Best Practices
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Throughout Arkansas, churches and faith-based and community organizations are partnering with the state to meet the needs of people. While we cannot highlight every service provider, we want to showcase a few that are partnering with the state in creative ways, both monetarily and non-monetarily, to provide needed services to fellow Arkansans. It is our hope that these examples will spur more ideas for you and your organization.

Independent Living Service, Inc.
Independent Living Service, Inc. P.O. Box 1990 Conway, AR 72032
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• Independent Living Services (ILS) is a private, community-based, non-profit agency based in Conway serving people with developmental disabilities in Central Arkansas.
  
  
• ILS has received a $35,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to create a Faith In Action Program.
  
  
• ILS-FIA seeks to help people with developmental disabilities to live as independently as possible within the community.
  
  
• ILS partners with the state by billing Medicaid for certain services.
  
  
• ILS-FIA partners with area churches by providing training to volunteer mentors to assist people with disabilities.

For more information about Faith In Action or Independent Living Services, Inc., please visit www.indliving.org, or contact Mrs. Jackie Fliss at 501-327-5234 ext. 301

The Church at Rock Creek
The Church at Rock Creek 4217 S. Shackleford Little Rock, AR 72204
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• The Church at Rock Creek offers CareerLink, a workshop and curriculum developed to assist the unemployed and underemployed achieve self-sufficiency for themselves and their dependants. By addressing practical, social, emotional and spiritual roadblocks to meaningful employment, they encourage development of a life plan and career path as opposed to the "just get a job" mentality.
  
  
• The methods and curriculum are intended to mobilize the faith based community in partnership with government and other social agencies who are committed to restoring dignity and hope to the dependant community.
  
  
• All aspects of the training incorporate biblical principles that align with God given gifts and talents to move a long term plan for success.
  
  
• CareerLink partners with the state by getting referrals from the local Department of Human Services office and by getting reimbursed for certain allowable expenses.
  

For more information about CareerLink, please visit http://www.churchatrockcreek.org/CareCenter.htm, or contact Spring Macias at 501-225-8684

Arkansas Mentors Program
Arkansas Mentors Program Mississippi County Workforce Alliance 204 North 5th Street Blytheville, AR 72315
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• The Mississippi County Workforce Alliance (MCWFA) operates a mentoring program called Each-One-Reach-One. This program is designed to enhance the life skills, work ethic, and job training skills of unemployed and underemployed participants. This mentoring program is a collaborative effort of faith-based and community-based groups to help low income participants achieve employment and improve their quality of life. In addition, MCWFA acts as a referral program to raise citizens' awareness of public services available to assist them.
  
  
• Each-One-Reach-One partners with the state by receiving referrals from the Department of Human Services and the Employment Securities Department and has received primary funding from the Foundation for the Mid South.

For more information, contact Linda Delaney at 870-762-1331