THE SOCIAL FRONT
Soup Sunday
On Feb. 2, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families hosted its 24th annual Soup Sunday at the Rogers Convention Center. The honorary chair was Kayln Chance of Walmart, event chair was Channing Barker and restaurant chair was Joseph Nguyen, also known as the Hangry Pedaler on Instagram. Approximately 1,000 guests and volunteers circulated the ballroom, sampling more than 40 kinds of soups, breads and sweets from local restaurants and vendors, including old favorites such as Woodstone and Tula as well as new vendors such as Fuegos Food Truck and Gelatissimo gelato shop. Guests also enjoyed live music by The Cocktail Club, kid zone activities, STEM crafts from Garver and a few favorite mascots. The event featured a Golden Ladle Award, determined by soup-loving attendees who voted for their favorite soup. The Golden Ladle Award first place went to Early Bird Catering for its Calcasieu River Crawfish Chowder. Second and third place winners were Yankabilly Smokehouse and Gaskins on Emma. Through ticket sales, sponsorships, donations and a silent auction, the event raised more than $216,000 to benefit the nonpartisan policy nonprofit organization. Presenting sponsors were the Bozie Foundation and Excellerate Foundation. www.aradvocates.org
Moonlight Masquerade
The Junior League of Northwest Arkansas hosted its 13th annual Moonlight Masquerade on Feb. 7 at Osage House in Cave Springs. More than 265 tickets, including corporate and individual tables and individual seats, were sold. The event included a silent auction, dancing, music by students from the Razorback Marching Band and DJ Derrick, and New Orleans-style food by Catering Unlimited. During the program, guests heard from keynote speaker Mallory Files, owner of Ozark Charcuterie, who spoke about her sister’s experience with domestic violence and how it impacted her, and Peace at Home Development Director Eva Terry. The event raised more than $30,000 to go toward the league’s mission and fund programs with its partner agencies. www.juniorleaguenwa.org
All In Casino Night
The Teen Action & Support Center hosted its 11th annual All In Casino Night on Feb. 8 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Rogers. Emceed by Allison Wise of 40/29 News, more than 250 guests attended the event, which included exciting casino games, plenty of playing chips, a silent and live auction, and delicious food and drinks. Jack Link’s Beef Jerky was the presenting sponsor for the evening, and honorary event co-chairs were Lea Jepson, vice president and divisional merchandise manager for Sam’s Club bakery and prepared foods, and Dwan Reed, vice president of merchandising operation and strategy of Walmart. The event raised more than $150,000 through ticket sales and donations to benefit teens in Northwest Arkansas. www.tascnwa.org
Ooh! La, La! A Chocolate and Wine Pairing Event
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On Feb. 11, the Jackson L. Graves Foundation hosted its 16th annual Ooh! La, La! A Chocolate and Wine Pairing Event at the Fayetteville Town Center. The event kicked off with a champagne reception featuring artisan chocolate samplings by Preston Stewart of ONYX Coffee Lab’s Terroir Chocolate, followed by a decadent, three-course dinner prepared by chef Justus Moll with Terroir Chocolate infused in every course. Each dish was paired with a fine wine by Southern Glazer's and Arkansas Wine and Spirits, presented by Phillip Price. Approximately 150 guests helped raise more than $35,000 to benefit the Jackson L. Graves Foundation’s projects focused on neonatal care. The foundation also announced its endowment with the Arkansas Community Foundation. Visit www.arcf.org/jacksongraves to make a donation. www.jacksongraves.org
Heart Ball
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The American Heart Association-Northwest Arkansas held its 2025 Heart Ball on Feb. 15 at the Rogers Convention Center. About 1,000 people packed into the ballroom for a cocktail hour, an elegant meal, live and silent auctions, and a presentation of the 2025 class of NWA Sweethearts. Vinima Shekhar and Ryland Allen of Walmart and Tom McDonald of Bayer Healthcare were co-chairpersons of the event. Mike Sewell, a senior director at Market Performance Group, was honored as the featured heart survivor. Forty-five Sweethearts raised more than $135,000 for the organization. Sponsors, including The Emerson Group, Bayer Healthcare, Walmart, Opella and Haleon, helped push proceeds to nearly $1 million. An after-party featuring Rock & Roll Dueling Pianos, a high-energy dueling piano act from Nashville, Tennessee, finished off the night. Donations to the Heart Ball may be made through June at
heart.org/nwaheartball.
Panther Party
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St. Joseph Catholic School hosted its annual Panther Party at Stone Chapel at MattLane Farm in Goshen on Feb. 22. Approximately 168 guests came dressed in Western attire for an evening of dancing, great food and music. The event featured dinner by Fernando Castillo, specialty beverages, a silent auction and more. More than $60,000 was raised during the event to support the creation of a multipurpose performing arts center. www.sjfayschool.com
