed, whose mission is to combat food insecurity with access to healthy food and education.

In turn, each Boardwalk member walks away from the placement (either a one- or two-year commitment) with the tools and experience necessary to be an effective member of a nonprofit board. “It also allows JLLR members to make relationships with nonprofits and lets them volunteer with other amazing organizations,” Mary says.