FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
Jan. 19, 2022
 
Contact: Lisa Thurber
Director of Communications
479-575-8330
lthurber@fayetteville-ar.gov
 
 

Fayetteville named Volunteer Community of the Year

 
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The City of Fayetteville has been named a 2021 Volunteer Community of the Year. The prestigious award recognizes communities that exemplify the spirit of service by participating in citywide volunteer initiatives and making a positive impact in local areas of need.
 
The annual award is sponsored by the Governor’s Office, the Arkansas Municipal League and EngageAR. Winners are selected based on the municipality’s ability to identify its most pressing needs and demonstrate the community’s response to those needs.
 
The City of Fayetteville was recognized for its dedication to environmental protection and conservation, both in the City’s sustainability efforts as an organization and its residents’ year-round engagement – even as the pandemic continued.
 
“I am so pleased to accept this award on behalf of all the incredible and dedicated volunteers in our community,” Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan said. “It’s truly inspiring to be part of a community with so much passion and engagement for protecting and preserving the environment.”
 
The City of Fayetteville was recognized for the following civic engagement services and programs that promote environmental stewardship and sustainability:
 

• Waste-diversion services, including the City’s recycling program and its food waste and composting programs;
• Native ecology protection and restoration, including invasive species removals and the annual Celebration of Trees giveaway;
• Environmental-cleanup events, such as lake cleanups, parks cleanups and the annual Earth Day communitywide cleanups.

 
The Arkansas Department of Transportation provides Volunteer Community of the Year signage to place at prominent locations along the highways leading in to the city.
 
An awards luncheon will be held March 27 in Little Rock to celebrate the winning communities. Other municipalities honored in 2021 were Maumelle, North Little Rock, Osceola, Siloam Springs, Vilonia and West Memphis.
 

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