Kyle Kellams: In 2007, a couple realized there were big gaps in Arkansas when it came to children with developmental and intellectual disabilities in extracurricular activities like sports and the arts. Todd and Amy Denton of Pediatrics Plus were determined to close that gap and founded Community Connections. 18 years ago, the nonprofit started in Conway. Now, it's rooted in multiple Arkansas cities.
Madilyn Lovell is the Fort Smith area director of Community Connections, and says that initial realization by the Dentons still fuels the organization's mission.
Madilyn Lovell: They didn't have the same access to or opportunities as a typical child would to participate in maybe a team sport or a theater program. So they wanted to fill that gap by creating those programs to help families to address various health, developmental and social needs for these kids. So that's our goal, is to provide those free programs all over the state of Arkansas.
Kellams: So first there's the awareness that this is lacking in a community. But then you got to make it happen.
Lovell: Yeah.
Kellams: And what does that take?
Lovell: That is a lot of talking with other community organizations, nonprofits who have similar missions. How can we partner together, increase awareness about this topic, and really gain support from a community to help build us up and create programs with great directors and leadership.
Kellams: Any examples of partnerships you can–?
Lovell: We have partnered with The Arc for the River Valley. They have similar programs and advocate for those with disabilities, and they venture into more adults and children. We are mostly focused on children. We do have a parent support group, which is sort of a different aspect, but overall we partner with them for family events, a swim party in the summer and we're working with SpIndL. They have sort of that in Fort Smith is a place for those with any neurodivergence, that could be autism, and they're helping to transition them into the workforce. So we're working with them to see how we can partner on what we call a teen game group. And it's teens getting together to work on social skills, play fun games, maybe eat something together, and partnering with them so that our participants can eventually transition into somewhere like that if they need it.
Kellams: It sounds like it's not difficult to get people on board.
Lovell: No, it really isn't. When you're doing something good and making a good impact in your community. It's easy in these Arkansas areas for people to hop on board and want to be a part of that.
Kellams: All right. We're in the very early part of 2026. Plans, goals, events in 2026?
Lovell: We have our spring program starting up soon in Fort Smith. That is art, basketball, bowling, team game group and soccer. We are also planning family events sometime in mid-April. We're working on getting a date for that, but we'll have an arcade day partnering with the arcade in Fort Smith. So we're really excited about all of that. The teen game group is something new for us and going into more young adults, so we're excited to give that opportunity to the community.
Kellams: It also takes volunteers, right? You just mentioned a lot of activities for spring basketball and teen game groups. Unless you have people who can give time and expertise.
Lovell: Yeah, that leadership is so important to us and we really value all of the wonderful directors and volunteers. Without them, we couldn't have the programs. They're kind of the hands and feet of what we do in every city. So we love to have anybody who wants to be on board to volunteer and be a buddy to some of the kids, help them to feel included and reach out to their families and see exactly what they're needing. And the more hands you have on board, the easier it is to provide a successful program and keep that support.
Kellams: Is also part of the idea, awareness? Because perhaps you don't have a child that would, you know, benefit from this program or you don't have a differently abled child. So it's out of mind.
Lovell: Yeah.
Kellams: You don't realize this gap exists.
Lovell: You don't really realize that gap. And I'm somebody who hasn't really had a family member with special needs, so I didn't know about that. I am going into occupational therapy school, so I sort of had an awareness through that. And then I worked with Pediatrics Plus, which is our sister company. And the way that they describe this to us was having a child with special needs is like, you're planning a trip to Mexico and you pack your sunscreen, your swimsuit, maybe some sunglasses, and then when you get off the plane, you are in a snowy Colorado and it's not what you expected, but it's still a really beautiful journey. And so we're here to help those parents on that journey that maybe they weren't expecting or had never had any experience with.
Kellams: Let's say someone's listening, and perhaps they have a child that could benefit, or perhaps they want to volunteer, or perhaps they would like to support financially in some other way.
Lovell: I would say the first step for that is to really just reach out. I'm always available, Madilyn@CommunityConnectionsAR.org, you can email me, message me anywhere, and we would love to get you connected and find a spot that feels right for you, whether that's participating in the program, volunteering, directing. We have so many different avenues. And then there's other aspects like community partnerships. We need locations to host our programs.
We have Eastside Baptist Church in Fort Smith that has been really gracious to open their doors and let us have our programs there and give us that space. So that's a huge donation that people don't really think of. It's not as much a monetary donation, but we do have Friends of CC where you can donate weekly or monthly a set amount, and there's so many different options. Walmart has Spark Good where you can round up on your order, and so if you put in Pediatrics Plus Community Connections, you can round up. If your total is $3.98, that's just two cents. But when multiple people are doing that, that really makes a difference in our programs and what we're doing.
Kellams: If it's $3.07, it's 93 cents.
Lovell: Yeah.
Kellams: How did you get connected to Community Connections?
Lovell: So I'm a psychology major at the University of Arkansas Fort Smith. And like I said, I've been wanting to go into occupational therapy, and I had a psychology club meeting where Pediatrics Plus came and spoke about what they do and what Community Connections was doing. So I was a summer intern for Pediatrics Plus, and at the same time, I was wanting to get involved and volunteer in the community. I checked out the Community Connections website, and Fort Smith only had one program, and Conway had 18 different programs. So I saw that this is definitely a need in our community, but nothing is going on much in our area.
So I know that you kind of have to be the change that you want to see in the world. And I reached out to the director of programs Mrs. Jessica, and asked her, how can I be a part of this? And I was thinking, maybe volunteer. I could direct a program. I started off by directing an art program, and I am a little bit crafty, but I'm definitely not an artist, and that's something we always tell our directors and volunteers. You don't have to have any experience doing it. We just want somebody with a good heart and wanting to serve. So I directed art and then I became the area director. So I was really focused on creating those community partnerships and increasing how many programs we have.
Kellams: So you are currently a student at University of Arkansas Fort Smith?
Lovell: Yes, I am.
Kellams: And you’re… Wow. I mean, that's something. What year are you?
Lovell: I'm a senior this year.
Kellams: Okay. Your senior year is far, I have to admit, different than mine. I was looking to coast. I only had, my last semester I only had classes on Tuesday and Thursday. You've taken a lot on.
Lovell: Yeah, I have a lot of ideas and plans and things I want to do. And I don't really think I'm different than anybody else. I'm kind of just figuring things out as I go along, too, and I think that's a really important thing to keep in mind when you want to be a part of a nonprofit or any local organization, is that we're all just figuring this out for the first time. And so taking action and stepping into a role that maybe you're not comfortable with at the start is a great way to just get involved and help out the community.
Kellams: All right. Spring program is about to begin.
Lovell: Yes they are.
Kellams: If you want to enroll or want to help out, again?
Lovell: You go to CommunityConnectionsAR.org. Or you could email me, and we'll help you to get connected and volunteering, participating in programs, whatever way that makes the most sense for you.
Kellams: Thank you so much for coming in.
Lovell: Thank you so much for having me.
Kellams: Madilyn Lovell is the Fort Smith area director for Community Connections. Our conversation took place at the Carver Center for Public Radio last week.
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