It’s what Fayetteville is all about—helping others from the convenience of your own hammock.

A collaboration between local nonprofit, ForgottenSong Inc., and Fayettechill Clothing Co., plans to gather enough people to represent every orphan in four major war-torn countries, while creating an atmosphere for students to relax in a hammock and listen to local bands.

World On A String is dedicated to unifying students by effectively and sustainably improving the lives of victims in war-torn countries, according to their mission’s statement. By connecting participants with one string across the entire campus, they hope to symbolize the idea that small bonds in unity can create large change.

Add up all the orphans in Iraq, Afghanistan, Nepal and Uganda, and you get an estimated 9.9 million, according to UNICEF.  ForgottenSong and Fayettechill have partnered to create this event to raise awareness for orphans in these four countries by uniting students across campus while providing an opportunity to donate towards the cause.

“We will string 1,000 yards of yarn in between all participants to demonstrate the connectedness that we are trying to foster between people for our cause,” Charles Davidson, ForgottenSong founder said. “When we cut the string, everyone will have a piece to help them remember the women and children in war-torn countries.”

The mission of ForgottenSong is to eradicate suffering in war-torn countries specifically to women and children by building self-sustaining projects and through education.  They have successfully established projects in Iraq and Uganda and are continuing in their efforts to care for the women and children who so often get neglected in countries devastated through war.

Organizers hope to draw 990 people to the event to represent every orphan in these four countries companied. If 990 attend, each person will represent 10,000 orphans, combined to the estimated 9.9 million.

Ozark Mountain Clothing Company, Fayettechill, has partnered with ForgottenSong by creating a limited edition World On A String T-shirt. Shirts will be available by registering for the event online or on the day of the event.

Fayettechill works with many nonprofits in the area, typically outdoor nonprofits,  but they are adding to the Fayettechill family by bringing on new organizations, like ForgottenSong. This is the first time the pair has worked together on a project.

“This event will be raising a good chunk of money for charity, which is awesome,” said Fayettechill owner, Mo Elliott. “The hammock theme goes with the laidback style of the [Fayettechill] company and if everything goes well, I hope we can continue this partnership with ForgottenSong.”

FogottenSong and Fayettechill have been working on the event for two months.

“We wanted to partner with Fayettechill because they make excellent T-shirts and their logo is the hammock,” Davidson said. “A big draw to this event will be the limited edition Fayettechill shirt.”

Local bands will perform at the Greek Theatre, beginning with Little Chief at 6 p.m., Jared Sluyter at 7 p.m., and Goose at 8 p.m. Between sets, the ForgottenSong team will show short documentary films their media department has created to bring awareness towards the cause.

“Donations from the event will go into ForgottenSong to fund self-sustainable projects in these war-torn countries, like the chicken farm we established in Uganda or preschool in Iraq,” Davidson said. “Malnutrition is a huge problem in Uganda, especially among orphan children.”

The ForgottenSong team is working to get 10 chicken farms planted in Uganda, many near orphanages. With their business model, the chicken farms could quickly reproduce to become hundreds of farms throughout war-torn east Africa.

A Twitter selfie contest will take place throughout the evening to help foster an online presence for the event. Students are encouraged to post a creative selfie with the hash tag #WorldOnAString for the chance to win a hammock donated by Eno. There will be a winner every 20 minutes.

World On A String will be from 5 to 8 April 4 at the Greek Theatre on campus. Registration begins at 5 p.m. for $25 or pre-register online for $15 at forgottensong.org before April 4. Don’t forget your hammock.

Hogs Care Week, a random acts of kindness initiative, was kicked off with a launch party Wednesday in the Union Ballroom. Students and staff gathered to share ideas for participating in #HogsCare and enjoyed chants led by the Razorback Pom Squad. Even the beloved baseball mascot, Ribby, joined in the festivities.

At the launch party, “giving back” stations encouraged students to get involved.  Stations were dedicated to making Valentines Day cards for the elderly and thank you cards for military personnel. Participants wrote acts of kindness ideas on a banner like “taping quarters to a vending machine” and “paying for the person’s food behind me in the cafeteria.”

“It’s a really good event that highlights honoring the university through random acts of kindness and service events,” said Holly Hilliard, PR and Marketing director for the UA Volunteer Action Center. “It’s not a big commitment so it’s something a lot of people can do. I hope people feel compelled to pass on the kindness.”

Social media will play a big role in Hogs Care Week. After engaging in a service project or act of kindness, whether it’s giving a coat to someone in need or buying lunch for your neighbor, share it on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube with the hashtag #HogsCare. Pictures and descriptions will be posted on designated social media outlets at HogsCare.com.

“Anyone can participate in Hogs Care Week – students, alumni and friends – no matter where you live,” Bowman said. “When you participate, we encourage you to help spread the word and inspire others by sharing your Hogs Care Week story through social media.”

“It’s a great way to get the community involved,” Razorback Pom member, Sydney Scholten said.

Scholten is already planning ways she can get involved with #HogsCare.

“If the bus is full and an elderly person needs a seat, I’ll gladly give up mine,” she said.

Keep up with how the hogs are giving back by visiting HogsCare.com.

Many organizations in northwest Arkansas have resources available for the homeless to receive food and clothing, but The Salvation Army is the only organization with overnight shelters for men and women in Rogers and Fayetteville, Dawn Alva, a Salvation Army official said.

Shelters are open for the homeless every night from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.

A hot dinner, breakfast and sack lunch are provided for everyone who stays overnight, said Danny Camarillo, Salvation Army housing manager.

To ensure privacy, shelters are separated into dorms for men, women and families with 42 beds total. Guests can stay for 10 nights and are expected to complete job applications daily, or up to 30 nights if they have a job, Area Commander Maj. Tim Williford said.

“People are required to be looking for jobs if they’re staying at The Salvation Army,” Williford said. “This is not long-term housing, we’re trying to help them get off the streets.”

Those restrictions don’t apply when temperatures are less than 23 degrees.

In severe weather, The Salvation Army serves as a 24-hour emergency shelter open to anyone, regardless of job status and can accommodate up to 75 people though there are 42 beds, Camarillo said.

“The Fayetteville shelter is normally full,” Williford said. “They sleep on cots because there aren’t enough beds for them all.”

People may be crammed, but the shelter does its best to keep everyone warm though the winter.

The Salvation Army cannot exceed 75 guests.  When capacity is reached, officials have used creative resources, they said, to ensure everyone has a warm place to sleep during severe weather.

“We try not to turn anyone away,” Camarillo said. “Sometimes we’ve had to call law enforcement who will help them find a secure place. People have spent the night in jail before because the weather was so bad.”

Some churches also open their doors to the homeless as a cold-weather shelter during the winter, Camarillo said.

The number of homeless persons in Benton and Washington Counties increased 36 percent between 2009 and 2011, from 1,287 to 2,001, according to the most recent homeless census taken in 2011. The number of homeless youth increased by more than 39 percent.

“There are a lot of cold people out here,” said 29-year-old Jessica who asked not to disclose her last name. “I don’t think others know how it is to be out here on the streets — to live the life and walk the trials that I’ve walked.”

Jessica has been homeless for two years, she said.

In 2010 and 2011 a 24-hour, severe weather shelter was needed in January and February. Winter was too mild in early 2012 to warrant an emergency shelter, Williford said.

Officials don’t expect severe weather to be a problem this year.

“I don’t see us doing a severe weather shelter this year, but if it gets cold enough we’ll be ready for it,” Williford said. “You know how crazy the weather is around here.”

Recently, the Salvation Army began its annual Coats for Kids drive that will provide coats for children and adults through the winter. Last year, there were 209 cases of families who benefited from the drive, according to the 2011 Salvation Army social service statistics.

“We had people coming in all winter to get coats,” Dawn Alva, former Salvation Army social worker said.

Along with coats, The Salvation Army provides blankets, pillows and cots to help sustain the homeless through the winter.

“People steal [cots] like crazy because they don’t have anything else to sleep on when they leave the shelter,” Williford said. “They’re on camera but we still can’t catch them.”

The preferred term for the homeless in Fayetteville is “urban outdoorsman,” Williford said. “The name really makes sense because they sleep in the woods and live outside in urban environments.”

The term is relevant for Jessica and her boyfriend who both sleep under a bridge in south Fayetteville with a small group of homeless people, she said.

Jessica thinks “there’s a purpose for everyone” and not enough people are helping the homeless, she said.

Northwest Arkansas homelessness increased 36 percent in two years, according
to the UA most recent homeless census. Shelters have prepared to help the nearly
2,000 homeless people prepare for cold weather.

Many organizations in northwest Arkansas have resources available for the
homeless to receive food and clothing, but The Salvation Army is the only
organization with overnight shelters for men and women in Rogers and Fayetteville,
Dawn Alva, a Salvation Army official said.

Shelters are open for the homeless every night from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.

Kelvin (last name not given) has been homeless for 26 years and lives in the south Fayetteville woods near the Salvation Army. He does not sleep in a tent, but uses a tarp for shelter and “stays away” from places that have shelters for the homeless during cold weather, he said. “I’ve been through 26 winters in the woods and don’t think this one will be too bad,” he said Dec. 3. (Photo by: Whitney Green, LEMKE NEWSROOM)

A hot dinner, breakfast and sack lunch are provided for everyone who stays

overnight, said Danny Camarillo, Salvation Army housing manager.

To ensure privacy, shelters are separated into dorms for men, women and families
with 42 beds total. Guests can stay for 10 nights and are expected to complete job
applications daily, or up to 30 nights if they have a job, Area Commander Maj. Tim
Williford said.

“People are required to be looking for jobs if they’re staying at The Salvation Army,”
Williford said. “This is not long-term housing, we’re trying to help them get off the
streets.”

Those restrictions don’t apply when temperatures are less than 23 degrees.

In severe weather, The Salvation Army serves as a 24-hour emergency shelter open
to anyone, regardless of job status and can accommodate up to 75 people though
there are 42 beds, Camarillo said.

“The Fayetteville shelter is normally full,” Williford said. “They sleep on cots because
there aren’t enough beds for them all.”

People may be crammed, but the shelter does its best to keep everyone warm
though the winter.

The Salvation Army cannot exceed 75 guests. When capacity is reached, officials
have used creative resources, they said, to ensure everyone has a warm place to
sleep during severe weather.

“We try not to turn anyone away,” Camarillo said. “Sometimes we’ve had to call law
enforcement who will help them find a secure place. People have spent the night in
jail before because the weather was so bad.”

Some churches also open their doors to the homeless as a cold-weather shelter
during the winter, Camarillo said.

The number of homeless persons in Benton and Washington Counties increased 36
percent between 2009 and 2011, from 1,287 to 2,001, according to the most recent
homeless census taken in 2011. The number of homeless youth increased by more
than 39 percent.

“There are a lot of cold people out here,” said 29-year-old Jessica who asked not to
disclose her last name. “I don’t think others know how it is to be out here on the
streets — to live the life and walk the trials that I’ve walked.”

Jessica has been homeless for two years, she said.

The number of homeless people in northwest Arkansas increased 36 percent in two years from 1,287 to 2,001 according to the most recent census taken in 2011. Many homeless people live under a bridge in south Fayetteville. (Photo by: Whitney Green, LEMKE NEWSROOM)

In 2010 and 2011 a 24-hour, severe weather shelter was needed in January and
February. Winter was too mild in early 2012 to warrant an emergency shelter,
Williford said.

Officials don’t expect severe weather to be a problem this year.

“I don’t see us doing a severe weather shelter this year, but if it gets cold enough
we’ll be ready for it,” Williford said. “You know how crazy the weather is around
here.”

Recently, the Salvation Army began its annual Coats for Kids drive that will provide
coats for children and adults through the winter. Last year, there were 209 cases of
families who benefited from the drive, according to the 2011 Salvation Army social
service statistics.

“We had people coming in all winter to get coats,” Dawn Alva, former Salvation
Army social worker said.

Along with coats, The Salvation Army provides blankets, pillows and cots to help
sustain the homeless through the winter.

“People steal [cots] like crazy because they don’t have anything else to sleep on
when they leave the shelter,” Williford said. “They’re on camera but we still can’t
catch them.”

The preferred term for the homeless in Fayetteville is “urban outdoorsman,”
Williford said. “The name really makes sense because they sleep in the woods and
live outside in urban environments.”

The term is relevant for Jessica and her boyfriend who both sleep under a bridge in
south Fayetteville with a small group of homeless people, she said.

Jessica thinks “there’s a purpose for everyone” and not enough people are helping
the homeless, she said.

Required volunteering has encouraged students to get involved in the community, however the motives behind “doing good” range from volunteering just for the sake of giving back to volunteering for the purpose of numbers on a resume.

Many UA students admit the importance of gaining community service hours for a resume, but say that should not be the main catalyst to volunteering.

“It looks good on a resume, but that shouldn’t be your only reason to volunteer,” said Lyna Ninkham, junior, international business major at the annual Make A Difference Day. “The mentality should not just be for yourself, but for others as well.”

Make a Difference Day engaged 1,100 students and community members Oct. 20 in a national day of service to work with 35 non-profit organizations on projects ranging from building homes for Habitat for Humanity to gardening at Leverett Elementary School, according to the UA Center for Community Engagement website.

As a Make a Difference Day project leader, Ninkham supervised beautification projects at Mount Sequoyah in Fayetteville.

She found students’ motives for volunteering to be “either they wanted to help out and give back to the community or they were just there for community service hours, but either way people helped and a lot was accomplished,” Ninkham said.

Ninkham tutors elementary school students every week as part of the UA Volunteer Action Center Literacy Mentor Program.

“We read to kids and just doing something little like that for an hour a week makes a big impact on a child’s life,” Ninkham said. “It’s encouraging for me and really fun.”

Volunteering is an important part of the Fayetteville culture and many UA students have donated their time, money and resources to give back to the community and help Fayetteville receive an award for volunteering efforts.

City officials were notified that Fayetteville has been named a 2012 Arkansas Volunteer Community of the year for the fourth consecutive year.

More than 30,000 Fayetteville volunteers contributed approximately 600,000 hours of volunteer community service in 2012, according to the news release. The Arkansas Volunteer Community of the Year Awards are co-sponsored by the state Division of Community Service and Nonprofit Support, the Arkansas Municipal League and the Office of the Governor.

Awards are designed to thank the community, rather than individuals, for their volunteer efforts in serving neighbors, according to humanservices.arkansas.gov.

Freshman Sophia Waller volunteers weekly at Potter’s House tutoring program in Fayetteville. Potter’s House uses a one-on-one tutoring method to give participants individual attention.

Waller has worked with Leverett Elementary kindergartener Tra-Darius Cambell since beginning the tutoring program and has seen dramatic improvement in his reading and writing skills, she said.

“He’s improved a lot,” Waller said. “It’s really gratifying to serve the community and contribute to Tra-Darius’s life. He might not be getting attention or help with school at home.”

The growth in volunteering among students has led to increased interest in the UA Volunteer Action Center.

The center has expanded from 800 students volunteering 2,000 hours of service in 2008 to 6,000 students volunteering 23,000 hours of service in the last year, said Angela Oxford, director of the Center for Community Engagement.

Students are volunteering for many different reasons and while some are “volunteering for the good of the community,” others might have different motives.

“I think there are a couple things at play,” Oxford said. “Generationally, college students feel they can do something to make a difference, but I also think they have the realism that they have to be able to tell the story of their service to give them the edge when looking for a job.”

As college students graduate in a time when jobs are scarce, community service hours help set applicants apart when competing for jobs.

“Having service hours on your resume is helpful because right now during this time that’s considered a recession, it takes everything you can to set yourself apart on your resume,” Oxford said. “Students are being encouraged to volunteer and have depth in their service.”

UA Homecoming queen Katie Waldrip has volunteered with many campus organizations including Diamond Dolls where she worked with the baseball team and miracle league for children with disabilities.

“Students volunteer for different motives,” Waldrip said. “It can be for the purpose of a job or internship, but I just enjoy getting involved and giving back to the community. It’s rewarding.”

Waldrip said her volunteer service has played a big role in her college career. She thinks everyone should get involved with some form of volunteering, despite their motives, she said.

“Our campus is 25,000 and that’s a lot of potential,” Waldrip said. “Although some people’s hearts might not be in the right place, they’re still volunteering. Regardless of if it has to be for a certain class or, whatever, any involvement is a good thing.”

Nationally, the volunteer rate rose by 0.5 percent to 26.8 percent for the last recorded year ending in Sept. 2011, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. About 64.3 million people volunteered at least once last year.

The increase in last year’s volunteer rate followed a decline of equal size in 2010, according to the Labor Department.

Statistically, individuals who attained higher levels of education engage volunteer at higher rates, according to the Labor Department. In 2011, among persons 25 and older, roughly 42 percent of college graduates volunteered compared with 18 percent of high school graduates and 10 percent of those without a high school diploma.

In Fayetteville, high school students are encouraged to volunteer to “learn more about themselves and what really get’s them motivated to be a part of a community — whether it’s high school, city or even internationally,” said Dawn Norman, Fayetteville High lead counselor.

“Volunteering at the high school level is part of life. These kids are just flat out impressive when it comes to their drive,” Norman said. “They will get behind a cause and give it everything. There’s nothing like the energy of a teenager.”

In the past two decades, a growing body of research has indicated that volunteering provides individual health and social benefits, according to the Corporation for National & Community Service at nationalservice.gov.

Research has established a strong relationship between volunteering and health: those who volunteer have lower mortality rates, greater functional ability and lower rates of depression than those who do not.

“People who volunteer are happier and a lot of people are looking for meaning in life,” Oxford said. “They’re looking for ways to increase their happiness and create change in a world that sometimes has a lot of issues.”

Throughout northwest Arkansas nonprofits served Thanksgiving meals, prepared food baskets for families and pursued a goal that no one would go hungry over the holiday.

LifeSource International delivered about 100 boxes of food with a complete Thanksgiving meal to “shut-ins who could not leave their house because of financial hard times, especially with gas prices being so high right now,” Director Jimmie Conduff said.

The Fayetteville-based nonprofit also served a meal Nov. 19 at the Yvonne Richardson Center and prepared 300 food bags for people to take home, Conduff said.

Finding turkeys for the bags presented a problem.

LifeSource expected an abundance of canned goods to fill the bags, but businesses that once donated turkeys — Walmart, Sam’s Club and Tyson Foods Inc., for example — could not meet every donation request.

“Businesses are hurting and won’t be able to do what they’ve done in the past,” Conduff said. “Walmart has given us a 10 percent discount before, but they can’t this year.”

Tyson Foods Inc., changed its donation policy and now donates primarily to food banks, not food pantries.

The Northwest Arkansas Food Bank is the only one of its kind in the area and acts as a hub for food pantries like the UA Full Circle Food Pantry and registered nonprofits including LifeSource, 7Hills and The Salvation Army to buy food at a reduced price for distribution to those in need.

“Tyson is still one of our largest donors,” said Gerald Demory, NWA Food Bank Director of Operations. “The amount they donate and what they donate varies every month.”

The policy change has affected LifeSource and other area charities.

“Tyson’s decision to cut back on giving has affected us,” Conduff said. “Now we’re having to purchase something that we didn’t have to at one point. It’s getting harder because there’s an increase in cost but decrease in giving.”

This change has resulted in families who depend on LifeSource for meals receiving about a pound less protein a month and LifeSource  “cannot really make up for the loss,” Conduff said.

The Nov. 19 Thanksgiving meal at the Yvonne Richardson Center was sponsored by local churches.

“If turkeys come in for the bags, they’re basically coming from individuals,” Conduff said. “The food bank hasn’t had any and because Tyson is not doing as much direct donations, we’re not sure if it will happen.”

The UA Full Circle Food Pantry provided 60 Thanksgiving baskets to students, staff and faculty who signed up for the meal. Baskets included everything for a full Thanksgiving meal.

“This year we received a $1,200 donation from Walmart to pay for all the turkeys and sides for the bags so our costs are completely covered,” said Angela Oxford, director for the Center of Community Engagements.

The pantry serves more than 200 students, faculty and staff weekly with meal programs, according to the Volunteer Action Center website.

Turkeys might be in short supply, but food pantries have an abundance of canned goods. Last year the KNWA Canned Food Camp out donated a truck full of canned goods to LifeSource and planned to do the same this year, according to the LifeSource website.

“The mindset right now is to give, but after the holidays people don’t give as much,” Conduff said. The surplus of canned goods received between Thanksgiving and Christmas will last LifeSource until the next surge of donations in the fall.

A committee of the university Board of Trustees will meet Thursday to discuss a $2.25 million offer for the property to be used for future construction or parking projects, according to the agenda. The full committee will make the final approval Friday.

Property owner Fadil Bayyari Trust has been offered an identical amount of $2.25 million from developers at Specialized Real Estate Group, but not accepted either offer, according to the agenda.

Trustees Director of Communications, Ben Beaumont, said the university will have to be approved by the board before any higher offers can be made.

If negation fails, the university could acquire the property through eminent domain with funding from Property Purchase Reserves, according to the agenda.

Some students who live at Sunshine Place Apartments do not support demolishing the complex.

UA law student Matthews Mathis has lived at the “very affordable” complex for almost 2 years and thinks an expansion should go somewhere else, he said Wednesday.

“Parking is definitely an issue on campus and something has to be done about it, but not here,” he said. “I know a lot of families and students would be extremely inconvenienced by having to uproot and move.”

Freshman Ega Ndun, an international student from Indonesia, has lived at Sunshine Place Apartments since moving to Fayetteville and understands the need for university expansion, but does not like the idea of leaving her new home, she said.

“It’s a dilemma because the university should build another space for parking lots, but getting rid of our homes to make room for it just isn’t fair,” Ndun said.

Because finding an empty parking spot has been a growing issue, some students think demolishing the complex is a good idea.

“I don’t know anyone who lives in those apartments and I never plan on living there, so I think they should turn it into a parking lot,” said Sarah Wood, freshman. “They would make more money off of it from new students — especially those who live in Reid.”

Wood lives in the dorms, but parks across the street at Sunshine Place Apartments because it is “closer than having to park in the pit all the way down the hill.”

While some students agree with tearing down Sunshine Place Apartments to create a parking project, people who live in the homes surrounding the complex are not.

“I would not be ok with having a parking lot next to my home,” said Radwan, who preferred his last name not be used, a neighbor who moved his family from Jordan to experience peace. “No, I don’t like it. I would like to keep the apartments where they are because it feels safer for me and my family.”

UA student Charles davidson checks the forgottensong Facebook page at Arsagas on Oct. 19. Davidson began the non-profit organization to “be a voice for the voiceless by improving the lives of women and children in war-torn countries.” (Photo by Whitney Green)

Facebook has declared since its launch that it’s “free and always will be.” And that remains true — unless users want to guarantee their posts are being seen. New fees may pose a problem for non-profit organizations that “rely heavily” on the site to create awareness for their cause.

The days of free marketing on Facebook Inc., are ending as the world-wide social media site has begun a campaign to “promote posts” and increase advertising revenue by attaching a price tag to characteristics of the site that were once free, according to Facebook’s news site.

Some non-profit organizations are “worried” about how a Facebook fee could affect one of their largest forms of marketing. At least two Fayetteville non-profits will not pay to promote posts, their founders said.

Local non-profit, Forgottensong, uses a consistent social media presence to create awareness towards their cause of improving the lives of women and children in war-torn countries, founder Charles Davidson said.

“Our [social media] audience is not large, but growing,” Davidson said. “We urge followers to invite friends and communicate regularly via Facebook.”

Facebook has served as a platform for businesses, artists, and non-profits to create an easily accessible page that anyone can see and “like” to become a subscriber. Many non-profits use their page to gain an audience and attach links to the organization’s website to provide more information.

Forgottensong has 371 “likes” on their growing Facebook page, meaning 371 “friends” are regularly updated with videos, photos and information about what they’re doing and how to get involved.

While Facebook is not the only way Forgottensong creates awareness, it serves as a platform for a bigger picture.  Word of mouth promotion, hosting events, getting people involved in various ways and sponsorships from other organizations help to promote their cause, Davidson said.

“My take is, social media along with email is cheap, but also passive,” Davison said. “It takes a lot to get someone to even see a post, much less respond to it. So we [post] often.”

Another local non-profit organization, 3 Bags in 2 Days, uses Facebook to create awareness for their cause of restoring dignity and respect to Fayetteville people who are homeless or living in poverty by providing a bag of basic necessities — including a water bottle, deodorant, toothbrush, and socks — among other things, and hosting free events such as Art in the Park and Laundry Love, according to their website.

“I utilize social media to build up an audience That has been a huge platform for people to share the story,” said Chloe Seal, 3 Bags in 2 Days Founder and UA senior.

With almost 2,000 “likes” the organization has been successful in gaining an audience. “Friends” can view their page for updates such as bag packing and distribution days, special events like Art in the Park and volunteers and resources needed to make it happen.

Seal does a lot of public speaking to promote 3 Bags in 2 Days, but “Facebook has been pretty handy and super useful for spreading the word – especially when it comes to needs,” she said.

The social media giant, boasting one billion monthly active users as of Oct., 2012, has launched a new feature that lets users pay to promote their posts to friends, similar to advertisers. After testing the service in New Zealand, it has been gradually introduced in more than 20 countries, making its way to the U.S. this month, according Facebook’s news site.

Facebook has explained that promoting a post — such as Forgottensong announcing they need used laptops for their school in Iraq — will bump it higher in your friends’ news feed.

“Every day, news feed delivers your posts to your friends. Sometimes a particular friend might not notice your post, especially if a lot of their friends have been posting recently and your story isn’t near the top of their feed,” wrote Abhishek Doshi, a software engineer at Facebook, on the Facebook news site.

While paying to promote posts may be useful for businesses with money to spare, non-profit organizations rely on people seeing their posts to help those who are in need – and many non-profits cannot afford to pay.

“I don’t think that paying is a route we’ll go right now,” Davidson said. “The true measure of success on Facebook is how many people are following you. If lots of people are following you and sharing, then paid advertising won’t be necessary.”

As an administrator for the non-profit page, Seal has access to the amount of people her posts reach. Before the promoting posts launch, 3 Bags in 2 Days posts were on the newsfeed for upwards of 800 people, she said, but now consistently reaching only about 100 people.

“I won’t pay to have our statuses promoted,” Seal said.  “I can’t justify spending money to promote via Facebook when that money could be used to directly help people.”

Facebook didn’t say how much it will cost to promote the posts, only that it’s considering a range of prices as part of the test, but some users have seen $7 as a cost per each update to promote, according to the Facebook news site.

Because 3 Bags in 2 Days news will no longer be reaching a large audience on Facebook, Seal plans to utilize and “vamp up” other free forms of social media and “tap into different, creative ways to engage people.”

This is reality for many people in northwest Arkansas. An estimated 1,300 homeless live in Benton and Washington Counties, according to the most recent Northwest Arkansas Homeless Census from 2009.

Many have created a family-like environment residing in tent cities throughout Fayetteville. These photos were taken in February 2012 from two different tent cities in south Fayetteville.

Temperatures averaged 40 degrees that month giving homeless people a break from the usually much harsher winters.

“Because the tent cities migrate, it’s hard to say how many there are,” said Sgt. Jason French, who works for the Fayetteville police. “Usually about six.”

Fayetteville is a prime spot for tent cities because of resources like The Salvation Army, 7hills Homeless Center and numerous food kitchens to serve them.

Each person’s story is different for why they may be homeless, but everyone craves the same thing: community, acceptance and safety. These tent cities provide that for them, Sgt. French said.

“Most people don’t realize what we’re like,” said Vietnam veteran Ben Walker, about homeless life in Northwest Arkansas. “There are bad people out here on the streets, but not everybody’s bad. Every day you wake up with nothing and try to do the best you can to get what you need. It’s an all-day thing. Ain’t got nothing else. No time for nothing else, just survival.”

Isolated from the world, people in these tent cities have become family.

Seventy-two of the world’s greatest poets competed in the annual Individual World Poetry Slam, presented for the first time in Fayetteville.

IWPS is a four-day poetry festival through the non-profit organization Poetry Slam Incorporated, where the best poets in the world compete for the title of Individual World Poetry Slam champion and $1,000 prize.

“It’s a competition where we bring in 72 poets from across the world to compete here in Arkansas,” said Houston Hughes, a spokesman for the event. “Each of those poets has been a champion in their own city and now they’re coming here.”

While traditional poetry is not unfamiliar to many people, a poetry slam is. Invented

Slam poet from Little Rock, Greer “Mango” Joplin, shared a spoken word at The Jam Slam on Friday where poets and musicians gave impromptu performances at Rogue on Dickson during the Individual World Poetry Slam festival. Visiting poets were “shocked” that Fayetteville presented the competition and “did not expect to find a community full of arts and culture,” a competitor said. The festival created awareness for the growing Ozark Slam Poetry community in Fayetteville that meets at 7 p.m. every third Tuesday of the month at Rogue on Dickson Street. Photo by Whitney Green, LEMKE NEWSROOM

in the 1980s as a way to keep poetry from being “stupid and boring” the competition allots a one- to three-minute time zone for poets to be judged by five randomly selected members of the audience for a score of zero to 10 points, Hughes said. Poets are not allowed to use costumes, music or props.

“It’s not a hip-hop battle,” local poet Sparkman said. “Slam itself only exists in the realm of competition, but it doesn’t have to be aggressive. Technically, what people are doing outside of competition is spoken word poetry.”

The relationship between the competing poet and audience member is highly emotional as the listener connects to a sensitivity that may have been dormant for years.

“A lot of people either refuse to feel a lot of the things they experience — things that are living in their chest — or they can’t actually do it,” local poet Leah Gould said. “Our job as poets is to give people vocabulary for their experience to allow people to share in this thing of being human.”

For performing poets, being judged on stage can be traumatizing and exhilarating.

“To be on stage is a borderline, out-of-body experience,” Sparkman said. “I find that whenever I walk off stage, I don’t remember a whole lot of what happened or how it went because you’re so involved with what’s going on between you and the audience that you are really lifted out of yourself. It’s a strong high and can be really scary, but it’s great. It’s why you do it.”

Each poet’s story is unique and the way it is “poured from their soul” into the audience can create a strong poet-listener bond.

“It’s one thing as a poet to stand up there and give somebody, like, ‘here’s all of me, enjoy it,’ and it’s another thing to be an audience member watching that happen,” Gould said. “Poet and listener are in it together to carry these things that are heavy or funny, beautiful and bizarre. Everybody loves performance poetry, they just don’t all know it yet.”

Some people are not aware of the thriving community of local slam poets in Fayetteville, many of whom have competed in a national Poetry Slam Incorporated competition.

Seventy-two of the world’s greatest poets competed in the annual 4-day Individual World Poetry Slam festival presented for the first time in Fayetteville. Renowned poet Ed Mabrey, from North Carolina, was crowned champion for the second time and won $1,000 prize at the final competition Saturday at the UA Ballroom. Mabrey tours internationally and has been published numerous times including in the New York Times national best selling anthology Spoken Word Revolution Redux by Sourcebooks. Photo by Whitney Green, LEMKE NEWSROOM

“A lot of people don’t realize that we have slams here at the University of Arkansas three or four times each semester and at Rogue on Dickson Street every third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m.,” Hughes said.

Fayetteville is home to the Ozark Slam Poetry community where local poets gather to share their lives through the spoken word.

“There’s a lot of spoken word here and I’m really hoping that this [competition] helps bring people out to local slams,” Hughes said. “Not just to watch, but to get involved—get them writing and performing.”

Ozark Slam Poetry Incorporated is the only certified venue in the state with one of the 20 longest running poetry slams in the country, Sparkman said.

“We have a really strong community in Fayetteville with a tight knit group of about 20-30 poets and 10 Ozark Slam Poetry council members who are directly involved in organizing everything,” Sparkman said. “Anybody can be a poet, you know.”

Local poets have seen an increase in poetry interest and a growing community.

“We’ve got people outside of our normal realms of Fayetteville hearing about us and finding their way out to see our events,” Sparkman said.

Visiting poets were shocked that Fayetteville presented the competition and did not expect to find a community full of arts and culture, Gould said.

In previous years, IWIPS has been in San Francisco, Boston, Austin and cities with a large arts and culture scene. Although Fayetteville is the smallest town that has ever presented IWIPS, it was “perfect” for the competition.

“The poets were pleasantly surprised when they found themselves here in Arkansas and saw what kind of an event was being thrown here,” Sparkman said. “It’s easily the smallest town I’ve ever seen it held in but we have a strong community here and venues that were willing to work with us. Fayetteville was right for something like this.”

The festival was an “overwhelming success” and many of the venues were sold out as community members gathered to welcome visitors and support local poets.

“It’s a real vibrant community,” Mayor Jordan said. “One of the things we’re trying to do in this city is enhance and advance the arts. I think the arts is one of the foundations of this city and I will always support it.”

Jordan attended the finals Saturday at the UA Ballroom and “loved hearing the poets.”

“I think it’s just a great honor and privilege to have them here to do their national competition, he said. “All the poets from all over the world coming here — it’s just such an exciting time for this city.”