In Fall 2022, a team of Clinton School students partnered with the City of Little Rock Neighborhood Community Centers and Neighborhood Resource Centers to examine how the city’s public spaces, including community centers and neighborhood resource centers, align with and meet the needs of the community.
The students evaluated current uses vs. intended uses of the centers and, within their final deliverable to the City, provided recommendations for improvements in five areas that would increase usage and satisfaction with community and neighborhood resource centers. Those five areas were websites, communication, access, branding, and staffing.
In alignment with these recommendations, the process of investing $5 million in improvements for the community centers began in February 2024. Using American Rescue Plan Act funds, the City is investing $2 million in general improvements for community centers and $3 million to develop a new Senior Center.
The Parks and Recreation Department also hired a full-time communications and social media professional to improve individual community center websites and outreach.
The Clinton School Impact Minute is a recurring segment with Little Rock Public Radio, highlighting the Clinton School’s field service impact in.
Since 2004, Clinton School students have completed nearly 700 field service projects with more than 300 organizations in Arkansas alone, creating immediate and long-term impact for businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies across the state.
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