Please join us in contributing nonperishable items in boxes provided at Profiles Enrichment Center, Profiles Productions, and the ILS Administration Office. The food drive will extend through November 14th.

Questions? Call Chris Smith at 501-327-5883.

LEFT TO RIGHT: Roy, Diane, Wesley, LaShanda, George, and Louis

Congratulations! The Sunshine Optimist Club won the Chili Cook-off championship at ArtsFest this year in downtown Conway!

The Sunshine Optimist Club’s goal is to help students with intellectual disabilities and their families be better prepared for life after high school. The club strives to ensure that both parents and students have all the information they need to make the best decisions.

Visit www.sunshineoptimist.com for more information.

The Conway Sunshine Optimist Club partnered has with Profiles Enrichment Center and the Noon Optimist Club to form a school supply drive for the Conway High School Special Education Department. The annual school supply drive aims to help individuals with developmental disabilities start the school year with the necessities.

Visit www.sunshineoptimist.com for more information.

Congratulations to Executive Director Jackie Fliss on being selected as a Nonprofit Executive of the Year finalist for the 2010 Arkansas Business of the Year Awards!

When asked to explain her secret to success Fliss says, “I aim to gather intelligent, talented, caring people and give them the tools, directions and timelines they need to do their jobs and, more importantly, do the right thing. Our employees must have compassion for the consumers and their respective families.”

Florentz Estates

“I also believe that maintaining a strong network with other agencies, developing personal networks, staying in touch with officials in state government, and communicating with community members and businesses has proven to be the key to developing innovative solutions for complex issues.”

Since she took over as Executive Director in 2000, Jackie Fliss has guided Independent Living Services through considerable growth. In the past ten years Independent Living Services has grown from a staff of 85 employees to over 375, a caseload of  70 consumers to over 200 and annual revenues of $2.1 million to $6 .3 million.

Greenbrier Apartments

Jackie oversaw the development and construction of Greenbier Apartments and Florentz Estates in 2007. Since its completion, Florentz Estates has become the model for indoor apartment construction for people with intellectual disabilities in Arkansas. Profiles Productions, a recycling facility offering gainful employment to people with intellectual disabilities, was also started during Jackie’s tenure.

Looking over plans for renovations to the Adult Ed building. Director of Profiles Productions Joey Rivers, Rik Sowell, Executive Director Jackie Fliss, and Director of Day Services Kathy Weatherl

Fliss began her career at Easter Seals of Arkansas. Afterward, she worked for seven years as a Certified Public Accountant. During her seven years as a CPA, she explains, “I was never able to forget the feeling of doing something that mattered. So, I returned to Easter Seals of Arkansas.”

After her tenure  at Easter Seals of Arkansas, Fliss worked as the CFO and Director of Children’s Services at Friendship Community Care, winner of the 2009 Nonprofit Organization of the Year Award presented by Arkansas Business.

Fliss is a member of the Conway Rotary Club and is a Paul Harris Fellow. Fliss played a significant role in founding the Sunshine Optimist Club, which is the first Optimist Club composed of people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. The club is viewed as the pilot for Optimist International on a national and international level.

Jackie has been married to Larry Fliss for 24 years. The two share two sons, Carter and Jackson, ages 22 and 21.

The 2010 Arkansas Business of the Year Awards, presented by Centennial Bank and Arkansas Business, will be held February 22 in the Wally Allen Ballroom at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock.

Arkansas District Governor Chris Black spoke to the Sunshine Optimist Club of Conway today at Profiles Enrichment Center, the adult day program of Independent Living Services.

The Sunshine Optimist Club of Conway is the first club of its kind in the world. Composed of individuals with developmental disabilities, the Sunshine Optimist Club aims to help students and their families be better prepared for life after high school.

The Sunshine Optimist Club strives to ensure that both parents and students have all the information they need to make the best decisions.

Members of the Sunshine Optimist Club and consumers at Profiles Enrichment Center, the adult day program of Independent Living Services, recently held a food drive benefiting the Turkey Project coordinated by St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Conway, Arkansas.

The Turkey Project benefits working families in the Conway area who are unable to provide a Thanksgiving dinner.

According to St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, donated items will be used to help fill over 270 boxes and feed over 2,000 adults and children in the Conway area.

Donated food was collected during the month of November at the Independent Living Services Administration Office and at Profiles Enrichment Center.

Sunshine Optimist Club

The Sunshine Optimist Club’s goal is to help students with intellectual disabilities and their families be better prepared for life after high school. The Sunshine Optimist Club strives to ensure that both parents and students have all the information they need to make the best decisions.

On Saturday, May 15th, the Sunshine Optimist Club held a Bingo fundraiser. While the weather was nasty outside we all had a great time playing Bingo.  The club raised approximately $200.  Thank you to everyone who participated!

The Sunshine Optimist club working at the Toad Suck Both last week.  We loved meeting everyone and selling refreshments.

Herb Evans, former president of the Conway Noon Optimist Club and former director of Profiles Enrichment Center, has taken a lead role in the development and oversight of this project. “As a parent of an adult son with developmental disabilities, I know parents are probably experiencing anxieties and have questions concerning their child with special needs as they near leaving high school. This project will enable students with special needs and their families to make the best decisions by becoming aware of all the service options available in the Faulkner County area. “

The club’s goal is to prepare students for life after graduating from high school by offering the following activities:

• holding informational meetings for parents, students and teachers
• touring various programs in the area
• providing training on rights and self advocacy
• speaking with students about life after high school

Of the nearly 3,000 clubs making up Optimist International, the Sunshine Optimist Club is the only club of its kind in the world.

Check back for more details.