The Arkansas Support Network is a nonprofit home- and community-based statewide service provider. The group will be hosting its second Funk Festival fundraising event on Saturday at George’s Majestic Lounge.
Syard Evans is the CEO of Arkansas Support Network. She spoke with Ozarks at Large’s Sophia Nourani over the phone about the festival and a summit they will be hosting Saturday at Mount Sequoyah. Evans says the services ASN provides are an alternative to residential or institutional options for people with developmental disabilities.
Evans: So people who need support to live their lives the way that they choose to. Our mission is really about meeting them where they're at, learning about what they want life to look like and what type of support we can provide to facilitate that life for them.
Nourani: So this Funk Festival has happened before. Can you tell me a little bit, just generally, about the event and how things have gone in the past?
Evans: Sure. So we actually kicked off Funk Festival for the first time last year. One of the things about ASN, the way that we support people, is very much a part of the culture of the organization, and it kind of spills over into everything that we do. So we've never been good gala people. We don't serve fancy dinners with a high price tag, because we don't want to do anything that's not inclusive, that doesn't create an opportunity for everyone we support, everyone we employ, all of the stakeholders, all of our community members, to really participate and be involved. And we like to have a good time. We like to dance and we like good music and those things.
So for several years our annual fundraiser was pretty much a tailgate party. And with those tailgate parties, we would have bands that would play, and often the Funk Factory would play our shows, and they're great. We love them. And as we each year would come back to the table and talk about the events, our attention focused last year on, let's really look at some of the talent across the state and let's host a funk festival. So last year we had four acts, and we did it on a Sunday afternoon. And it was a long event, but it was a great time. It was a really great time.
This year we—there's a lot going on in the world this year, especially for people who rely on Medicaid funding and Medicaid services. There's a lot of unknowns for us right now, and a lot of concerns about the people that we support and the people who work for us and some of the threats that are swirling around everywhere. And so this year we said we need more than ever to have a good fundraiser. Fundraising dollars are critical and essential, but we wanted to do more than just throw a party.
So we're hosting the Funk Festival. It's drilled down a little bit. It'll be a Saturday evening event this time, and it will highlight two excellent bands. They were both with us last year. But then we've also built a second component onto that, where during the day we're going to be hosting a Building Better Communities Summit that's really designed at giving people the opportunity to figure out how they can be more involved with their communities and participate in building positive communities around them right where they are.
Nourani: That's super cool. Can you give me a little bit more details about the summit?
Evans: Sure. So the summit and the Funk Fest are on the same day. The summit will be held at Mount Sequoyah on Saturday, Nov. 22. It is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. We will be highlighting the power of narrative and storytelling in building community. We will be highlighting how people can lead right where they are, how you can get involved and make a positive impact without having to go to different places and connect to different systems, but within your own life, right where you stand. And we'll be sharing some of the expertise from community organizers and leaders all across the state.
The summit is free of charge. The space is limited, and people can register. Go to our website and find registration links for that. But our goal here really is to be able to—like I said, the fundraising is critical for us. It's essential. But we believe that right now we also need the engagement raising. We need people to understand and recognize that it's in the power of collectives that we really can build and support the communities that we want. And folks with disabilities rely on welcoming and inclusive communities in order to be able to thrive and live the lives that they choose.
Nourani: That's a great answer. And especially with what you've mentioned about threats to Medicaid and other services, I feel like hosting this summit this year is especially important in terms of community, because that's what a lot of people are relying on right now.
Evans: Yeah. And we hear from people. There are a lot of people, I think, in our communities that are a little bit shell shocked, and they look around, and this real sense of panic, but not necessarily a clear idea about, what can I do about it? That I'm just one person. And we know for almost four decades that the work that we do is made possible by our commitment to building community. Building community for a single person changes the world of that person. Building community for groups of people just changes the world for that many more people. And it's work that we all have the capacity to do, and we can all participate in. And what we really want to offer is some genuine opportunities to recognize what's possible and to encourage and support people to get more involved.
Nourani: That's amazing. I'm so glad you guys are going to be hosting this. Are there any more details or additional information that people should know about both of these events to make sure that they'll get there?
Evans: Yeah. So if you go to supports.org/updates, you can find information on both events. Like I said, the summit will be in the morning and early afternoon of the 22nd. And then we will celebrate that work and that good time. Doors will open at 6 p.m. at George's on Saturday the 22nd, and we'll be there from 6 to 10, really just enjoying the community that we're a part of. Great music. The Funk Factory and the Rodney Block Collective will be playing—amazing, talented musicians. A really, really good time. George's is the best place to throw that kind of party. Great partners to work with. And so we're really excited about all of that.
And in both places, we will be honoring some award recipients. Each year Arkansas Support Network takes the time to recognize people within our organization, but also all across our community who we see engaging in the values that are important to us. And so we have our Honors Awards that will be highlighting those award recipients at both events. We are also highlighting them on social media. You can find us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, those places, and really learn about some of the values that are important to us, but the people and the organizations in our communities that we see really displaying those values every day.
Nourani: That's amazing. Thank you so much. This has been awesome. Is there anything else? Or I'm actually curious, what are you personally most excited for for these two events?
Evans: So typically I am a funk music lover. I probably have a pretty heavy hand in influencing how we wound up at a funk festival as our fundraiser. So I love the music. I love the musicians. They're great friends. They're great supporters. Both groups are really talented musicians and wonderful people. And we're glad that we get to partner with them and get to hang out and have a good time with them.
But I will say, for me, definitely the summit is so critical. When we first brought the committee together this year to start thinking about planning the events, it was early in the year. We were looking at federal legislation and budget proposals and all these things. And I just came to that first committee meeting and I was like, I don't have the capacity, I think, to come here and be all in on, how do we throw a good party? There's too much right now that is so critical. And it's heavily impacting the people that we support and the people that we employ and multimariginalized communities all across the state and the nation. And I just have this deep desire to do more than just host a fundraising event.
And so I'm appreciative for a team that really stepped up to that challenge to say, okay, what can we do about that? What does that look like? How can we really make that happen? And the lineup that we have, the people that are coming from all across the state to participate in that summit, is really impressive and, I think to a large degree, a unique opportunity to really get tangible examples and experiences and be able to look at the opportunities that are right in front of you, right where whoever you are and wherever you sit.
Nourani: That was Sarah Evans, CEO of Arkansas Support Network, speaking with Ozarks at Large’s Sophia Nourani over the phone about ASN’s upcoming Funk Festival.
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