Through the generosity of Curtis Arnold and The Bill and Sharon Arnold Family Foundation, the Arkansas Jump$tart Coalition, a coalition of organizations dedicated to improving the financial literacy of pre-kindergarten through college-age youth, is funding the $350 tuition for two Arkansas teachers to attend the 2010 Jump$tart National Educator Conference. The conference will be held November 5-7 in Washington, D.C. The $350 covers the conference fee, two nights of lodging, conference meals, and materials. Persons selected will be responsible for providing their round trip transportation and incidentals.

To be eligible, contestants must be a teacher who will be teaching personal finance in any public or private school, any grade, in Arkansas. Interested teachers must submit an essay of no more than two pages. The essay must include the following information: name, your contact information, where you teach, what you teach, why you are applying, and how you would share the information learned with other teachers. Full contest details can be obtained from the Arkansas Jump Start Coalition page on Facebook or by contacting Dr. Mary Ann Campbell at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Essays are to be submitted by email to Laura Connerly, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by noon on Monday, August 23, 2010. A committee of Arkansas Jump$tart Coalition members will judge the entries. Contest winners will be notified by Thursday, August 26th at noon.

For more information about the National Educator Conferece, visit the conference website at http://www.nhjumpstart.org/NationalEducatorConference.htm.

The Bill and Sharon Arnold Foundation recently made a generous $20,000 donation to Gateway
Church Downtown to assist its efforts to launch Nexus Café & Coffeehouse in downtown Cleveland, Ohio.

Excited about the vision and purpose of Nexus, Curtis Arnold, executive director of the Arkansas based foundation, contacted Gateway Downtown Pastor Alex Ennes. Arnold not only proposed an initial $10,000 matching gift but also committed to giving Nexus a second $10,000 gift as the church
concludes its fundraising efforts.

“I can’t tell you how surprised we were that a foundation in Arkansas would bless downtown Cleveland in such a special and unique way with their generous gift,” Ennes said. “We are amazed not just that they gave us the gift but how encouraging and enthusiastic they were in giving it.”

Simply put, the vision of Nexus Café & Coffeehouse is to put the church in the marketplace. Once launched, Nexus will serve as a “point of connection” for creating community in downtown Cleveland
and connecting that community to Christ.

Overseen by Gateway Downtown, Nexus will also serve as a dynamic hub for volunteering. Downtown residents and employees would come to Nexus not only for great food and incredible coffee, but also to support people and organizations working to make a difference in Cleveland.

Nexus profits would be used to fund local and international service projects, and partner organizations
will serve Cleveland’s inner-city children and families as well as work to beautify the city in ways
similar to Gateway Downtown’s annual collaboration with Downtown Cleveland Alliance to plant
flowers in the Warehouse District.

“Our deepest thanks go to the Arnold family for their partnership with Gateway Church Downtown and for their desire to help Nexus become reality,” Ennes said.

The Bill and Sharon Arnold Family Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, was founded in honor of Bill and Sharon Arnold’s lifelong commitment to education. The couple retired in 2008 following a 40-year teaching career, the vast majority of which was in Arkansas. The foundation also seeks to honor Sharon’s lifelong dedication to church music ministry and the arts.

For more information on Nexus Café & Coffeehouse, visit www.nexuscleveland.com. For Gateway Church Downtown, visit www.gatewaycleveland.com.

The Arnold Family Foundation helped sponsor the third annual Wild Wines of the World, a fundraiser for the Little Rock Zoo, an event which was held on May 15, 2010 with over 500 guests in attendance. The event was a huge success and this year offered more than just wine. Other attractions included a German beer garden and guests also enjoyed scrumptious morsels form several area restaurants while listening to live music. More than $40,000 was raised for the Little Rock Zoo by this event.

Jessica Caldwell, 17, of Roe, Ark., was recently selected to receive a Bill and Sharon Arnold Family Educational Foundation Scholarship and a Founder’s Scholar Scholarship from Ouachita Baptist University.