LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (January 13, 2017) – The City of Little Rock was recognized Thursday as one of 12 Volunteer Communities of the Year in Arkansas. The award, co-sponsored by the DHS Division of Community Service and Nonprofit Support, the Arkansas Municipal League and the Office of the Governor, recognized the city as a whole for the efforts of its volunteers in serving their neighbors.

Little Rock reported 20,087 volunteers who served more than 1.6 million volunteer hours in 2016. These residents performed volunteer duties ranging from serving on City of Little Rock boards and commissions to volunteering in the Little Rock School District through the City’s Love Your School program, knitting for Arkansas Children’s Hospital, helping those experiencing homelessness and tutoring with the Arkansas Literary Council.

Mayor Mark Stodola was enthusiastic about the recognition – a first for the capital city.

“As a City, volunteers and volunteer service allow us to benefit people and places that we otherwise would not be able to reach because of budgetary or capacity concerns,” Stodola stated. “Those of us who call Little Rock home already know about the size of our citizens’ hearts, but I am thankful to Governor Hutchinson, the Department of Human Services, and the Arkansas Municipal League for recognizing it as well.”

Stodola was joined by at-large City Director Joan Adcock to accept the award at Thursday’s Volunteer Community of the Year Luncheon, part of the Arkansas Municipal League 2017 Winter Conference being held at the Statehouse Convention Center this week.

Communities submitted nominations last summer describing their local volunteer activities and these nominations were reviewed by a panel of citizens representing a cross-section of the state, who then chose the 12 winners for this year. Those communities are: Benton, Bentonville, Cherokee Village, Clarkridge, Fayetteville, Greenbrier, Heber Springs, Little Rock, Maumelle, McNeil, Mountain Home and Van Buren.

Communities that are chosen each year receive signs on two of the town's borders designating the city as a Volunteer Community of the Year for that year.

###